Valkyrae responds after getting called out for wearing Fortnite x Balenciaga hoodie

YouTube star Valkyrae was quick to respond after fans called her out for wearing a Fortnite x Balenciaga hoodie during a recent broadcast amid controversy surrounding the luxury brand.

Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter is a prominent streamer on YouTube, where she boasts over 3 million followers.

After presenting an award at the 2022 Game Awards, Rae is back to broadcasting as usual — but one of her recent streams caused a bit of a stir among her fans.

During the stream, Rae was wearing a hoodie from Fortnite’s 2021 collaboration with Balenciaga. The hoodie itself is quite simple; it’s a basic black sweatshirt with the words ‘Fortnite x Balenciaga’ in the game’s signature font.

Epic Games, Balenciaga

However, eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice the hoodie and prodded Rae about her decision to wear it, with some pointing out the current controversy surrounding the brand.

Recently, Balenciaga came under fire due to a controversial photoshoot involving young children and a Supreme Court case. The brand has since come under fire from consumers, with the company now taking legal action against the parties involved in the photoshoot.

Valkyrae begs fans not to ask her to change out of Fortnite x Balenciaga hoodie amid controversy

“Yes, I know Balenciaga was canceled. I understand,” Rae said in response to her fans. “But I figured no one would see it under my jacket. But a few of you have noticed, so now I feel insecure and now I feel like I need to go change.”

“I already own it,” she continued. “It’s not like I’m gonna go buy more. …I thought maybe they wouldn’t notice, but people in chat noticed!”

Although Rae admitted to “not knowing the full story” behind the backlash surrounding the company, she acknowledged the current controversy, but begged fans not to ask her to change out of her outfit.

“Don’t make me change,” pleaded with her viewers. “I feel like you guys just wanna make me change because you can. But new leaf Rae, alright? It’s true. It’s Capricorn season, alright? It’s fine. Just don’t look!”

This is far from the first time Rae has been called out by her fanbase; in October, the streamer came under fire for using AAVE, which she said she would avoid using in her apology to viewers.