Kanye West is making no apologies for his designs.
The fashion designer has come under fire for selling his Yeezy Gap collection out of what appear to be large trash bags. Social media users criticized the display as insensitive and thought that he was mocking homeless people.
Amid the controversy, Ye appeared live on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” from the Gap store in New York’s Times Square where he addressed the criticism surrounding his Yeezy Gap presentation.
“Look, man, I’m an innovator and I’m not here to sit up and apologize about my ideas,” Ye said. “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.”
He went on to say that people shouldn’t “clown” creators or innovators because that will only stifle their creativity. He also clarified that the Yeezy Gap merchandise is being stuffed into construction bags and not trash bags.
“This is not a joke. This is not a game. This is not just some celebrity collaboration. This is my life,” he added. “I’m fighting for a position to be able to change clothing and bring the best design to the people.”
Ye believes he is challenging traditional fashion conventions by selling the apparel out of bags, and that his goal is to help the less fortunate.
“I’m up here literally working on homeless shelters. There’s documentation of it where the city came and tore down my creations while I was doing it,” West said. “So no one can tell me I’m insensitive when that stuff that I think about every single day and actually have put my mind and innovation to.”
Ye has credited the homeless for inspiring his designs. “Look to the children look to the homeless as the biggest inspiration for all design,” he recently wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Mission has expressed frustration that Ye hasn’t followed through on his promise to help L.A.’s homeless crisis by providing jobs and housing.
“We have absolutely had collaborative discussions with Ye about improving the lives of the unhoused on Skid Row, especially through design as he mentioned in his tweet,” said Troy Vaughn, President and CEO of L.A. Mission. “We are extremely optimistic that Ye will be an instrumental force in helping us launch The Skid Row Revitalization Project in the coming months.”
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