- Kanye West once sat a designer on the floor for an hour-long meeting, according to Rolling Stone.
- A former staffer said the incident followed a disagreement between West and the designer.
- The designer had worked on the Adidas-Yeezy line, according to the report.
Kanye West, also known as Ye, sat a young designer on the floor for an hour-long meeting, according to Rolling Stone, which cited a former staffer who was in the room.
The post spoke to more than a dozen former Adidas and Yeezy staffers. The ex-employees, who requested anonymity, told the publication that West created a toxic environment for those who worked under him on the Adidas-Yeezy partnership. The collaboration between the rapper and the sportswear giant lasted nine years.
The ex-workers said West would praise some workers while belittling others he had previously supported. A former employee described it as “playing mind games”.
The ex-employee quoted by the publication said the incident began with a disagreement between West and the young designer.
“You don’t deserve to sit at the table,” the former employee recalled, telling West before having the designer sit on the floor for the rest of the meeting, which they said lasted for hours.
Some of the former staffers also told the publication that West showed them explicit images of his then-wife Kim Kardashian on several occasions.
West was dropped by Adidas on October 25 after a series of scandals and intense public criticism. During one incident, the rapper posted a series of anti-Semitic tweets. His account was locked following the posts, but was later reinstated.
An Adidas spokesperson said: “Adidas does not tolerate hate speech and offensive behavior and has therefore terminated the Adidas Yeezy partnership. We have been and continue to be actively engaged in conversations with our employees about the events that led to our decision to terminate the They have our full support and, as we work through the details of the termination, we have made it clear that we want to retain the talents and skills of our employees within the ‘organization.
“That said, we will not discuss the private conversations, details or events that led to our decision to end the Adidas Yeezy partnership and we decline to comment on any related speculation.”
Representatives for Yeezy did not respond to Insider’s request for comment. West could not be reached for direct comment.