Kanye West has made known his plans to go solo in his future fashion ventures.
In a new Bloomberg interview, the rapper – now going by Ye – detailed his plans to have a clean break with his biggest corporate collaborators. These include opening his own Donda campuses nationwide, which will house shopping, schools, farms, and dorms in an integrated facility. Merchandise sold at the campuses will be designed by existing Yeezy staff, and unique to Yeezy’s physical and online shops.
Ye will also be maintaining operations of Yeezy e-commerce portal, Yeezy Supply, which hosts the product drops for new Yeezy releases.
“It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever,” the rapper shared in the interview. “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 move follows long-standing conflicts with his collaborators, including Adidas, the manufacturer of Yeezy’s footwear – where the rapper recently accused the company of stealing a Yeezy style for the Adilette 22 slides, which he claimed was “blatant copying.”
In response to the future split, Ye intends to negotiate with the company a 20% royalty split in perpetuity for all of the shoes designed by him. “If these companies, if they want to play with me — I’ve been playing nice up to this point,” commented Ye, when asked about his plans to achieve such a deal.
Meanwhile, Kanye also shared frustration with Gap – a collaborator for the Yeezy Gap brand – claiming he was excluded in meetings and by management. “Every step of my career there was something in the way,” said Ye. “They did the dream, but just without Ye.”
Ye currently holds long-term deals with both companies: his arrangement with Adidas expires in 2026, while his apparel agreement with Gap ends in 2030. The rapper has repeatedly appealed to be included in their boards, albeit unsuccessfully.