Rap legend Kanye West showed his debut collection at Paris Fashion Week this evening and whilst it was not the most amazing of shows, I still feel he deserves a little credit.
No one can deny the force that is Kanye West, yes after his antics at the MTV VMA's during Taylor Swifts acceptance speech he has earned him a lot of 'haters', but he is still one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, and has one numerous awards over the years. People constantly criticize hip hop stars for their contributions to the broken society we have today (not something I agree with FYI) yet when one of them branches out they receive the backlash that Kanye West has so far in the two hours since his show.
Whilst Kanye's, DW by Kanye West (after his late mother), collection would perhaps have been better suited for A/W (it was a little heavy on the leather & fur) it was still one that you could see the star had put a lot of effort into.
There were pieces that were constructed with the same ideals that we have seen throughout shows in the last month such as paneling and Sportswear influences and the colour palette and cut outs were also in keeping with the general theme for next summer.
Whilst critics have slammed Kanye for his collection, they seem to forget that fashion is all about innovation and new ideas. Whilst it is true what they say about him only being at Paris Fashion Week due to his position in celebrity culture, the same is true for plenty of other designers out there such as Rachel Zoe and Victoria Beckham, the latter being one that has also faced harshed criticism over the years but has since one over the opinions of those who slated her and has won more than a few awards for her contribution to the industry.
A lot of people in high fashion slam the high street for their lack of originality but yet seem to contradict themselves with their opinions of this collection. We should remeber that Kanye West is not a fashion designer first and foremost, he has used what he knows best to influence this collection. Catwalk eventually brings fashion to the streets, and Kanye has instead bought the streets to fashion. Where's the harm in that?
