Last Thursday, Kanye West did his big Kanye + Adidas show during NYFW. The attendance was star-studded, with Rihanna, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Puffy, Anna Wintour, Alexander Wang and more sitting front row. It was a huge media event too, with tons of photos and coverage. Lens focused on bored-looking celebrities watching Kanye march endless panty-hose inspired looks down the runway. The header photo is a decent glimpse of Kanye’s line – that’s what he “designed.” That his “genius” at work as a designer. So would it shock you to learn that Kanye needed 30 STYLISTS to achieve “the look” for his show?
Kanye West used 30 stylists at his Fashion Week show, according to his friend Russell Simmons.
“I was there the night before,” Simmons told us at Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s Valentine’s Day luncheon at the Plaza. “Kanye had been locked in that studio for 72 hours . . . I left, went to Chris Rock’s birthday, came back, he’s still there at 2 a.m. . . . He had like 30 French and Italian guys running around, and everything that they did was inspired only by his direction.”
While one critic called Kanye’s show “clothing a homeless person would wear after the apocalypse,” Simmons is a fan.
“His style and influence is so obvious . . . I’m old, I’m 57, and I’ve got drop-crotch pants,” he laughed. “There is no reason why his collection, which really is meticulously designed and overseen by him, should not be a big hit . . . [I wonder] if [those] who are supposed to be judging understand how much detail, how thoughtful that show was.”
A source close to West would only say of the 30 stylists, “There was a team in place to make sure they were ready for the performance.”
Thirty French and Italian men? Ooh la la, Yeezington. I wonder if they were buff gentlemen or Yeezy likes his stylists to be sleek and exclusively European. In any case, I am SHOCKED that it took the work of Kanye and thirty male stylists to create this runway show. Sigh… Poor Kanye.
Last thing… prepare yourselves for a DEMON.
Photos courtesy of Instagram, WENN, Fame/Flynet.
His collection was ugly but i liked the variety of body types and skin tones represented on his runway.
+1. That was a very positive thing.
I’m sure he’s so thick that the effect came out of luck and it wasn’t planned at all.
Plus that zombie army is horrible to look at. Those clothes make look fat even the skinniest model. Not flattering at all.
@tifzlan – what do you mean the variety of body types? They all looked the same to me, extremely thin and tall – model-like.
I read an interview yesterday on another website, i can’t remember which website it is and i’m about to leave for class after i reply to you, but there were other pictures and i saw some models who were short and “chubby” (not really, they just weren’t model waif-ish) and others with a little bit of curve to their bodies. I’ll try to look it up once i’m done with classes today, but there was a variety of models and i really liked that!
As artsy as fashion can be, it all comes down to one thing, selling the clothes. I look at so many of the models and I wonder what is for sale? Are they going to sell these flesh colored things or were they meant to offset the actual piece, though for some models the “piece” only appears to be a set of leg warmers? I don’t get it. I like to wear black but black is hard on a runway because it hides the details, if there are any. These just look like lumps on naked bodies. I know I’m not a genius like kanye but how is this on target with an athletics brand’s (that can be found at Walmart now) message- and how will any of this be useful as street wear or more importantly, athletic wear? I don’t see anything creative about any of the pieces, only his presentation is what had people talking. Smart to distract from how crappy the actual line is. Also smart to specify how he hates ready to wear, because none of this is ready to wear…. That’s intentional guys!
His collection was not cute, but to his defense, so much of the fashion world can be pretentious and snobby. They can make some ugly outfits and claim others (i.e. the lower class) just don’t “get it.” So, while I don’t get his collection, I’ve seen equally appalling outfits walk down the runway.
and the models were from Instagram too. I really liked how there were so many dark skin black women, they’re barely ever included on the runway and if they are there’s usually one or two. I wish some people in the media would focus on that.
