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Kanye West Says He's Leaving Adidas and Gap to 'Go It Alone'
Kanye West is taking his business elsewhere.
The Yeezy mogul has announced plans to leave Adidas and Gap and venture out on his own. In an interview with Bloomberg, Ye said he’s done with his corporate partnerships once the contracts expire.
“It’s time for me to go it alone,” he said. “It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever. Like the round jacket, the foam runner, the slides that have changed the shoe industry. Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”
The comments come after he accused both Adidas and Gap of copying his Yeezy designs as well as failing to open Yeezy retail stores. He also called out Adidas executives including Senior Vice President and General Manager Daniel Cherry and outgoing CEO Kasper Rørsted.
However, Ye may not be going anywhere anytime soon. His long-term arrangement with Adidas expires in 2026, while his Gap deal doesn’t end until 2030. Until then, they will just have to co-exist.
“They my new baby mamas,” said Ye. “I guess we’re just going to have to co-parent those [Yeezy] 350s.”
Despite the drama, West’s partnerships with Adidas and Gap have proven lucrative. According to an unaudited balance sheet of his finances, Ye had $122 million in cash and stock, with billions more in other assets. In 2020, his Yeezy business made $191 million in royalties from the Adidas deal alone.
Ye’s future plans include his own Donda campuses nationwide, which will house shopping, schools, farms, and dorms all in one. Products sold at those locations will be unique to Yeezy’s physical and online shops and designed by existing Yeezy staff.
He also wants to negotiate with Adidas to get a 20% royalty on all the shoes he’s designed with the company in perpetuity and save it for his four children.
“If these companies, if they want to play with me—I’ve been playing nice up to this point,” said Ye.