Style

Kanye West Is Mad At Adidas Again, This Time Over The Yeezy Day Promotion

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When you work with Kanye West, you have to take the bad with the good. Sure, the mercurial producer’s co-sign brings with it a legion of loyal (perhaps even lemming-like) fans who would spend a week’s lunch money on one of the man’s toenail clippings, but those guaranteed profits come with the probability that, at some point, you’re going to get on his bad side and wind up on the receiving end of one of his occasional reactionary rants.

Adidas has learned as much the hard way after Kanye accused the company of ripping off his Yeezy slide design for the Adilette 22 slides on Instagram (the post in question has since been deleted). Now, Adidas has apparently incurred his wrath yet again with its Yeezy Day promotion which is celebrated annually on August 2. This time, though, Kanye directed his comments to the Complex Instagram profile‘s DMs, accusing the company of greenlighting the unofficial holiday without his approval, in addition to bypassing him on colorways, employee hires, and re-issuing older Yeezy styles. He also accused Adidas of sabotaging his partnerships with Gap and Balenciaga. You can see his full statement below.

It should be noted that Kanye had similar complaints about Nike, and has an established history of … well, not reading his contracts thoroughly to know what rights and controls he actually has. He’s also been known to change his mind at the drop of a hat and he’s got a lot of plates spinning, so any company working with him probably isn’t exactly waiting on tenterhooks for his every dictate with deadlines to hit — something he’s also kind of notoriously bad at keeping up with.

Kanye West Reportedly Filed A Trademark For ‘YZYSPLY’ To Open Retail Stores

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Kanye West has made big moves in the fashion world over the last decade and it looks like he has an even bigger one planned for the future. According to TMZ, the rapper and his legal team reportedly filed a trademark for ‘YZSPLY’ to open retail stores as well as set up online ordering services and online retail store services. Kanye already has his Yeezy Supply website, which he uses to sell limited-release items like his Adidas Yeezy sneakers and slides. Now it seems like Kanye wants to bring more of these items to his fans and make it easier for them to purchase his products.

However, just like we’ve seen him do through ventures with Gap and more, it seems like Kanye is ready to sell much more than footwear. TMZ reports that the filing covers most clothing items like shirts, socks, hats, visors, and tennis wear as well as “accessories” for headwear and footwear.

Kanye’s trademark for YZSPLY comes after a few releases through Yeezy Gap. The most recent official drop came back in May through a collaboration with Balenciaga. Fans were able to purchase t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, caps, and other products. Prior to that, Kanye gave his fans the opportunity to buy the same red bubble jacket that he wore during the first listening session for this chart-topping Donda album.

Donald Glover Reveals His New Balance Sneaker With Some Funny Animated Short Films

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When it comes to sneaker culture, New Balance has long been considered the comfort brand for Saturday-afternoon-errand-running dads (and neo-Nazi white guys), emphasizing comfort over their cool factor. That has begun to change in recent years, though, with the brand signing such pop-culture luminaries as Kawhi Leonard and Jack Harlow, even going as far as pairing the two up in a not-so-subtle reference to Jack’s upcoming star turn in a remake of White Men Can’t Jump.

Now, the sneaker group adds another slick collaboration to its growing collection. Donald Glover, best known as the creator and star of the hit FX series Atlanta, has added to his own expansive resume — which includes music, movies, and stand-up comedy — with the upcoming release of the RC30. Glover previously partnered with Adidas in 2019, but apparently living his own dad life has inspired him to take a run at the official dad shoe brand, resulting in a pair of comfort kicks that suit Donald’s low-key style. According to Joe Grondin, New Balance global collaborations manager, that’s what the brand was going for. In a statement, he said:

“With celebrity-endorsed sneakers coming out every weekend, we thought Donald was a good collaborator for New Balance to take a more considered approach. No loud colors or branding, just classic, easy-to-wear colorways of a new silhouette that fit Donald’s style.”

In addition, Donald directed and shared a collection of animated short films introducing the new silhouette (and taking a clever dig at NFTs) featuring some cute, corporate anthropomorphic animals. Check it out below, along with some shots of the shoe itself.

