Kanye West faced backlash this week following a viral photo of the in-store display of his Yeezy Gap collection. Fans immediately noted how the Balenciaga-engineered items weren’t placed on hangers or display tables but rather, in massive bags that customers had to dig through.
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Today, Kanye responded to the criticism during an interview with Fox News, where he fired back at accusations of mocking the homeless. Ye explained that he’s trying to “challenge traditional conventions” to create clothing that’s “more egalitarian,” according to Eric Shawn.
“Look man, I’m an innovator,” Ye told Fox News. “And I’m not here to sit up and apologize about my ideas. That’s exactly what the media tries to do. Make us apologize for any idea that doesn’t fall under exactly the way they want us to think.”
Shawn reports Kanye said that “we should not clown the creators and innovators” because it’ll compromise creativity. Kanye said that he was using construction bags — not garbage bags — to provide an “informal” experience where people can just dig in and grab the item that they want.
“This is not a joke. This is not a game. This is not just some celebrity collaboration. This is my life,” Kanye explained. “I’m fighting for a position to be able to change clothing and bring the best design to the people.”
Check out the full interview below.