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 complete with a baseball cap and a rugged 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, whom 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 up.” The dramatic look came on the heels of Hadid’s headline-making venture closing the Coperni show, clad in little more than a spray-painted design she had applied in real time in front of attendees.
Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna, introduced the collection with the idea that personal identity is a “battlefield.”
“One needs courage and persistence to truly embrace their identity and who they really are,” their statement read in part. “And the more you try to be yourself, the more you get punched in the face… The challenge is to get up and keep walking towards your true self after being punched and knocked down.”
Meanwhile, the mud-laden backdrop for the presentation was designed by conceptual artist Santiago Sierra, known for controversial projects that question social inequality. For one of his most infamous works, titled “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 him to tattoo a line on through each of their backs.
Of Sierra’s set, Denma explained it as “a metaphor for digging for the truth and being down to earth.”
Among those who reacted to Ye’s first gig as a runway model was independent 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 excited 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