Jay Z Barneys New York Boycott: Petition Calls for Rapper to End Collaboration Over Racial Discrimination
The exclusive partnership between hip-hop mogul Jay Z and the high-end retailer Barneys New York, "A New York Holiday" collection, is scheduled to be released during this year's holiday season starting on November 20. However, a petition has recently been launched asking Jay Z to end his business relationship with Barneys New York, due to incidents regarding racial discrimination.
The collection is planned to include themed window displays, lots of ads and a massive party, which will all feature the special-edition merchandise from top fashion houses, such as Balmain, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Proenza Schouler and more. The store, designed by artist Joanie Lemercier, is named "BNY SCC Gallery," which stands for "Barneys New York Shawn Corey Carter."
The petition has resulted from Barneys allegedly discriminating against two African American customers. On Tuesday, October 22, NYPD officials reportedly detained Trayvon Christian, who purchased a $349 Ferragamo belt from Barneys store on Madison Avenue, on suspicion that he used a fraudulent credit card, which turned out to be false. On the next day, they stopped another customer Kayla Phillips after purchasing a $2,500 Céline purse, for the same reason. The two customers are planning to file a lawsuit against Barneys.
A petition on change.org, which is launched by Derick Bowers, a Brooklyn residing Jay Z fan, is asking Jay Z to end his business partnership with Barneys New York, saying that Jay Z should be "appalled by Barneys' actions."
"If he does this, he will send a clear message to all corporations that are likeminded, that this behavior cannot be tolerated any longer," says Bowers in the petition. He also has created a T-shirt that says "Barneys New Slaves," which makes references to Kanye West's first single "New Slaves" from his latest album, "Yeezus."
"You see it's broke n---a racism, that's that, 'Don't touch anything in the store," Kanye raps. "And it's rich n---a racism, that's that 'Come in, please buy more.'"
Derick Bowers' "Barneys New Slaves" t-shirt is on sale for $25 on change.org.