Amid controversy comes some very good news.
Jay Z's holiday partnership with clothing retailer Barney's came under fire in late 2013 after the store was accused of racial profiling and detaining black shoppers who had purchased goods at the luxury department store. Jay Z was criticized for his decision not to sever ties with the retailer after a Change.org petition was made and signed by more than 58,000 people.
After the controversy arose, he made a statement on his blog and addressed the reasoning behind his decision to continue the collaboration. He wrote: "I am against discrimination of any kind, but if I make snap judgments, no matter who it’s towards, aren’t I committing the same sin as someone who profiles?"
Now his partnership is paying off. Though the final profits of sales from his A New York Holiday collection were still being tallied on Friday (January 2nd), the New York Daily News reports that the line has raised over $1,000,000 during its six-week run.
Jay Z had initially planned to donate 25 percent of the line's profits to his charity, the Shawn Carter Foundation, which provides scholarships for underprivileged individuals seeking higher education. He later changed the deal to give 100 percent of profits to the charity; Barney's also donated 10 percent of all store-wide profits to the Shawn Carter Foundation on the day of the line's launch.
The line's goods ranged in price from a $70 T-shirt to a $33,900 alligator skin-banded watch. This ring, created for Hoorsenbuhs, was included in the collection.
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