Hip hop artist Travis Scott, well known for his music, has faced recent backlash with his Astroworld concert in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2021. During his concert, ten people died, which has led to multiple lawsuits being filed against him. However, besides the toll that this event has taken on his name and his music, the fashion and video game industry have also taken measures to evaluate Travis Scott’s situation. 

For years, there has always been great anticipation around the next Travis Scott x Nike collaboration, especially in the sneaker community. With over 20 different silhouettes and styles of Nike sneakers under the Travis Scott branding, Nike has reevaluated their collaboration and association with Scott. 

His most recent shoe, the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack, was scheduled to be released on Dec. 16, 2021. However, after the incident in Houston, Nike has decided to postpone their release of Travis Scott’s sneakers. “Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack,” the company shared via the Nike Website. 

Just like Nike, Dior has also taken measures to evaluate their collaboration and association with Scott. Previously, Dior’s clothing line with Scott was intended to be released in the summer of 2022. However, Dior also postponed its launch with Scott.

“Out of respect for everyone affected by the tragic events at Astroworld, Dior has decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of products from the Cactus Jack collaboration originally intended to be included in its summer 2022 collection,” stated representatives for Dior.

Epic Games, a company that created the popular game Fortnite, has also decided to postpone its collaboration with Scott. They made an official statement on their Twitter. 

Games, Epic (Epic Games). “It’s known that the ‘Daily’ section of the Item Shop has been disabled. This is intentional and the ‘Daily’ section will return with the next Item Shop refresh.” 7 Nov. 2021, 6:39 p.m. Tweet.

Epic did not specifically address the situation; however, when the item shop was re-enabled, any character, skin, or emote that was related to Scott was permanently removed from the game.  

Junior Nipun Batra describes his perspective on the current situation and explains how he believes Scott should have confronted things. 

“I think that companies should look into the controversy and reevaluate their sponsorships with Travis Scott,” said Arcadia High School junior Nipun Batra. “Scott should have acknowledged the situation and took action not only during but after the concert.” 

While for now, these companies have only decided to postpone their collaboration with Scott, his case remains under keen speculation by not only the public but his collaborators. Dior, Nike, and Epic Games have not taken a definitive stance on either maintaining or banning Scott’s collaborations, but the end may be in sight. 

Photo courtesy of Zachary Keimig