What’s Behind The Surprising Appeal – And The Endurance – Of Kanye West’s Yeezy?

There’s no doubt Kanye West is a divisive character – seeming to thrive on controversy with his grandiose statements. Who can forget his 2013 infamous rant, where he likened himself to Walt Disney, Picasso and Steve Jobs? Or his adoption of Trump’s Make America Great Again baseball cap – something he’s said “made me feel like superman”? Then there was his TMZmeltdown in 2018, which included the statement: “When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice. You were there for 400 years, and it is all of y'all”.

And yet, just like President Trump, each controversy seems to do more to help than harm him – unaffecting the deals he has with Adidas, where he earns a 5% royalty on the net sales of shoes worn by pretty much every celebrity from Bella Hadid and Karlie Kloss.

That was never more in evidence than last week at Paris Fashion Week, where the fashion crowd flocked to support him. West had flown his Sunday Service procession out for an impromptu performance at the Bouffes du Nord theatre in Paris, serenading the likes of Balmain’s Creative director Olivier Rousteing, who could be seen clapping for Yeezus alongside Kim Kardashian in the stands. Booth Moore ofWWDtweeted overheard statements from the fashion pack whilst leaving which included, “Can we do that every week?”. This came after a fanfare ensued as surprise Yeezy Season 8 tickets arrived at fashion editor’s hotel concierge doors. Included in the invite? Sage and a dozen counterfeit rattlesnake eggs. There hadn’t been a Yeezy runway show since 2017, with the prior two seasons shows being scrapped in favour of a celebrity-littered viral campaign shot by the paparazzi, but Kanye had grand plans.

The show itself was what we've come to expect from Yeezy – earthy tones inspired by the landscape of his latest obsession, Wyoming. More specifically, West seems fixated on Cody, a mountainous town in the West of America where he and Kim have bought a house. Staged at the Espace Niemeyer – designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer and the base of the French Communist Party – Kanye sent a total of 18 looks parading around the building's white dome. The collection, which he claimed to be 90% muslin, more experimental than his previous offerings.

Crop tops bounced between mostly-there to barely-there, with curved hemlines exposing the body from various warped angles. Wool stuffing, which could have been plucked from the nearest sofa, wrapped its way around models’ legs to form cloud-like trousers. Other pairs fluctuated from high to low-waisted variations, with quilted panels to match the quilted rugged soled boots. Puffer jackets, vests and waistcoats consumed the models, engulfing everything outside of the tip of their nose to the top of their forehead. The highlight, or at least the major talking point of the event, was North West’s riotous debut solo performance – a part rap, part scream performance from Kanye’s eldest daughter.

West’s designs haven’t always been so positively received. Often lost in fashion folklore, his first fashion show in Paris for his eponymous label – opened by Anja Rubik, featuring Karlie Kloss and with Azzedine Alaia, Anna Dello Russo, and Lindsay Lohan on the FROW with Silvia and Delfina Fendi running backstage to congratulate him - was 'a work in progress' according to Tim Blanks. His first physical catwalk show in 2011 was a 'total failure' according to Esquire with WWD reporting that it was an 'increasingly predictable instalment.'

West’s 2016 Yeezy Season 4 show was his first mega-mishap upon returning to the catwalk, with fashion editors having to wait hours to board a bus in which; according to Vanessa Friedman of the New York Times had 'No snacks. No water. No music. No merch. C’mon Kanye.' Models were fainting in the sweltering summer heat of New York City, urging critics to question his ethics. This, on top of the fact that he had recently held a casting call for ‘multiracial women only’, prompted questions of exclusion and fetishization.

So, how has Kanye managed to come full circle – and persuade the fashion folk to buy into what he positions as the fun, thrill, bells and whistles of the Kardashian-West show?

While it’s unlikely to be about his Yeezy collection, what can’t be denied is Kanye’s impact on the fashion world outside of his own personal accomplishments. The school of Kanye has been instrumental in the careers of the likes of Matthew Williams (Creative Director of Alyx), Heron Preston, Samuel ross (of A-Cold-Wall and recent recipient of the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund 2019), Saleh Bembury (Former Yeezy designer turned Vice President of Sneakers & Men’s Footwear at Versace) and Virgil Abloh (creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear and Off-White). Perhaps that network alone is enough to have sparked the fashion pack’s interest – leaving them keeping up with the Kardashian-Wests for fear of missing the industry’s next big thing. Could that be North West?

SEE: The Top Trends From Paris Fashion Week