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A Fashion Rental Company Is Suing Kanye West For $400K

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Kanye West, who wants to make it abundantly clear that he makes $8 million per performance (not a paltry $1 million), is being sued by a high-end fashion rental company for $400,000.

The lawsuit has been filed by the David Casavant Archive, a New York City based company/stylist. Along with West, the company has photos of prominent clients like Solange, Kendrick Lamar, Solange, 21 Savage, Pharrell, and Kim Kardashian on their website. According to the lawsuit acquired by the celebrity sleuths over at TMZ, Kanye rented 49 pieces of clothing in early 2020 and returned 36 of them shortly thereafter. He’s been hanging on to the remaining 13 ever since, (without paying the weekly rental fees) which include pieces from designers like Helmut Lang, Raf Simons and Ann Demeulemeester.

Among the items in question, there is a $50,000 parka. David Casavant Archive is looking to recoup $221,000 for more than two years of unpaid rental fees, as well as the overall $195,000 value of the items. Kanye is no stranger to lawsuits, and in fact just last week, he was sued over a sample on “Flowers” from Donda 2. And look, I’m no math major, but that $401,000 (to be exact) that the fashion rental company is seeking, is merely 5% of what Ye would make for a single performance. So if he indeed still has these items, forking over the dough and keeping the swag might just make things easier for everybody, eh?

Tyler The Creator Introduces New Golf Le Fleur Nail Polish Colors

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Last December, just before the end of the year, Tyler The Creator announced the addition of nail polish to his growing Golf Le Fleur collection. Initially, the nail polish dropped in three colors inspired by the palettes of the rollout for Tyler’s album Call Me If You Get Lost: Georgia Peach, Geneva Blue, and Glitter. By all accounts, the drop was a success, and Tyler, never one to rest on his laurels, has already announced a new slate of colors along with some slick nail care accessories to go with them.

Tyler announced the new colors with a hypersaturated short film directed by Tyler (naturally) following a hilarious confrontation between a put-upon police officer and a (presumably) reckless driver who refuses to look for her license and registration until her nails dry. The new colors include Blonde, Jade, and Rose, and as usual, you can grab them on the Golf Le Fleur website. The site also offers nail top coats in glossy and matte and a metal nail file with a fancy-looking tortoiseshell-patterned handle.

Earlier this month, Tyler introduced his GLF 2.0 sneakers with Converse, selling out the entire run within minutes. Meanwhile, his new Golf Wang collection bringing back the baggy look of the 2000s also sold out rapidly, which is sure to only feed the demand for the next drop from the dapper Hawthorne native. Check out the new products from Golf Le Fleur Below.

Kendrick Lamar Performs At Paris Fashion Week And Pays Tribute To Virgil Abloh: ‘Long Live Virgil’

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On the heels of his latest album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar is attending Paris Fashion Week. Today, Lamar performed at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show. During his set, he paid tribute to the late Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection’s artistic director.

Lamar performed several cuts from Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, including “Savior,” during which, he chanted Abloh’s name. Additionally, he performed, “Rich Spirit,” “Count Me Out,” and”N95.” Before he performed “N95,” he shouted, “Long live Virgil.” Throughout the song, Lamar was wearing a crown of thorns and a large, draping suit.

Abloh, known for designing for artists like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, died in November of last year, following a two-year battle with cancer. Earlier this year, Lamar wore a piece from Abloh’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection during his performance at the Super Bowl.

During a visit to Accra, the capital of Ghana, Lamar also spoke with several children about Abloh while visiting Freedom Skatepark, the first skatepark in Ghana, which opened last December and honors the late designer.

“Virgil,” Lamar said. “What he means to them, you know, as far as letting them have this creative space for them to enjoy themselves. That’s special.”

Check out the performance above.

Drake’s New Album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ Has Mall Mainstays Forever 21, H&M, And Zara Trending

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Drake’s new album, Honestly, Nevermind, has thrown a curve at his legions of fans who expected more somber, reflective R&B and petty rap verses from him. Instead, they got 11 Virgil Abloh-inspired tracks awash in house influences with just two traditional rap songs, and it threw many of them for a loop. They were so put off, in fact, that in addition to launching Drake to the top of Twitter’s trending topics, as expected, they also made a few other terms trend — the names of some mall mainstays like Forever 21, H&M, and Zara.

