October 4, 2022 |
The day after he opened Balenciaga’s mud bath SS23 catwalk, Kanye West – or Ye, as he prefers to go by now – staged his first Yeezy catwalk show since before the pandemic. The secret Yeezy Season 9 show took place near the Arc de Triomphe Monday evening in front of an intimate audience of around 50 editors, designers and notable fashion figures – including John Galliano, Demna, and Alexandre Arnault of the LVMH family.
The show was delayed by two hours, with Ye coming out before the catwalk began to complain about press criticism of his previous shows starting late. He also spoke of his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery in 2016, his hospitalisation that same year (where shortly after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder) and his conflict with Gap (in September, Ye terminated what was supposed to be a 10 year partnership with the retail giant, two years in).
He delivered this speech wearing a T-shirt featuring Pope John Paul II with the words “Seguiremos tu ejemplo” (translating to “We will follow your example”), stamped with the words “White Lives Matter” on the back. A phrase is categorised by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate statement which has been used by white supremacists groups like the Klu Klux Klan in response to Black Lives Matter.
The T-shirt was then wore by a series of models who walked the show, including Selah Marley. (Naomi Campbell, Michele Lamy, Mowalola and Givenchy’s Matthew Williams also walked.) The show was soundtracked by children’s choir, including Ye’s daughter, North West.
Ye then proceeded to pose backstage with Candace Owens – the right-wing commentator who has publicly denounced the Black Lives Matter movement – who wore the same shirt as Ye. Later that evening, Ye also took to Instagram to write: “Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam.”
It goes without saying that Ye’s comments and actions are both irresponsible and harmful, and his intention to stir up controversy through dangerous language has completely overshadowed the work and effort him and his team has put into the collection, which was made alongside Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air fame and Central Saint Martins graduate, Dingyun Zhang.
The incident follows a string of Ye controversies. In 2018, he demonstrated his support for then President Donald Trump while proudly wearing a “Make America Great Again”. He has also called slavery “a choice” and has said he is pro-life during a rally when he was running for office in 2020.
