Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Barneys Cancels Launch Party For New Jay Z Line In Wake Of Racial Profiling Allegations
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 19, 2013
Modified Nov 20, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 19, 2013
Modified Nov 20, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Looks like all that heat Jay Z's been taking for his collaboration with Barneys New York is finally making a dent. Though the rapper said he'd continue to stand by the retailer despite all those racial profiling allegations it's been fielding recently, it appears he'll be launching his new line with little fanfare; Barneys canceled a planned party on Wednesday to celebrate his new holiday line. Or maybe he and Bey just have something better to do this week, whatever. It's hard to be the king.
On Friday, Jay Z maintained he would not be severing ties with Barneys, even though two minority customers are suing the retailer for wrongly accusing them of thievery, and petitions have been circulating asking the rapper to ditch his $$$ deal with them. He did say, though, that 100 percent of the proceeds from his new holiday line would benefit his Shawn Carter Foundation, instead of the 25 percent that had originally been planned. And now, Barneys has announced they were canceling a party they were sponsoring on Wednesday to debut the line, claiming in a statement that "unforeseen circumstances" killed the launch.
Then again, the off-site launch party was supposed to be a fundraiser for the Shawn Carter Foundation, which is a bummer for the scholarship-driven organization. And at this point, Jay Z's attempt to save face might be too little, too late. But don't "demonize" him, folks—the world needs $80 "Gold" cologne now more than ever.
Tagged
barneys
jay-z
racial profiling
the window
why god
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .