Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy named Yeezy head of design

Gosha Rubchinskiy, a Russian designer and former Adidas collaborator, has been named the new head of design for Kanye West’s fashion brand Yeezy.

To make the announcement, West made a rare reappearance on X – formerly Twitter – revealing that Rubchinskiy was to take up the new role immediately.

The statement continued: “The arrival of this legendary Russian designer at Yeezy, the pre-eminent global brand in music and fashion, is a milestone in design history.”

The revelation comes after a quiet period for West, who had his ties with the fashion industry severed after he made a series of anti-semite remarks and publicly called out various partnered brands on allegations of not adhering to contracts, among other controversial moves.

As a result, West saw his deals with Balenciaga, Vogue, Adidas and Gap cancelled, resulting in substantial financial losses for the rapper and leading him to pursue other opportunities in a bid to revive his label.

The choice of Rubchinskiy appears to be part of such attempts. The designer has worked with the likes of Burberry and Levi’s, alongside operating his own eponymous label founded in 2008. He has also collaborated with Adidas on a number of projects.

The designer shared further details of his impending role at Yeezy on his own Instagram account, which stated that the company was “set to embrace exciting new projects and collaborations that embody [its] spirit of independence and creative drive”.

As a result, Rubchinskiy said he would be introducing a new direction for his own brand, stepping away from the Comme Des Garcons and Rassvet family, who he had previously been associating and collaborating with, to forge a new path.