What's going on between Kanye West and the Kering Group?

Never as in recent months the names of Kanye West and Nike have moved the opinions and moods of the streetwear community, bringing attention to a possible return of the flame between the two parties. From the socks of the Beaverton brand to some too much appreciation for Nike sneakers, the flame of hope for a return of the Air Yeezy seems to have reignited after the stormy breakup between Kanye and Nike in 2013. Despite the hopes of some fans (the contract with adidas will still expire in 2026), while distracting us with a pair of Nike Vandal High Terminator Kanye West made his way into the fashion system again, designing a future that could see him as close as ever to the Kering Group. Thanks to Virgil Abloh's recent climb to LVMH, the latest moves of the Chicago rapper do not seem random but on the contrary, they seem to want to reinvigorate the bonds and friendships that have always linked West to some key figures in fashion.

Whether you like it or not, Kanye West's weight in the fashion industry is considerable: his friendships testify it (from Vanessa Friedman to AnnaWintour, up to Demna Gvasalia and of course Virgil Abloh) but above all his now constant presence in the places that matter, whether they are fashion shows or worldly happenings. Last October he was among the guests of the Bottega Veneta fashion show in London, while a few weeks ago we saw him in the front row at Balenciaga's Haute Couture show. In recent days, thanks to the imminent release of Donda, Kanye has not disdained items from brands once again belonging to the Kering Group, protagonists of one of the first posts on Ye's Instagram after months of silence. As HFT noted, the presence of Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent (in addition to the aforementioned Balenciaga) in Kanye's latest fit could suggest an agreement in place or in the pipeline between Pinault and West for a project that is difficult to imagine.

In addition to his multi-year commitment with GAP, the rapper could count on Kering's support for the launch of a new Yeezy collection, stopped at Season 8 and last seen last year in Paris, giving life to a small revenge with LVMH and that vanished agreement that in 2016 forced Kanye not to distribute Yeezy Season 2 in its entirety.

An even more imaginative hypothesis is that which would see Kanye West as a future candidate for the role of Creative Director of one of the brands of the Kering Group, thus retracing the footsteps of his student and friend Virgil Abloh, who could thus give life to a derby between groups , but above all, between friends. As further evidence of West's weight there is a small but essential detail, neglected and forgotten in the blender of information and theories that clog up social networks and our keyboards: Kanye West hasn't spoken since last November, but rather goes around. masked letting himself be paparazzi around the world sharing only a few photos on his Instagram account. We are the ones speaking for him, imagining more or less plausible scenarios in an attempt to keep up with his moves. If that's not the power.