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Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinsky announced on Firday that he is ending his collaboration with Yeezy, the brand created by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The move follows antisemitic statements published on the rapper's account on X. He professed his admiration for Adolf Hitler and self-identified as a Nazi.
In a statement on Instagram, Rubchinsky expressed gratitude to Ye and the Yeezy team for the partnership but confirmed that their December collection, “Herald of the Tribes,” would be their last joint effort.
In a series of antisemitic messages posted on Friday, the rapper declared “I love Hitler,” and identified himself as a Nazi. The musician has faced significant backlash from various rights groups and Jewish organizations that condemned his anti-Semitic remarks.
Ye is notorious for publicly expressing his anti-Semitic views and went on hate-tweeting binges before, getting in various trouble over his behavior. In a 2022 interview with right-wing commentator Alex Jones on his InfoWars show, Ye said he sees “good things about Hitler”. Following that interview, he posted an image of a swastika intertwined with a Star of David on Twitter, leading to his suspension from the platform. He apologized in Hebrew for his behavior about a year after the scandal.
Ye, 24-time Grammy Award winner was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 and has spoken about his struggle with mental health. Earlier this week, he revealed he has been also diagnosed with autism.
Adidas, which had a longstanding partnership with Ye, severed ties with the rapper in October 2022 following his antisemitic comments, leading to the termination of the Yeezy sneaker line. However, Rubchinsky continued working with him, assuming the role of Yeezy’s head of design in December 2023.
Rubchinsky is a prominent menswear designer known for his influences from skateboarding, Russian youth culture, and Western pop culture. He launched his label in 2008 and soon emerged as a key figure in Russian fashion, alongside Georgia-born Demna Gvasalia, co-founder of Vetements and current creative director of Balenciaga. Rubchinsky has also collaborated with notable brands like Burberry and Adidas.
Rubchinsky's and Ye’s collaboration resulted in the launch of the “Black Dogs” collection in March 2024, which includes hoodies, t-shirts, joggers, and socks featuring the phrase “Black Dogs” in Russian. These items were available for purchase on the Yeezy website for $20 each. Prior to the split, Ye praised Rubchinsky’s work in an interview with Hypebeast, calling his clothing “a dream come true”.
