From everything Kanye West did this fall to several major campaign disasters, the fashion industry had its fair share of scandals this year. Here, FN recaps eight of the biggest controversies in fashion and retail in 2022.

Everything About Kanye West

Rapper turned designer Kanye West, now known as Ye, was in the headlines throughout 2022 — from dating Julia Fox to launching a collaboration with Balenciaga and Yeezy Gap. But West’s star fell almost overnight this fall when the designer showed “White Lives Matter” T-shirts at his surprise Yeezy SZN 9 Paris fashion week show. What followed was a lot of acting out on West’s part, where he was heard making antisemitic comments and claiming LVMH executive “Bernard Arnault killed Virgil Abloh.” This prompted West to lose several huge deals including his relationships with Adidas, Gap and Balenciaga. His downward spiral continued for months, as retailers pulled Yeezy product from shelfs and continue to distance themselves from him.

Balenciaga’s Campaign Turmoil

Balenciaga took legal action last month against the production company that created a scandalous ad campaign featuring a Balenciaga x Adidas Hourglass bag laid across documents relating to the 2008 United States v. Williams Supreme Court decision regarding child pornography laws. In the lawsuit, which has since been dropped by the brand, Balenciaga was suing North Six Inc. and its agent and set designer Nicholas Des…