Kanye West has stated that he will now only pursue fashion projects on his own.
While speaking to Bloomberg for an interview, the Donda rapper said he’s decided his future fashion projects will be released without the interference of other brands.
The 45-year-old has previously worked with the sports giants like Adidas and Nike, as well as Gap.
“It’s time for me to go it alone,” Kanye told the outlet. “It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever.”
He listed the ideas that he believes changed the fashion industry: “The round jacket, the foam runner, the slides that have changed the shoe industry”.
But the rapper explained that this is no longer enough.
“Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience,” he said.
Kanye called out Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted for “blatant copying” of his Yeezy’s slide designs in June, after the company released its Adilette 22 sandals, which are available in similar colours to the Yeezy Slides.
Of the incident, he said: “No one should be held in that position where people can steal from them and say we’re just paying you to shut up… That destroys innovation. That destroys creativity. That’s what destroyed Nikola Tesla.”
Bloomberg reports that Kanye wants to open Donda “campuses” across the U.S., which will contain shops, schools, farms, and dorms. Products sold at the campuses would be designed by Yeezy staff.