TJ Maxx pulls Kanye West's Yeezy line from shelves after Adidas, Balenciaga and GAP cut ties
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: With several big brands cutting their ties with Kanye West amid his antisemitic comments, the latest name to join the ban is TJ Maxx. The world-famous rapper’s products won’t be available at its stores as declared by the company on Wednesday, October 26. Brands like Adidas, GAP, and Balenciaga have already ended their connection with West, following his racial slur on his social media platform this month.
In a statement shared by CNN, the retailer said, “At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind. We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.” Earlier it was Adidas who decided to cancel a highly successful decade-old deal with his brand Yeezy shoe line, and on Tuesday, October 25, GAP and Foot Locker too confirmed they are calling it off with Ye’s products from their shelves, reported Billboard.
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The Creative Artists Agency also dropped him from the list of clients on Monday, October 24. Things started going down for West on October 3, when he chose to wear Ye-featured shirts with the printed phrase "White Lives Matter" during the Paris Fashion Week show. The same week both his accounts on Twitter and Instagram were suspended for making anti-Jewish hate statements, as per the report.
The 'Flashing Lights' singer didn’t stop there, and even during his televised interviews, he hung on to his words, including interviews on 'Cuomo', 'Drink Champs', and others. It’s not just the brands that have condemned Kanye West, but many celebrities have jumped in to support the Jewish community by openly criticizing the rapper for his comments. The list includes stars such as John Legend, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Grande, Jack Antonoff, Sarah Silverman, and many more.
Singer-actor Harry Styles who usually wears Adidas footwears also expressed his act of protest by donning Vans in a recent concert before Adidas announced cutting their ties with the controversial artist. Ye’s recent antics are believed to have cost him his status as a billionaire, as per Forbes.
Auction house Christie’s, which has been involved in handling the private sale of the Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototype, is no longer in making. The sneaker that Kanye West wore to the 2008 Grammy Awards is reported to have lost sales for $1.8 million in a private sale at Sotheby’s in 2021, reported Daily Mail.
“We are not selling any of this material nor do we have any plans to,” a Christie’s spokesperson said on Wednesday, October 26.