I also heard an interesting theory about why they wore those full body pantyhose outfits. It’s because it was supposed to represent them “naked” (that’s why the colours are so close to their skin tones) and get us to focus on the one piece of clothing. Based on the pictures from the show that actually makes sense. I wish we had been told beforehand so that we could actually “see” his vision.
That is how I interpreted it as well, see above. The problem is the pieces are not good. Adidas is just not the brand to go soooo couture/artsy with. It’s just a brand, not a high class name brand
I think you’re giving him way too much credit, he had dark skinned models wearing the heinous white body pantyhose and light skinned ones wearing the dark brown ones. It had nothing to do with mimicking their naked bodies.
Also if he was attempting to highlight the one item he actually designed and the body stockings were just background why were numerous models wearing only the body stockings in various layered arrangements? If that is ALL some models were wearing it’s reasomable to assume the hosiery was a specifically “designed” element which of course prompts the question, who wears tight, nylon all over body hose to exercise in? Or even to hang out casually? Will every purchase come with a discount coupon for anti-fungal treatment?
Please it took 30 male stylists, my god Kandork wouldn’t know fashion if it got up and bit his a**
They look like condoms.
Yes they do. Likely why the all male stylists were employed …
One can only hope they are powerful enough condoms that the line will not be reproduced.
J.Eyre LOL!
HA!
No reproducing in those clothes. No going to the bathroom either. Seriously – what happens if you drink a cup of coffee? You have to strip naked? can’t be easy without 30 stylists to help.
A 57 year old in dropped crotch pants is my definition of ridiculous, so I’m not that interested in this guy’s point of view.
Seeing that is when I cringe and look the other way. Yikes
LOL – that’s a good one.
His collection was horrible, but just what I expected from this self-called genious! I cannot believe Addidas was down with this. Do they really think anyone, ANYONE, will buy this crap to go to the gym??? The models look like they got half dressed and a fire alarm went off, and everyone ran out in their undergarments!!!!!
Who will buy this awful looking stuff? I’m with you in wondering how/why Adidas supported this, but I guess the fact that we’re all talking about it (even negatively) gives them a lot of publicity. It will be interesting to see if the line sells.
Cathy Horyn at NY Mag wrote a pretty epic takedown of Ye’s collection, entitled “Kanye West Hasn’t Graduated Fashion School Yet.” I’m glad someone who is taken seriously in the fashion world has the guts to say the emperor wears no clothes. It’s a good read. http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/02/cathy-horyn-kanye-west-jason-wu-gabriela-hearst.html
I’ve been trying to figure out where I’m supposed to wear this stuff, other than post zombie apocalypse, which is more of a when than a where. It’s supposed to be GYM clothes? I think I’d get kicked out of the YMCA.
Long underwear worn as street wear.
Body pantyhose. Inspired by the wife’s use of Spanx. It probably took 30 strong men to pull all that shit up and over.
I now have this image in my head of thirty guys cracking open the L’eggs. “Alright, boys, now HEAVE!”
Kim K. is his muse what did you exepect ? 😀
I like the variation in models, at least. Dark skin, fros- yes!
I’ve seen homeless dressed better.
He looks like an alien in the blue eye contact lenses picture. Creepy
I don’t know… I’m getting a Stacey Dash vibe. Alien origins would explain her agelessness tho!
Derelicte
Totally!! Blue Steel award for you!
lol
No joke, I think the Derelicte stuff was actually more interesting.
Though some break dance fighting would have livened up Kanye’s show.
Me too. I think that’s an insult to Deralicte.
It’s an awful collection! The models are pretty. But they are all thin. Not sure why Kanye and Kim thought she could wear this mess and look sleek like the models. Rihanna and PDiddy’s gf look nice there in the front row and they could probably get away with wearing sheer elegance and a sweatshirt. That’s all I got.
Poor fashion. Wintour, I blame you. Ugh. But nice models. I like the one with afro on the right and the very petite blonde one.
His designs and presentation are completely Japanese. Thought he spent time and inspiration in France?
Ps: i’d call in Italian and French male stylists….id never get any work done. so so pretty!!
Japanese? I got shades of Soviet Bloc countries in the Cold War.
Not talking about Japanese culture, i’m talking about designers. They tend to this colour palette and designs. The only missing ingredient is a sharply tailored, deconstructed frock coat and skirt to complete the look.
It’s been a look since the 90s, doesn’t always translate to western fashion outlook.
I wonder if Ricardo was jealous?
I’m not impressed but I can totally see kids who want to look alternative and cool going around with the shoes he designed, with the jackets and the oversized backpacks.
“He had like 30 French and Italian guys running around, and everything that they did was inspired only by his direction.” Rolled my eyes so hard, now they are painful
And this is the result???
My god.
I’m glad I have zero fashion sense because if this is the latest fashion trend then I’d never get caught alive wearing THAT. They all look like they belong to a zombie army.
I can’t believe Anna Wintour was there to watch Kanye’s show while there are so many talented people out there waiting for one tiny chance to show what they’re capable of and what do we get instead? A bunch of lycra pants and cropped bras in boring colors that make look fat even the thinnest and emaciated model.
Anna Wintour has lost all her credibility to me. Friendship is friendship and business is business.
If my friend made a joke of themselves putting on a crappy fashion show I would tell them.
That is what friends do. They’re honest.
For good times and bad times
I’ll be on your side forever more….
Over priced Shiite. And the blue contacts – lolololol. At least he’s good for a laugh.
I scrolled down really fast, saw that first thumbnail and thought he was wearing a really bad blonde wig. Then I thought, “Oh, no… is he on the road to being 5150’d”.
Hahaha so did I!! I was thinking “No Kanye no!” Wearing blue contacts is one thing, wearing a really bad fake blonde wig is another! Just the furry hood of his coat but I totally thought it was an ugly blonde wig as well!
The Artist needed 30 stylists? For what? To stroke his ego? Because his collection is control top panty hose in various shades of bland and meh.
Noone’s commenting on Kanye’s grey eyes. Noone cares. Are you listening Kim?
Just because the collection was “thoughtful” doesn’t keep it from being fugly. One of the shirts looks like a Kevlar vest to me.
30 stylists and not one fell on the floor laughing when they saw the clothes?
Perhaps the first 29 did so Kanye fired them one by one. Then along came the number thirty who was conveniently also blind.
I think he could have done really well as a costume designer for horror/action/sci-fi movies. With that purpose in mind, I actually like them, but those clothes don’t belong on a runway.
When I see the collection the Fame theme starts in my mind. One part because of all the spandex, the other part because of… yeah, just fame. Baby you look at me and tell me what you see, you ain’t seen the best of me yet – although I guess we have seen it all.
It took 30 stylists to make all the models look like ragamuffins. Is this what the models thought they’d look like?
UGH
Those L’eggs pantyhose eggs don’t open themselves, kids. Also, he looks like a busted vamp extra/fan who hung around the on Twilight set way too long.
Kanye? Psst….wolves don’t have blue eyes. Just keep in’ it real.
And Kylie Jenner in the mix too. How many people do you need to help wear and take off that stupid body suit?
He looks scary with those eyes, not that he looks wonderful without them.
I suspect Kanye always has many young “sylists” around.
Hahahaha! I wonder if Ricardo got jealous
I loved the variety of skin tones. That was awesome. Other than that… I didn’t understand his clothing line and even found the clothes to be ugly. I felt sorry for Kim wearing what she wore.
#doragforthebody
Kylie looked odd .. amazing how different she looks without all the face tune and instagram filters.
Seeing the picture of that runway it seems to me those 30 stylists “blocked each other’s efforts out”. You know one stylist putting something on a model and the other one scrubbing it off again.
It is beyond my understanding why this man is considered a designer.
Zombie Flashdance?