Kanye West designs clothing in support of black exodus from Democratic party

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Oct 29, 2018

In another controversial political move, Kanye West has designed a line of apparel encouraging black Americans to abandon the Democratic party, as part of conservative pundit Candace Owens' "Blexit," or Black Exit, campaign. 

West's designs for the campaign's merchandise line include several graphic prints: one spelling out Blexit with an "X" shaped like a human, one with the entire word spelled out in human-shaped lettering, and another featuring a singular human "X"  and the printed words "we free." These prints appear on a variety of t-shirts and baseball hats. 

The merchandise is available in a range of fluorescent blue, neon green, orange, lavender and red shades, and retails between $25 and $28. 

The designs were unveiled this weekend at the Young Black Leadership Summit hosted by Turning Point USA, the organization for black conservatives where Owens serves as director of communications. At the event, Owens announced the campaign as "the black exit from permanent victimhood," a concept born of Owens' belief that black people have been brainwashed to vote for Democrats. She continued, holding up one of the line's baseball caps, "Blexit is a renaissance, and I am blessed to say that this logo, these colors were created by my dear friend and fellow superhero, Kanye West." The rapper did not attend the event. 

West's political opinions have caused a stir since he publicly announced his support of Donald Trump in 2016, an affiliation that the rapper and designer has continued to reinforce through White House visits and social media posts. "You don't have to agree with Trump but the mob can't make me not love him," West tweeted in April of this year, adding, "We are both dragon energy. He is my brother." 

In a possible response to reactions surrounding the release of the collection, the rapper tweeted, "we’re about love unity and we design for the world" this morning.