Kanye West has officially made his runway debut.
The 45-year-old Yeezy founder kicked off Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2023 show during Paris fashion week over the weekend in an all-black, combat-ready look with a baseball cap and a heavy-duty utility vest, both emblazoned with the word “Security.”
The track itself, staged outdoors in the city’s Parc des Expositions, was made up of what appeared to be an ankle-deep expanse of mud.
West’s four children, North, 9, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 3, who he shares with ex Kim Kardashian, were reportedly in attendance to cheer him on, along with Kylie Jenner.
Other celebrities in the crowd included Doja Cat and “Euphoria” star Alexa Demie, according to Elle.
Later in the presentation, Bella Hadid and other models appeared in makeup that made them look “bruised and beaten.” The dramatic look came shortly after Hadid’s headline-grabbing adventure by closing the Coperni show, dressed in little more than a spray-painted design that she had applied in real time in front of attendees.
Balenciaga creative director Demna introduced the collection with the idea that personal identity is a “battlefield”.
“One needs to have courage and persistence to truly come to terms with their identity and who they really are,” part of their statement read. “And the more you try to be yourself, the more you get punched in the face… The challenge is to pick yourself up and keep walking towards your true self after you’ve been punched and knocked down.”
Meanwhile, the mud-laden backdrop for the performance was designed by conceptual artist Santiago Sierra, known for controversial projects questioning social inequality. For one of his most infamous works, entitled “160cm line tattooed on 4 people”, executed in 2000, he paid a group of heroin-addicted prostitutes the cost of a dose of the drug in exchange for allowing them to tattoo a line on their own. across each of their backs.
Of Sierra’s set, Denma explained it as “a metaphor for digging for the truth and being in the dirt.”
Among those reacting to Ye’s first gig as a runway model was freelance creative director Betsy Johnson. The “All of the Lights” rapper shared a screenshot of a text exchange with the Brit, who began collaborating with Denma last year, on Instagram Stories.
“I felt a little emotional when you walked,” she wrote. “She felt really special.”
West responded, “After all the battles, even this year, pretty amazing, I’m excited too.”
“We have more battles ahead of us,” he added. “But we are going to win, God is on our side.”
Source: news.google.com