In a social media post late Tuesday, luxury reseller The RealReal said it would no longer accept Yeezy products.
The action follows that of Adidas, which ultimately dissolved its partnership with Ye, the celebrity formerly known as Kanye West, after social media pressure (Balenciaga did so proactively days prior), decrying the artist’s anti-semitic comments and controversial show at Paris Fashion Week.
“Since our founding, we’ve been committed to creating a safe space for every employee, consignor and customer — regardless of age, gender, religion, sexual orientation or race — and we will not tolerate remarks that demonstrate discrimination or call for violence,” said The RealReal’s social media statement.
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“Kanye West’s recent behavior at Paris Fashion Week and the comments he made regarding the Jewish community are not only offensive but go against everything we believe in. For this reason, we are no longer accepting items associated with West or his brand, including Yeezy and Yeezy x Adidas. We stand on the side of equality and acceptance, and will continue to promote a safe and supportive marketplace for our members.”
The company underscored, however, that “out of fairness to our consignors, Yeezy items already listed with us will remain available.” Because the items already underwent authentication, listing and merchandising The RealReal said they will remain there until they sell.
With hundreds of stock keeping units available on The RealReal’s website, the goods span nine pages of active listings and include everything from sweaters, slides and sneakers to sock boots. Some items are deep-discounted at 70 percent off (in the case of a distressed miniskirt on sale for $88.50 from a $295 retail price).
In the day since The RealReal made a stance, other luxury resellers have also reacted or clarified their positions. WWD reached out to these players for additional insight.
Fashionphile confirmed it already does not sell any Ye-affiliated products, while as of Wednesday, Rebag confirmed it removed Yeezy from online and physical retail locations and said it will no longer accept Yeezy products moving forward.
As of publication, StockX has 1,144 search results for “Yeezy” on its website. Meanwhile, Vestiaire Collective and global retailers like Farfetch also sport a deep assortment. Peer-to-peer marketplaces such as Poshmark and eBay still carry Yeezy merchandise. The companies have not made formal statements on the matter.
Not all companies are retracting product. According to Tradeblock, a barter-based sneaker trading platform, there has been a 2.5 percent increase in confirmed Yeezy trade activity in the past 24 hours and a 10 percent increase in users putting them on their wishlists. Per Tradeblock, the Yeezy Foam Runner “Onyx” jumped to number seven from its original ranking at 33, or 26 spot placements on the most traded list for the marketplace.
However, just because the Adidas x Yeezy partnership disbanded doesn’t mean social or environmental problems are resolved. Though the majority of used clothing material ends up as waste at the end of life, a deemed controversial product may get cut short if a collaboration or ad goes south. Garment workers too have used the Yeezy controversy to galvanize demonstrations globally as part of the broader Pay Your Workers campaign (about which Adidas has not formally commented on).