Saturday, October 26, 2013 11:42am ET by  
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Fans urge Jay Z to drop designer line from Barneys

Fans of Jay Z have been pressuring the rapper to cancel a deal he has struck with American luxury department store chain Barneys New York.

The ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ hitmaker has signed a deal to design an exclusive line of clothing and accessories for Barneys which is scheduled to go on sale next month.

However fans have been urging Jay Z – real name Shawn Carter – to cancel his dealings with the retailer over allegations of racial profiling.

Two young black customers have spoken to the BBC about their experiences of racial profiling after shopping in Barneys.

Trayon Christian bought a $350 belt from the store using his debit card. After making the transaction he was pulled over by undercover cops, hand cuffed and held at a local precinct for two hours.

Christian was told by the police that they had received a tip off from Barneys claiming that his bank card was fraudulent. When the allegation was proved to be false the police apologised.

Similarly Kayla Philips spent $2300 on a handbag at Barneys and also asserts that she was subject to racial profiling and rough treatment following her purchase.

In a message to Jay Z Phillips said: “Don’t have any dealings with Barneys.”

Barneys have said that they are reviewing their internal practices and procedures but deny allegations of racial profiling.

Jay Z is yet to comment. 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch recent live footage of Jay Z on tour below: