The Rise and Fall of Kanye West’s Business Empire

Adidas and Gap have parted ways with the rapper known as Ye, leaving the musician and designer with few remaining business partners By Chavie Lieber Updated Oct. 26, 2022 Tap story

Adidas said on Tuesday that it would end its partnership with Kanye West, following weeks of controversies, including anti-Semitic outbursts from the musician and designer. The same day, Gap said it would remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores and shut down the line's website. After years of business collaborations, there are now few entities tied to Mr. West, whose empire has spanned music, fashion and media.

Mr. West released his first studio album, “The College Dropout,” in 2004. He won best rap album at the Grammys the following year—one of two dozen such awards the artist would go on to claim in a music career that has been called one of the 21st century’s most influential. J. Emilio Flores/Corbis/Getty Images

Though Mr. West’s career began in music, he had long expressed fashion aspirations before releasing the Nike Air Yeezy in April 2009. After a few popular releases, Mr. West announced in November 2013 that he was leaving Nike for Adidas, citing disagreements over royalty payments. Joyce Zhou/Reuters

Mr. West signed with Adidas in 2013 and released his first sneakers with them in 2014. The collaboration reinvigorated Adidas in the market. In 2016, it signed a 10-year deal with Mr. West, pictured with former Adidas brand president Eric Liedtke. By 2021, market reports estimated sales of Adidas Yeezy sneakers hit $1.7 billion. Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Adidas

While expanding into fashion, Mr. West continued making music, recording his own albums and producing others through his label G.O.O.D. Music, which has signed artists including Big Sean and John Legend. Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

Mr. West staged his first Yeezy runway show in February 2015 during New York Fashion Week, where Anna Wintour, his wife Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé and Jay-Z sat front row. The military-inspired collection featured $1,170 vests, $585 boots and $785 suede backpacks that drew long lines at stores. Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for Adidas

During the tour promoting his 2016 album “The Life of Pablo,” Mr. West took shots at MTV, Hillary Clinton, Jay-Z and Beyoncé and compared himself to Donald Trump, who had just been elected president. On Nov. 21, Live Nation announced that the rest of the Saint Pablo Tour had been called off, after Mr. West was hospitalized. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

In 2020, Gap announced a partnership with Mr. West, Yeezy Gap, in an effort to boost its slumping sales. A release of the collaboration’s $90 sweatshirt the next year earned the most sales in a single day in the retailer’s history, but ultimately the collaboration stalled and only two items were released. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Music Group

Mr. West bought a 4,500-acre ranch in Cody, Wyo., in 2019, where he began laying plans for a massive Yeezy manufacturing hub that would boost the local economy. Two years later, the ranch was back on the market and listed for $11 million. Google

French luxury label Balenciaga joined the Yeezy Gap partnership in January. The brand’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia, worked with Mr. West to design a collection that included $240 hoodies and $220 stone-washed jeans. By late October, Gap was selling the items at a discount. Edward Berthelot/GC Images

At Paris Fashion Week in early October, Mr. West walked in the Balenciaga fashion show before staging his own surprise fashion presentation for Yeezy Season 9. Mr. West stoked controversy with a shirt that read “White Lives Matter,” a phrase often used by white supremacist groups, according to the ADL. Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

The parent company of Parler, a libertarian-leaning social media network popular among conservatives, announced on Oct. 17 that Mr. West would acquire the platform. Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Mr. West began criticizing Adidas and Gap on social media in September. That month, Gap announced it would wind down its partnership because the retailer and Mr. West “were not aligned.” Adidas placed the Yeezy partnership “under review” in early October and terminated it this week. Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images

Donda Sports, a sports-marketing agency founded by Mr. West earlier this year, has also been affected. Athletes Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics said Tuesday in statements posted on Twitter that they are leaving the agency. Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE via Getty Images

Before the latest controversy, Mr. West had largely parted ways with the music industry. The talent agency CAA has dropped Mr. West as a client, according to a person familiar with the matter, and the film-and-television studio MRC said it was shelving a documentary on the artist. Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images Read more

Produced by Tania Colon and Dave Cole

Cover Photo Credit: Lucas Jackson/Reuters Read more