Kanye West has announced he is starting an architecture firm, Yeezy Home.
The rapper posted on Twitter: “We’re starting a Yeezy architecture arm called Yeezy home. We’re looking for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better”.
Yeezy is West’s company, which currently gives its name to West’s clothing designs and a range of trainers made in collaboration with Adidas, though in April he tweeted: “Yeezy is no longer a fashion company we should be referred to as apparel or clothing or simply Yeezy.” He has claimed the company is “the 2nd fastest growing company in history”, adding: “We have 160 positions to fill by the end of the year. Yeezy will hit a billion dollars this year.” His Yeezy trainers are hugely coveted, and have generated a vibrant market for fake versions.
He has expressed an interest in architecture before, saying in a 2013 interview: “I want to do product, I am a product person,” said West. “Not just clothing but water bottle design, architecture … I make music but I shouldn’t be limited to once place of creativity.
“I hang around architects mostly, people that wanna make things as dope as possible … This is the reason why I’m working with five architects at a time. The time spent in a bad apartment, I can’t get that back. But the education I can get from working on it is priceless.”
West will release two new albums in June, one a collaboration with Kid Cudi. He has been widely criticised for comments he made last week, saying “You hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”