Kanye West took a thinly-veiled sarcastic swipe at Nike in a new post just as his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s new project with the brand was revealed.
It was announced on Tuesday that SKIMS founder Kim is launching a new activewear brand, NikeSkims, which combines her brand with the sportswear powerhouse.
And in remarkably convenient timing, Kanye, 47, took to Instagram to throw shade at Nike over one of their new trainer designs, seemingly comparing it to one of his own.
Sharing images of the new Nike shoe, Kanye sarcastically suggested they had made something ‘new and special’. There is no assertion from MailOnline that Nike have copied Kanye’s design.
Launching into his latest rant, Kanye said: ‘This new Nike design really moved us, really inspired us at Yeezy. We appreciate you guys work to the team team [sic] behind these thanks for making something new and special. Love Ye.’
Picking up on the sarcastic undertones of Kanye’s post, his followers said: ‘Y’all really can’t read the sarcasm?’; ‘Wait is he being sarcastic lmaoooo’; ‘For those who are wondering, Ye made this design first’;
One person queried: ‘Not sure if he’s throwing shade or love’, while another answered: ‘He sayin Nike copied Yeezy design of the 700.’
Another said: ‘For those that are confused, he made this design first.’
Kanye cut ties with Nike’s rivals Adidas three years ago amid his antisemitic rants, discontinuing Kanye’s lucrative line of Yeezy shoes.
The partnership was said to be nearly as lucrative as Nike’s decades-long partnership with Michael Jordan.
In a statement at that time, Adidas said it ‘does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech.’
For weeks prior to his rupture with the sneaker company, Kanye had made antisemetic comments in interviews and social media, including an October Twitter post in which he said he would soon go ‘death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,’ an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.
Executives estimated that Adidas held $1.3 billion worth of Yeezy inventory when it broke off its partnership. The company has begun to sell them off in limited batches.
Just last week, Kanye was dumped by the Los Angeles-based talent agency 33 & West after a series of posts on X that propagated antisemitism and other appalling sentiments this past weekend.
33&West agent Daniel McCartney took to Instagram Stories with a post informing nearly 7,000 followers he could no longer work on West’s behalf last Monday.
He said: ‘Effective immediately, I am no longer representing YE (F/K/A Kanye West) due to his recent harmful and hateful remarks that myself nor 33 & West can stand for. Peace and love to all.’
It was not immediately clear when the agency began working with the Hurricane artist, prior to its announcement it was cutting ties.
Kanye’s savage post came just as it was revealed that Kim’s brand Skims is partnering with Nike to launch a new activewear brand.
It marks the first time ever that Nike has collaborated with another company to introduce a fresh brand.
The announcement revealed plans to combine Nike’s expertise in sports performance with Skims’ knowledge of inclusivity and the female form.
The brand has been in the works since October 2023 and will launch women’s training apparel, and eventually footwear and accessories.
The brand’s president of consumer, product and brand Heidi O’Neill said: ‘It’s this great clash of performance product — athlete tested, athlete inspired — with Skims’s incredible attention to the female form of the body and inclusivity.’
NikeSkims will debut its first collection this spring and will be available on both of the brand’s websites as well as in stores across the U.S. A global rollout is set to follow next year.
