Kanye West has reportedly begun hiring Yeezy interns via Craigslist as he attempts to revamp his fashion brand following his antisemitic controversy.
Per RadarOnline, Ye’s signature brand, which was dropped by adidas, GAP and Balenciaga following his string of antisemitic comments last year, is now attempting to rehabilitate its reputation with the help of a new top executive, new interns and a new headquarters space on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.
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Ye has reportedly hired American Apparel founder Dov Charney to oversee the operation and is “cutting costs” elsewhere by firing several staffers and replacing them with dozens of interns found on Craigslist.
“Although Kanye is determined to bounce back with Yeezy, and work is going on at his new HQ on Melrose, he’s already been cutting costs,” a source familiar with the situation told The U.S. Sun. “It’s no secret he’s been bad with money in the past, and some people who have been working for him have been let go in recent weeks, or told he can’t afford them at the moment.”
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The Donda hitmaker has apparently already hired a few interns, and has a long list of duties for them once they join the company.
“Despite this, he has been advertising for interns to work for him on Craigslist and social media for $16 per hour,” the source shared. “He wants them doing everything from pattern making and sample sewing to photo editing and social media.
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“But he’s not bringing in anyone else with a stacked CV at the moment, which many worry may hurt him in the future. There have been jokes that the only experienced person is the chef who cooks them all sushi for lunch.”
The source added that Ye’s new wife Bianca Censori is very “hands on” with the brand.
The update comes after Kanye West reportedly pocketed $25 million from adidas in just 24 hours after the company sold its leftover Yeezy stock earlier this month.
The German sports giant was initially reluctant to release the remaining Yeezy items it had in storage, but ended up announcing that it would be selling off the backlog to the public, and in turn would donate a portion of the profits to the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change.
“After careful consideration, we have decided to begin releasing some of the remaining adidas Yeezy products,” CEO Bjorn Gulden said in a statement in May. “Selling and donating was the preferred option among all organizations and stakeholders we spoke to.”
“We believe this is the best solution as it respects the created designs and produced shoes, it works for our people, resolves an inventory problem, and will have a positive impact in our communities. There is no place in sport or society for hate of any kind and we remain committed to fighting against it.”
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The first of three drops planned for “Yeezy Day 2023” kicked off in May and was reportedly a roaring success, with most of the available Yeezey stock being purchased quickly. Instagram account @Kanyewestaurant_ claimed that over 682,300 pairs of Yeezy sneakers were purchased, which would allegedly equate to a $25 million payday for Kanye West.
The brand directly blamed Ye for the financial loss stemming from their severed partnership, which so far is estimated to be around $1.3 billion in 2023. adidas had previously claimed in November it was going to repurpose said designs under a different name, though that didn’t end up happening.