On reflection, the comparisons were probably inevitable. While dance and house music are super popular globally and aspects of them often creep into American pop, the most exposure many if not most Americans have to these styles is when they’re trying on clothes at fast-fashion bastions like the ones named above. I’m betting if you walked up to the average millennial or zoomer and asked their thoughts on amapiano, they might make a Beethoven reference, not realizing that it’s a subgenre of house from South Africa heavily influenced by local instruments. And getting anyone not from SA to pronounce “gqom” would likely be an exercise in frustration.

Fans’ reactions are ranging from confused and distraught to outright vibing, but it is pretty amusing to see so many people cracking jokes about stores they probably haven’t been in since the early 2010s. And who knows? Maybe those fine establishments will get a boost from all the added attention — something they desperately need as online retailers like Shein and Fashion Nova have basically eaten their lunch for the past few years.

Check out some of the funnier responses below.

Kendrick Lamar Spends A Day In Ghana Chatting About Virgil Abloh And ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’

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A little over seven months after the passing of fashion designer Virgil Abloh, his global impact is still making itself known. Virgil’s influence is all over Drake’s new surprise album Honestly, Nevermind and in Spotify’s new documentary short film about Kendrick Lamar, the Compton rapper learns just how well-known Abloh was on his first trip to Ghana. Visiting a skate park in Accra, Kendrick reveals he’s been chatting with the local kids about the late designer, discussing “what he means to them, as far as letting them have this creative space to enjoy themselves.”

The park was opened in December, just after Virgil’s passing, with support from Off-White, Abloh’s own brand, Daily Paper, and Surf Ghana. At the time of the opening, Daily Paper co-founder Jefferson Osei said in a statement, “With this initiative, we hope to evolve the skate culture in Ghana to the next level and give locals a platform to grow their talents within a space that will hopefully become their biggest training ground to date. More than board sports, the park will be a creative hub for young Ghanaians to come together, exchange ideas, inspire each other, and build their futures through recreational activities. They now have a place where they can be themselves, freely develop their skills together with like-minded people, and reach their true potential. Hence the name, Freedom Skate Park.”

Kendrick also discussed his favorite lines from his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, explaining why a line about going to therapy resonates with him. “We learn to hold all our sh*t in,” he admits. “That wasn’t my forte when people mentioned it to me. I’m still stuck how my pops thinks: ‘F*ck I need therapy for?’” He also allows, though, that going would represent “growth” and seems more open to the idea than he initially lets on.

You can watch the mini-doc “A Day In Ghana With Kendrick Lamar” above.

Tyler The Creator’s Golf Wang 2022 Collection Is Bringing Back The Baggy Look

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It’s often said that fashion goes in cycles that come back around every twenty years or so. With this knowledge, I regret to inform all you millennials out there that you are now old. If it makes you feel any better, you can call it “retro,” which is what we did when we were bringing back bellbottoms and platform shoes and trying really hard to embrace punk aesthetics. Now, it’s our turn, as the baggy look is back and the teens are now running around looking like extras from She’s All That.

Leading the charge, as usual, is Tyler The Creator, who is pretty much the trendsetter for anyone who entered middle school around the time Odd Future was upending hip-hop’s cultural conventions and making Theresa May really nervous they might turn over the tea cart if they gained access to Old Blighty. Tyler’s brand, Golf Wang, has been one of the go-to looks for the legions of fans who used to scribble “Kill Them All” in their notebooks, terrifying teachers and conservative commentators throughout the 2010s.

Today, he revealed the lookbook for the latest summer collection, which consists of a variety of wide-leg, loose-fits, colorful sweaters, woven shirts, and jeans with biohazard symbols all over them. I guess Tyler hasn’t grown all the way up just yet — and he never should. You can check out some of the fits below, with more on the official website. They go live on June 18 at noon ET. You can grab them in-store at 11 am PT.

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