Donda (styled in all caps) is a creative content company founded by American rapper and fashion designer Ye (formerly Kanye West).[1] The company was named after West's mother, Donda West, and shares the name with his tenth studio album, released in 2021.
West announced the company on January 5, 2012, via a series of Twitter posts.[2] In his announcement, West proclaimed that the company would "pick up where Steve Jobs left off"; Donda would operate as "a design company which will galvanize amazing thinkers in a creative space to bounce their dreams and ideas" with the "goal to make products and experiences that people want and can afford."[3]
West was secretive about the company's operations, maintaining neither an official website nor a social media presence.[9][10]
In stating Donda's creative philosophy, West articulated the need to "put creatives in a room together with like minds" in order to "simplify and aesthetically improve everything we see, taste, touch, and feel".[11] Contemporary critics have noted the consistent minimalistic aesthetic exhibited throughout Donda creative projects.[12][13][14]
Continuing a trend consistent in previous Kanye West projects,[15] an additional hallmark of Donda projects has been multi-disciplinary collaboration, often featuring prominent contributions from major figures in various creative fields. Prominent examples include painter George Condo, photographer Luis Tarin, video artist/film director Steve McQueen, performance artist Vanessa Beecroft, artist Wes Lang, stage designer Es Devlin, audio/visual designer Jadis Mercado, artist/sculptor Takashi Murakami, photographer Jackie Nickerson, fashion designer Riccardo Tisci, and fashion house Maison Martin Margiela.[16][17][18][19] NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is the chair president of the sports fashion line Donda Sports.[20]
Projects
Film
On May 23, 2012, Donda debuted its inaugural creative project, a film entitled Cruel Summer, as part of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The film is a seven-screen surround vision experience.
Cruel Summer was shot using a specialized camera rig, which allowed the directors to capture multiple angles simultaneously.[21] The film, developed in collaboration with the Doha Film Institute, design firm 2x4 and architecture firm OMA, was presented in a specially designed theater — christened "Surround Vision" — featuring seven screens which surrounded the audience.[22]
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