The artist formerly known as Kanye West has spoken out about the recent wave of comments surrounding the in-store presentation of Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga.
As you may have seen on social media in recent days, despite the fact that such in-store displays have been available to see in person at Gap locations for nearly a month now, some had taken to criticizing the fact that pieces from the “creative exploration” were being made shoppable from large bags at Gap locations. Notably, this look was visually in line with the larger YGEBB presentation.
In a new interview with far-right amplification platform Fox News, of all places, Ye himself has now addressed the criticism. As part of the same interview, he’s also reported to have clarified that these bags, as those who have seen the presentation in person have already noted, are not “trash bags” as some had posited.
“Look man, I’m an innovator,” Ye said. “And I’m not here to sit up and apologize about my ideas. That’s exactly what the media tries to do. Make us apologize for any idea that doesn’t fall under exactly the way they want us to think.”
Later, Ye pointed out that his art is “not a joke,” pushing back against those who may try to lump YGEBB in with the traditional celeb-focused endorsement model.
“This is, like, not a joke,” Ye said “This is not a game. This is not just some celebrity collaboration. This is my life, you know? I’m fighting for a position to be able to change clothing and bring the best design to the people.”
See the full exchange above.
In a brief and later deleted message posted to Instagram earlier this month, Ye named what he believes should be the “biggest inspiration for all design.” In the post, which arrived on the same day as his Game collab “Fortunate,” Ye said artists should look to children and people without housing for such inspiration. Balenciaga composer BFRND, as previously reported, later connected these remarks to a widely utilized quote from Pablo Picasso about how difficult it is for artists to re-learn how to “paint like a child.”
