meIt was billed as a surprise fashion show, but it turned out to be a bigger surprise than expected. A “secret” Kanye West runway event at Paris fashion week included a T-shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter.”
The T-shirt, which featured a photo of Pope John Paul II on the front, was worn by models on the runway and by Ye, as West prefers to be known, along with right-wing commentator Candace Owens, a guest at the show.
Before the Yeezy Season 9 show began, Ye told the audience, “Everyone here knows I’m the leader…they can’t handle me. This is an unmanageable situation.”
He went on to reference his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s robbery in Paris in 2016, his former manager Scooter Braun, and his recent feud with Gap. Naomi Campbell modeled on the show but did not wear the controversial T-shirt. The rapper’s daughter, North West, led a children’s choir that performed at the event.
The Anti-Defamation League classifies the phrase White Lives Matter, which rephrases the phrase Black Lives Matter used to protest brutality, as a hate statement.
Ye has previously made problematic statements about race. In 2018, he said that 400 years a slave in the US “sounds like an option,” though he later tried to retract the comment.
The show marked Ye’s return to high fashion after collaborations with Gap and Adidas ended abruptly. In September, Ye broke off a two-year partnership with Gap, alleging that the store failed to meet the terms of the contract.
Since then, he has criticized the $200 price tags that Gap put on the jerseys. In the same month, Ye announced his intention to break up with Adidas, saying that “it’s time for me to go it alone.”
Kanye West and Naomi Campbell in London in September. Photography: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Burberry
In 2016, a previous Yeezy show in New York came under fire after models were required to stand for long periods without shade or water. The show, held on the grounds of Roosevelt Island, was delayed for two hours and a model collapsed before it was over.
This was Ye’s fourth fashion show in Paris, where he made his debut as a fashion designer in 2011. His fashion career began in 2008, when he interned at Fendi; the following year, he attended Paris fashion week for the first time.
Ye told Vogue Business: “Paris is the great cathedral of fashion. If I’m making music, rap music, I’ll put on my hoodie and take an Uber and go to Future’s house. Day after day. What if we’re working on clothes? Paris.”
Source: news.google.com