Jay Z’s controversial collaboration with luxury store Barney appears to be paying off. According to the New York Daily News, the Shawn Carter Foundation earned more than $1 million through the partnership, a figure that only rose after Barneys agreed to donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the BNY SCC collection in November. The original agreement was for the charity to receive 25 percent, with the retailer getting the remaining 75 percent.
The Huffington Post reported that toward the end of 2013, Jay Z rebuffed calls to end his partnership with Barneys,vowing instead to work with the retailer — which was accused of racial profiling by several customers — to benefit his Shawn Carter Foundation.
At the time, that decision drew criticisms from both fans and social activists, but Jay maintained that his charity (and the underprivileged students it supports) would ultimately be the better for the partnership.
Jay Z released a statement on his Life and Times website saying that, “Making a decision to prematurely pull out of this project wouldn’t hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter, but all the people that stand a chance at higher education[…]I have been working with my team ever since the situation was brought to my attention […] to find a solution that doesn’t harm all those that stand to benefit from this collaboration.”
Reportedly, the final sales figures from the six-week collaboration are still being tallied, but profits have already exceeded the $1 million mark and will help the Shawn Carter Foundation provide scholarships to students facing socioeconomic hardships.
