Kanye West and Yeezy sued for 400,000 dollars for non-returning of goods

Of all the celebrities wearing luxury brands on the red carpet, almost 99.9 percent are loaned by fashion brands, as opposed to being purchases by the celebrity. In addition many celebrities have ambassadorial contracts in place where they are paid by brands to wear their collections at global events. Think Kate Blanchett and Armani Privé, Kristen Stewart and Chanel, Millie Bobby Brown for Louis Vuitton.

Similarly, brands loan and gift collections to celebrities ad nauseum, such as newly launched handbags which suddenly appear simultaneously on the arms of celebrities across different markets (all photographed in the same week) to new sneaker drops and even skincare products.

Not all items loaned may be kept.

Some celebrities have a habit of treating loaned items as ‘gifts', while at other times borrowed items may get lost. The latter appears to be the case in a new lawsuit filed in New York where stylist David Casavant, who runs an archive rental service, and says he is owed 416,000 dollars of goods borrowed by Kanye West and Yeezy.

Mr West is accused of keeping 13 rare pieces and not fulfilling monthly rental fees. Despite sending invoices dating back to 2020, the complaint states: “Defendants have not responded meaningfully to plaintiff’s numerous inquiries about defendants’ unpaid balance and the missing items, referring plaintiff to individuals without knowledge or authority to resolve the dispute, or advising plaintiff to send inquiries to inactive email accounts.”

According to the lawsuit Mr West’s company owes 195,100 dollars for the actual items, equivalent to the replacement cost if they were lost, in addition to 221,810 dollars in outstanding rental fees.

The Casavant Archive is a private collection of rare garments, focusing primarily on the work of conceptual menswear designers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The archive offers a comprehensive scope of garments by designers including (original) Helmut Lang and Raf Simons, and is used by notable artists including Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams.

According to Footwear News the filing said that the group enjoyed a productive relationship with Ye dating back to 2014, when the Archive began renting out pieces to Yeezy Apparel LLC as well as the artist himself. Ye would regularly extend rentals on certain items and continue to pay monthly fees, and when an item was occasionally lost, Yeezy was billed for the replacement.