Yeezy gets a new chief designer.
Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy is the new head of design for Kanye ‘Ye’ West’s fashion brand Yeezy. West personally announced the designer’s appointment on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.
“The arrival of this legendary Russian designer at Yeezy, the world’s leading music and fashion brand, is a milestone in the history of design,” said the singing designer about the arrival of his new head of design, who will take over the position with immediate effect.
Yeezy’s designated Head of Design’s eponymous brand commented on his new role at the streetwear brand on Instagram, saying he is “taking on exciting new projects and collaborations under Gosha’s creative leadership that embody our spirit of independence and creative drive.” The realignment of the brand as an “independent powerhouse” also means saying goodbye to the ‘Comme des Garçons and Rassvet family’, with which the brand had previously worked.
The new one at the top of Yeezy is also controversial
Rubchinskiy is no stranger to fame and, in addition to his own eponymous brand, has previously worked with brands such as traditional British fashion house Burberry and denim brand Levi’s. Similar to his new boss, Rubchinskiy is not without controversy.
The designer first came under fire in 2018 when inappropriate messages that he was said to have exchanged with a minor appeared on social networks. At the time, his namesake brand said the exchange came from casting and was taken out of context. The controversy led to Adidas pausing its collaboration with Rubchinskiy on a soccer-inspired collection, which also has direct parallels to recent events between the German sportswear retailer and West.
The long-standing collaboration between West and Adidas ended in October 2022 after West made several anti-Semitic statements and stories of possible cross-border behavior came to light.