YEEZY CONFIDENTIAL PT. 2

“There was a culture of looking the other way”. On the record with an ex-YEEZY Senior Designer on the fear, abuse and harassment that fueled Kanye West’s YEEZY empire

Editor's Note: A former YEEZY Senior Designer initially agreed to participate in this story on the record but later requested anonymity due to concerns about their involvement in the final review process. Their statements remain on the record, and their identity is known to the publication

For years, YEEZY, Kanye West’s fashion empire, was seen as a hub for creativity and innovation. But behind the scenes, former employees paint a much different picture, one of workplace harassment, financial exploitation, and a culture that enabled abuse. In this interview with a former YEEZY Senior Designer a disturbing narrative emerges about what it was really like to work at YEEZY.

For many employees, working at YEEZY initially felt like an exciting opportunity. The former YEEZY Senior Designer, recalled, "At the beginning, it was really amazing. But it was terrible for my health." As time passed, the allure faded, replaced by chaos, mistreatment, and relentless demands.

On Thanksgiving 2021, according to the former YEEZY Senior Designer, the entire YEEZY architecture team, including Bianca Censori, was abruptly fired. Staffers allege that Kim Kardashian discovered Kanye was having an affair with Bianca while they were attempting to reconcile. That same night, Bianca was reportedly telling people at a Los Angeles house party that she planned to "cancel Kanye West.”

Meanwhile, the former YEEZY Senior Designer, returned to France in December 2021, distancing themselves from the growing instability at YEEZY.

The following year, YEEZY employees began experiencing increasing levels of workplace harassment. In texts reviewed by this journalist a female YEEZY designer recalled an incident of sexual assault from a colleague, known as “Z,” who cornered her in her workspace, “He just came into the trailer when I was alone and came up behind me like pushing himself into me and hugging me and kissing my neck”. She declined to comment for this story.

Assistants were also subjected to inappropriate conduct. After modeling agencies refused to work with YEEZY following the infamous "White Lives Matter" controversy, employees were forced to model for the brand. During fittings, “Z” would reportedly linger nearby, groping female assistants as they changed.

“Z basically sexually assaulted me,” an assistant stated in a text message reviewed by this journalist—an account corroborated by the former YEEZY Senior Designer. She declined to comment for this story.

texts from former female YEEZY staffers in a YEEZY employee group chat

The former YEEZY Senior Designer, who had been working remotely from France, returned to YEEZY for the YEEZY SZN 9 show. "We had been working on a collection since 2020, and Kanye came to Paris furious, demanding that everything be redone," they said. "First he was like, 'We are redoing everything.' And then, he said what to do, and it was really bad with the white lives matter shirts. He went in the studio and asked people to do that, and he said, 'Anybody who doesn't agree can leave now.' So I left."

The show sparked widespread backlash, effectively severing Kanye’s ties with the fashion industry. In the aftermath, employees faced delayed payments, increased hostility, and a toxic environment.

In December 2022, the former YEEZY Senior Designer reached out to Kanye West with a straightforward request: to ensure a friend received payment. The conversation quickly escalated into an argument.

"I called him so that he would pay off my friend," they recall. "He got angry because I gave his phone number to this guy. We fought, we talked about it, then I hung up. The next day, he called back and apologized, and it seemed like he was going back to being nice."

The discussion then shifted to Kanye’s Paris show. The former YEEZY Senior Designer made it clear that he could not work in the same environment again.

"I told him, ‘I can’t work in this environment again. I don’t want to see any of that. I can’t work in a place like that.’"

Kanye reassured him. "We’re gonna get this strength," he said. "We’re gonna be like a Christian school."

For the former YEEZY Senior Designer, this was a familiar pattern, Kanye acknowledging past issues and promising change. He had always maintained a direct and honest relationship with Kanye, and in the past, Kanye had admitted things had gone too far. He hoped that this time would be different.

A few weeks later, however, Kanye married Bianca Censori, and the dynamic within YEEZY shifted.

In early 2023, Bianca Censori, now Kanye West’s wife, took on a more authoritative role at YEEZY. Employees describe her as "cutthroat" alleging that she refused to sign contracts and exerted control over even minor yet crucial aspects of workplace conditions.

"She turned into a demon" says the former YEEZY Senior Designer. "She wanted to cut lunch breaks for all the seamstresses, even though we had to travel two hours to get to work every morning."

Beyond work policies, employees recall unsettling behavior. "Bianca was always doing weird stuff, like coming into our trailer and asking what we thought about Jews. And one time, she even stole my vape."

Beyond internal changes, Bianca allegedly began harassing people outside of YEEZY.

"Oh, yeah. Not just the employees—people in their lives too," the former YEEZY Senior Designer explains. "Since she became Kanye’s wife, she would threaten people in L.A., using her position. I got loads of messages from people with bad experiences."

