Is this the end of the Kanye-Balenciaga love affair?

Kanye West, the rapper, fashion designer and firebrand increasingly known for divisive cultural and political commentary that has been called racist, appears set to become the owner of Parler, a social media service known for its right-wing audience.

The parent company of Parler, which bills itself as a platform for unconditional free speech, said Monday that West, who now goes by Ye, would acquire the site for an undisclosed sum of money.

In buying Parler, Ye will help "continue the fight against censorship, cancel culture and authoritarianism," George Farmer, CEO of Parler's parent company, Parlement Technologies, said in a statement.


This move comes after other outlandish antics such as wearing a 'White Lives Matter' t-shirt, and anti-Semitic posts on social media.

Ye has long been associated with the renowned fashion label Balenciaga. He had opened one of their fashions shows with a special appearance on October 2. Ye is also known to be close friends with Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia. West had also attended the YZY show with Balenciaga's CEO Cedric Charbit. The brand is yet to issue a statement on West's incendiary actions and statements.

According to Serge Carreira, a lecturer on the luxury industry at the Sciences Po University, both the fashion brand and the controversial rapper had been in a mutually beneficial professional collaboration. West gave Balenciaga a new audience = the hip Gen Z crowd. Balenciaga provided the high-fashion he craved. "Blaming him could be considered as a betrayal,” thinks Carreira, "not just personally but because Ye has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. " At the same time, he said, “silence could be perceived as a support of the indefensible ideas he is promoting.”

However many other brands are taking steps to distance themselves from the rap star. Adidas with whom West had come together for an incredibly successful fashion collaboration Yeezy, issued a statement that acknowledged their past work together, but noted that the partnership was ''under review''. Investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. who acted as Yeezy's banker, had stepped down from the role.

Some industry experts think that maybe Balenciaga is still hoping for an apology of sorts. “I can only assume many people are wrong-footed, confused and possibly waiting — hoping? — for an apology of sorts,” said Luca Solca, a luxury analyst at the research firm Sanford C. Bernstein.