Kanye West: Is the “Antisemite of the Year” losing his fashion icon reputation?

By Lorena Cristea

Kanye’s back in the fashion world with his recent Yeezy collection, but he definitely hasn’t gained the success he expected – as he had to dramatically drop the price for the Yzy Pod sock sneaker from £200 to only £20, according to Complex Mag. 

It seems that Ye is still haunted by his infamous antisemitic remarks he made on X, formerly known as Twitter, as he recently was named the antisemite of the year. And his bad reputation is reflected on his career not only as a musician, but as a fashion icon, too.

“Jew hatred is already out of control in the United States and the last thing we need is a celebrity like Kanye to add fuel to that fire,” Liora Rez, Stop Antisemitism’s Executive Director, told TMZ.

Yeezy resells. Photo courtesy of Caner Mustafa

After Adidas no longer wanted to associate with the notorious rapper over his discriminatory comments towards the Jewish community in 2022, retail shops such as TJ Maxx, Foot Locker, or The RealReal pulled existing Yeezy products from their stores, which led to a waste crisis. Climate and animal rights activist Sofia Fernandes Pontes says that the fast-fashion industry alone can cause a lot of damage to the environment.

“Even when retailers dispose the remaining stock in a more climate-friendly way, it would still play a huge factor to the global warming,” she said in an interview with Holloway Express.

Burning shoes – ethical or not?

To protest Kanye’s antisemitism, people went to deep lengths. Such an example is Florida-based investor Danny Sheff, who gained popularity on TikTok after he posted videos of himself burning down his Yeezy shoes.

But blogger Charlie Baker, 17, thinks that people who are lighting their Yeezy shoes on fire are wasting money – instead of affecting West’s net worth. 

“I think people who burn their shoes are silly. Yeezy was contractually owned by Adidas, not Kanye. I still wear my Yeezys because they already have my money,” he said. 

Blogger Charlie Baker proudly displaying his Yeezy sneakers. Photo courtesy of Charlie Baker

Not only that people are losing money out of this stunt, but they’re also affecting the environment in hazardous ways. According to previous studies, the most common ways of shoes disposal are either by throwing them in landfills or by contained incineration.

Burning shoes releases more chemicals into the atmosphere and is a huge contributor to air pollution. Fernandes Pontes, although she emphasises with the movement and its reasoning, agrees that burning shoes will have terrible outcomes for the environment.

“Burning shoes is like burning oil, in my opinion. It’s going to release harmful chemicals into the atmosphere, which is going to degrade the ozone layer. I don’t think people truly understand the disastrous effects this ‘act of solidarity’ has for our future and welfare,” she said.

Separate the art from the artist … even when it comes to Kanye (?)

However, some would rather disassociate the work of an artist, whether if it’s his music, clothes, or any other type of art, with the beliefs of the creator. Melissa Memis, 20, who is a student, currently owns two pairs of Yeezys and doesn’t see a point on throwing them out only because it’s Kanye’s label.

“Although they were below my expectations quality-wise, I still kept them. The sneakers are not that comfortable, and the desert boots that I own have no other purpose than keeping you warm,” she said.

Famous for their high-quality construction and detail-oriented craft, Yeezys were a huge hit for many years. And some buyers decided to keep them instead of wasting them, purely because of their durability. 

“I decided to keep my Yeezys despite Kanye’s controversial takes on the media. I choose to use a product for its utility, not because I support a certain artist. I recently bought three more pairs,” said student Bogdan Ivulescu, 20.

Are gen-Z sustainable enough?

The choice of whether to support an artist depending on their political views has been in the news a lot lately, particularly concerning author JK Rowling and her negative stance toward the trans community.

Author Roald Dahl has also come under fire, although he died in 1990, due to the antisemitic sentiments made throughout his books. His family recently issued an apology:

Apology for antisemitic comments made by Roald Dahl
The Dahl family and the Roald Dahl Story Company deeply apologise for the lasting and understandable hurt caused by Roald Dahl’s antisemitic statements. Those prejudiced remarks are incomprehensible to us and stand in marked contrast to the man we knew and to the values at the heart of Roald Dahl’s stories, which have positively impacted young people for generations. We hope that, just as he did at his best, at his absolute worst, Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words.

©2024 The Roald Dahl Story Company Ltd / Quentin Blake

Will Kanye follow suit? If not, his brand may continue to plummet.

A recent study shows that 45 percent of Gen-Z people in the UK are more likely to abandon a brand that doesn’t share the same political views as they do, while 41.4 percent want their favourite brands to take a stand on social issues, such as racism or climate change.

Statistic on Gen Z and sustainability. Infographic by Lorena Cristea

For Jane Doe, whose identity will remain anonymous, sustainability contributes at some extent to her spending habits. But she believes that many brands are green-washed, so she feels that, unless you’re willing to spend great amounts of money on clothes, you can’t be sustainable enough.

“Ideally, I would like the brands I shop from to share the same ideologies as me, it’s very important to me when they’re vocal about important issues. But so many brands are lying nowadays to gain revenue,” she said.