Kanye West has been nicknamed a variety of things. Musical prodigy. Grammy Award winner 21 times. Reality television personality. And, according to USA Today, “the greatest artist of the twenty-first century?” At the very least, the publication presented the question. As of this afternoon, West is also the fashion industry’s leading disruptor.
Nothing like Yeezy Season 3 has ever been seen during New York Fashion Week. Of course, West’s notoriety and ego help, but the ambitious fashion show-cum-listening party he threw for his new record, The Life of Pablo, packed Madison Square Garden to the rafters tonight. The majority of the 18,000-plus individuals in the crowd were fans; scalpers were selling tickets outside, and some were selling for four figures online.
(By comparison, Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci had about 800 people attend his 9/11 presentation during last year’s Spring shows.) Lines snaked around the concession areas for merch booths offering T-shirts and hoodies (for $40 and $90, respectively, which is far cheaper than Yeezy rates). And no other designer, no matter how hard they tried, has been able to secure Caitlyn Jenner as a guest. She was there with the Kardashians and, like her ex-husband and children, was dressed in a mix of Yeezy and Olivier Rousteing-designed Balmain.
Kanye exited the stage wearing one of the merch booth T-shirts. It said, “I Feel Like Pablo,” a lyric from his song “No More Parties in LA.” The Internet, which has been trying to figure out who Pablo is—”I feel like Pablo when I’m working on my shoes.” When I see myself on the news, I feel like Pablo”—is now leaning towards Picasso.
Today’s performance marked another collaboration between West and performance artist Vanessa Beecroft. The parachute netting covering the Garden’s floor was peeled back towards the conclusion of the record’s chest-rattlingly loud first track, “Ultra Light Beams,” to show the 1,200 or so extras. West and Beecroft had dressed in past Yeezy collections’ monotone colours (taupe, ochre, and red). They stood, segregated by gender, encircling a pair of refugee tents on top of which models in Yeezy Season 3 stood and occasionally sat. The collection deviated from Season 1 and Season 2 in its more diversified colour palette, but generally adhered to the brand’s signature streetwear, athleisure-inflected aesthetic. Bodysuits,The dominating motifs were cargo gear and large clothing, however specifics were difficult to distinguish from the distance of section 117. Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb, and Liya Kebede appeared on stage in black leotards and holey, floor-length mink coats, joining the other female models on one tent.
The “refugees” and tents created a striking sight, but it was West’s clothing that were secondary to the question: Should images of such disenfranchisement be used to promote clothes and trainers? West chose not to pursue the matter. Instead, following the album, he displayed a couple of times a preview for Only One, a video game about his deceased mother’s voyage to paradise, and riffed on his Yeezy Boosts. “I mean, it’s the top shoe—it’s the top Christmas present.” It’s not typical.” There was also this: “My dream, I told Anna [Wintour], is to be the creative director For at least a couple of years, I’ve been a fan of Hermès.”
Hey, he almost ruined New York Fashion Week. One thing is certain: if this is the future public-facing fashion presentation, we’ll all need earplugs.