By February 2023, when the former YEEZY Senior Designer returned to LA, extreme working conditions had become the norm. Employees often clocked 85-hour workweeks, staying up all night to meet Kanye’s unreasonable demands. "We had to make three garments a day," the former YEEZY Senior Designer recalled. "At one point, he showed us a pair of intricate Balenciaga leather pants and said, 'See, this is what I want you to make today.' I told him, 'That's not gonna happen.' And he was like, 'Well, maybe tomorrow then.' He has no idea how this work is done."

The YEEZY atelier

YEEZY’s financial mismanagement was a persistent issue. Employees frequently went unpaid or received their wages months late. The former YEEZY Senior Designer stated, "I had to threaten people so many times just to get paid." The company also refused to sign contracts, making it easy to withhold payments. "Bianca refused to sign my contract, because that's what they do. They don't want to sign contracts, so they don't pay people."

"If you complained about anything, you could be sure someone would tell on you, and then it would be over," the former YEEZY Senior Designer stated. "There were no protections."

One of the darkest revelations from YEEZY’s workplace culture that year would be its handling of the sexual assault allegations. After female employees were allegedly assaulted by another assistant, the team was gathered for a meeting where the ex CEO of YEEZY Cristiano Minchio allegedly downplayed the assaults, stating, he didn’t want them to get the wrong idea and that they reminded him of his daughters. Instead of holding the perpetrator accountable, the victims were fired. In texts reviewed by this journalist YEEZY’s ex CEO believes the decision came from Kanye directly.

"They fired women because they were assaulted," the former YEEZY Senior Designer said. "It was really dark, and nobody said anything. There was a culture of looking the other way”

Beyond the financial exploitation and workplace harassment, YEEZY’s grueling work culture took a severe toll on employees’ mental and physical well-being. Messages from an internal group chat labeled "YZY Design" reveal Kanye West’s relentless expectations for round-the-clock production. In one message, Kanye explicitly demands that the studio operate without pause, stating, "Studio needs to be 24/7, 7 days a week like the internet." He insists on a system of rotating shifts, appointing designated heads for both day and night crews to ensure continuous workflow.

Kanye West in the YEEZY Design employee group chat

The pressure on designers was immense. In another message, Kanye singles out two members of his team, this ex Senior Designer and the female designer who had been sexually assaulted, writing, "We need [ them ] to sketch to death."

"I was exhausted. I weighed 55 kilograms at 1.9 meters tall," the former YEEZY Senior Designer revealed. "[ the female designer ] was throwing up every morning from stress." That same female designer now suffers from panic attacks.

"We were so overworked," the former YEEZY Senior Designer recalls. "I had a psychotic episode."

In March 2023, overwhelmed and exhausted, he attempted to take his own life.

"I went back to the hotel and tried to kill myself. My brain just switched to autopilot. Everyone was screaming at each other like usual. I grabbed my stuff, took an Uber to the hotel, swallowed an entire box of antidepressants and anxiety meds. When I woke up, it was the middle of the night and I just thought, ‘Oh shit, I have to get back to work.’ Everything moved so fast, there was no time to process anything."

He was connected with a doctor, but when he heard that designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, accused of allegedly soliciting indecent images of a minor, would be joining YEEZY, he made his final exit, blocking Kanye on his way out.

Reflecting on their time at YEEZY, the former YEEZY Senior Designer has no illusions. "At the beginning, it was really amazing," they admitted. "But it was terrible for my health."

When asked what they would say to future YEEZY employees, their response was blunt: "Don’t go. It’s not worth it. It’s not safe."

Behind YEEZY’s sleek image lay a toxic culture that crushed the dreams of those who worked there. Young, eager and talented individuals, drawn to LA by the hype of working with Kanye West, quickly realized they were in an environment where power was abused, safety was an afterthought, and speaking out meant facing retaliation. What was promised as creative freedom became a cycle of exploitation with no regard for workers’ well-being. Under Kanye’s direction, YEEZY became a textbook example of how the fashion industry uses its workers as fuel for a machine that prioritizes output over people. Later, with Bianca Censori taking a more prominent role, the toxic culture deepened, further exacerbating the power imbalances, abuse and mistreatment. Even now, some employees continue to return, unable to break free from the brand’s toxic grip. YEEZY’s environment was designed to make employees feel indispensable yet disposable, keeping them in a state of uncertainty and dependence. Many are reluctant to speak on the record out of fear of retaliation or damage to their careers. In the end, YEEZY’s legacy is not just one of fashion innovation but of the cost of exploiting people for the sake of celebrity-driven ambition.

*Representatives for YEEZY/Kanye West/ Bianca Censori did not respond to a request for comment*