KANYE'S DARK, TWISTED REALITY

Former Yeezy team members claim the rapper turned designer used porn, bullying, and 'mind games' to control his staff and that Adidas execs 'turned their moral compass off'

- MATT SULLIVAN & CHEYENNE ROUNDTREE

A HUSH FELL OVER the factory sample room in Qingyuan, China, as Kanye West examined the prototypes of his latest Yeezy sneakers on display before him. Decision-makers from Adidas and members of his entourage waited intently for his feedback when, according to two people who attended the August 2017 meeting, West began to yell that the Yeezys were not yet up to his standards - then approached a senior female employee. The attendees say West looked down at his foot, stared up at the woman, and told her, "I want you to make me a shoe I can fuck."

Adidas representatives - including a vice president involved in the apparel giant's billion-dollar licensing partnership with West's influential brand did not confront West about his alleged remark, the two attendees claim. The woman took a leave of absence before she moved on to a job elsewhere at Adidas. (In an email, she declined to comment for this story.)

Former Yeezy and Adidas employees point to the alleged incident as one of many experiences over the course of a decade in which, they say, West used intimidation tactics with the staff of his fashion empire that were provocative, frequently sexualized, and often directed toward women.