Kanye West names Gosha Rubchinskiy as Yeezy’s creative director

A year ago, following a media storm triggered by the anti-Semitic statements made by US artist-entrepreneur Kanye West, now known as Ye, Adidas terminated its profitable collaboration with West’s brand Yeezy, whose sneakers were produced by Adidas. West is now working to relaunch Yeezy, and with a post on X, formerly Twitter, on December 13, he announced the appointment of Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy as the brand’s new creative director.

“Yeezy welcomes Gosha Rubchinskiy as its new head of design today. The arrival of this legendary Russian designer at Yeezy, the pre-eminent global brand in music and fashion, is a milestone in design history,” said the ineffable West.

Rubchinskiy is renowned for his menswear, inspired by skateboarding, Russian youth culture and Western popular culture. He launched his own label in 2008, and soon became one of the leading names in Russian fashion, alongside among others Demna (who was born in Georgia), the co-founder of Vetements and current creative director of Balenciaga. Rubchinskiy, 39, has collaborated in the past decade with world-renowned labels such as Burberry and Adidas.

But he is also a controversial figure. In 2018, while facing charges of sexual harassment of minors, he posted a message on Instagram announcing he was closing down his label, at least in its then current form, heralding major changes for the future. After this statement, Rubchinskiy’s label has kept a low profile, while he has collaborated with Diesel and worked on photography projects. About to turn 40, Rubchinskiy now seems to want to return centre-stage.

This week, Rubchinskiy has announced he is relaunching his eponymous label. He posted a story on a dark background on his social media channels, stating that “We are delighted to introduce the new direction of the Gosha Rubchinskiy fashion label as an independent creative power. Moving away from the Comme des Garçons and Rassvet family, our label is now charting its own path. Under Gosha’s creative leadership, we are ready to embark on exciting new projects that embody our independent spirit and creative energy. We are grateful for the continued support of our community, which is fuelling our journey.”

The label’s site is now offering visitors the chance to register their interest in following the next steps in the relaunch, mirroring a strategy recently adopted by Phoebe Philo.

Rubchinskiy has reportedly found new financial backing for his label’s revival. The Gosha, PACCBET (Rassvet) and GR Uniforma labels belonged to the Comme des Garçons group, and were managed by the latter’s Dover Street Market entity. It would appear that Rubchinskiy has reached an agreement to operate outside the control of Comme des Garçons, which is owned by Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe.