Getty/ Theo Wargo
This Thursday, Kanye West unveiled his line with Adidas on the runway titled "Yeezy: Season 1". Being his first fashion show and the fact that, well.. he's Kanye West there was a lot of hype around the show's debut. The front row included stars such as Beyonce and Jay Z (can you really think of one without the other now?), Diddy, Rihanna, Anna Wintour, and many others.
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Now, in my eyes, there's no denying this was an iconic show. Not only was it unique in it's featured pieces and layout, but this is one of the most racially diverse show's the fashion world has seen in a long time. Why is it that everyone is talking about baby North crying but not what barriers West just broke in the fashion world?
I believe we all know Kanye West is known not only for his music but also for his seemingly endless supply of self-confidence. I mean, the man actually called him self God in front of the whole world at one point. He has an album titled 'Yeezus'- need I say more? But what I really want to get at here is why icons like West, championing qualities like self-reliance and creativity, are only credited as a representation of the fabulously wealthy opposed to the African American community. And its not just West who is given this label, even entrepreneurs like Russell Simmons (who also attended the show) and artist like Rihanna are limited to the same sphere.
We label feminist icons almost instantly (i.e Nicki Minaj's Anaconda Video, Miley Cyrus masturbating on instagram...and pretty much everywhere else) but fail to recognize strides for most non-white groups every time.
And this trend of exclusion isn't new in fashion either. In the Spring 2014 Season at New York Fashion Week, 80% of the models were white according to Jezebel's yearly analysis. Asian and Black models made up about 8% and Latina models accounted for about 3%.
Why is it that at a time where there are so many incredible non-white icons, we are still so quick to shay away from 'the race talk'? What needs to be done to change this? Oh right- the race talk.
Very well said! I'm not to keen on Kanye ventures in fashion though. The pieces looks rather 'good' 'than 'wow'. Nevertheless, it is his first show and I admire his effort. I must say, I enjoy reading your post.
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lillyinstyle.blogspot.com
Well said. While I think Kanye's collection was a very derivative good first try, I do applaud him for the diversity of his models and the artistic aspect of it. I think issue of people shying away from race talk is two fold, minorities don't want to be labeled as "race baiters" who are constantly playing the "victim" and white people in general do not want to confront the fact that they benefit from a system that places their superiority at it's core...i.e. no one wants to be uncomfortable.
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