Kanye West planned swastika t-shirt for 8 years

Kanye West has claimed he had the idea for his swastika t-shirt “for eight years”. The controversial design has sparked widespread condemnation from civil rights organizations worldwide.

The controversial rapper recently returned to X after taking his account offline following a string of anti-Semitic comments, and on Monday (17.02.25) he embarked on a fresh rant, in which he admitted his shocking merchandise had been in the pipeline for some time. His return to the platform generated over 2 million interactions within hours.

In response to his Yeezy store being pulled due to it having just one garment for sale, a white T-shirt emblazoned with a swastika, a notorious Nazi hate symbol, he wrote: “No one seems to wanna produce me wittle t shirt.(sic)” The decision to remove the store came after numerous complaints from users and advocacy groups.

“I remember going to Japan and gasping when I saw what is known as the swastika on clothing. It felt illegal to even look at it. That’s how I had been programmed,” he later added in all capitals. “I then found out that swastika had many different meanings and many different names. I’ve had my swastika t shirt idea for over 8 years. It was so intruging to me that a symbol had so much programing in it.(sic)” Historical records show the symbol’s varied cultural significance across different civilizations.

“The Stronger” hitmaker insisted having Shopify take down his Yeezy store was a “major victory” because he “hates” the company. The e-commerce platform hosts millions of online stores globally.

“Yeezy was also dropped by Shopify. This was a major victory because I hate Shopify and always have. I knew they would do some p**** s*** like this. Anyone who’s on Shopify just know they control your market and they have all of your data which raises the value of Shopify while excluding the brands from that upside.(sic)” The platform’s market value exceeds $70 billion.

Earlier in his tirade, Kanye had declared his previous anti-Semitic comments to be “90 percent Jew proof” and he went on to explain he meant no one had been able to “stop” him. His controversial statements have led to significant business partnerships being terminated.

“I will write this more poetically in a bit cause right now I’m finishing my verse for Game’s album. The idea of being Jew proof is I said all these politically incorrect things and nobody was able to stop me extort me threaten me to change anything And I made 40 million the next day between my different business There’s a lot of Jewish people I know and love and still work with The point I made and showed is that I am not under Jewish control anymore (sic)” These statements have drawn criticism from multiple communities.

But the 47-year-old rapper noted his comments had caused him some “losses”. Industry experts estimate these controversies have cost him billions in potential business deals.

“In war you take a couple losses I lost one of my favorite Yeezy designers named Simon. He tailored the Grammy dress. This was a major loss. We lost Malcolm who was our lead stylist and shopper who also found Simon. Maybe one day they will understand why I had to do what I did and one day they will forgive my method.(sic)” The fashion industry has largely distanced itself from West’s brand.

The incident has reignited discussions about hate speech and social media responsibility, with multiple advocacy groups calling for stronger platform moderation policies. Mental health experts have also weighed in on the situation, emphasizing the importance of responsible media coverage of controversial statements.