Kanye West just can’t seem to avoid conflict. Just days after receiving backlash for a controversial performance with Ty Dolla $ign at the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival in which he actually did not perform but stood center stage, he has now accused organizers of a Los Angeles popup shop of selling stolen Yeezy GAP merchandise.
More Yeezy Drama
The hip-hop producer and entrepreneur alleged that $1.2 million of his Yeezy GAP apparel was recently stolen from his warehouse. West’s chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos later found an online account advertising a popup shop selling the clothing. An estimated 60,000 units of clothing — the same amount missing from the warehouse–was said to be for sale at the popup shop for $20.
West, who has a current net worth of $400 million, severed his business relationship with GAP in 2022 citing a breach of contract and pulling out of a partnership that was set to expire in 2030. His sneaker and apparel for the company was valued between $3.2 and $4.7 billion, Bloomberg reported. His “The Perfect Black Hoodie” sold for $80 and generated an estimated $14 million.
Stolen Merchandise or a Misunderstanding
On March 15, the event, organized by Urban Necessities and SRGN Studios was shut down after Yeezy CEO Dov Charney came to the pop-up shop to tell attendees that the clothing items were stolen.
“This merchandise has been stolen from Ye, formerly known as Kanye West,” Charney said in a video that has since gone viral. Charney was eventually escorted away from the event by police officers.
Law enforcement officials were dispatched and shut down the event, despite organizers saying they had purchased the clothes legally. Later, local law enforcement officials shared with TMZ that organizers shared that they possessed receipts of the purchase. However, law enforcement was not able to verify all of the purchases. However, reports claim police could not take the items into their possession because West never filed a police report.
Committed to maintaining their brand’s reputation, sale organizers posted their own narrative on Instagram.
“We work with brands, consignors, partners, and clients from all over the world. We only deal in products that are fully authenticated from vetted sources,” Urban Necessities and SRGN Studios said in a joint statement. “The YZY Gap Collection is no different. LAPD has investigated the fraudulent claims and have fully exonerated us from any allegations of misconduct. Thank you to our community of supporters, stay tuned for what’s next…”
Kanye Not Backing Down
West and his team reportedly have a cease-and-desist letter to the pop-up shop organizers. Yiannopoulos argues that the team would not have authorized a bulk sale of West’s clothing and does not have a record of the sale. West’s team is accusing the organizers of creating fake receipts to keep the authorities off their back.
