Dubbed “the greatest album of all time” by the man himself, last week saw the much anticipated release of Kanye West’s seventh studio album ‘The Life of Pablo’. And in true Kanye style, the release wasn’t as straight forward as a simple signing in your local HMV. Rather, 20,000 people gathered in the Madison Square Garden arena in New York, and countless more tuned in via online streaming for the debut, an unprecedented audience for such an event. However, it wasn’t just the music that was being celebrated, in fact it seemed that the attendees, including Jay-Z, Olivier Rousteing, Karlie Kloss, and 50 Cent, were more concerned with the grand unveiling of the third installation of the YEEZY fashion label.
The show provided the perfect platform for West to show off his new wares as well as a literal arena for which to debut his latest musical offering. As the final moments of ‘The Life of Pablo’s’ opening track ‘Ultra Light Beams’ blared out over the PA system via Kanye’s laptop, the sheets were literally lifted uncovering YEEZY Season 3. Hundreds of models filled the arena floor dressed in the muted, washed-out colours we’ve come to expect over the initial YEEZY seasons. There were, however, a few more colourful pieces appearing in yellows, oranges, and reds, matching model and rapper Lil Yachty’s braids. The collection itself has evolved in nearly every way, with a more imaginative use of fabrics, styling and colours, while the basic staples – distressing, oversized silhouettes, and those muted tones – of the YEEZY brand remain intact. Most noticeable is West’s use of colour-blocking and select patterns, largely found throughout the women’s pieces.
Another highlight was a sneak peak at the latest evolution of the adidas x YEEZY program, with the new upgraded version of the popular adidas YEEZY Boost 350 stealing the show with its new design. It features a new pattern on the Primeknit upper, and in addition to the bold stripe across the entire shoe there is also another version with a white and black upper. These are something to look out for in coming months, although whether they’re worth queuing for days outside the nearest adidas store is another question. There was also the teasing of the brand-new YEEZY Boost 1050 boot, a “duckboot”-style which appears to be a more evolved form of Kanye’s first boot, the YEEZY 950, which will come in at least three colours, but again, don’t expect any deviations from the YEEZY colour chart.
Of course, this is Kanye we’re talking about, and throughout the program, the rapper took to the mic many times to voice his thoughts and opinions, thanking adidas for paying for the event which was met with an eruption of jeers and chants slandering Nike from the crowd. Interestingly, he noted that the YEEZY clothing prices would be lower next season, so fingers crossed we won’t have to delve too much into our overdrafts for a piece of the collection.
As expected, the Kardashian-Jenner clan made no small entrance either at the presentation. The whole family, including North West, were decked out in an exclusive coordinating Balmain x Yeezy set, but it was Kim’s look that was the most striking, showing off new platinum blonde locks. The appearance of Kylie Jenner at the event came just days after her controversial signing with Puma against West’s wishes. After venting his anger on Twitter however, it seemed that in the MSG any disagreement had been forgotten and the focus was placed solely on the clothes and the music.
He may still have his heart set on running for Presidency in 2020 but with clothes and music like this, at least he has a back-up plan.
Grant Wilkinson
Images courtesy of www.inverse.com, The Independent, and Washington Post