Once again fashion heads were turned to the attention of Kanye West at this years Spring/Summer 2023 fashion week in Paris. Presenting his eleventh fashion show, heads were expected to turn, however this time many were turning for the wrong reasons as Kanye put on a shocking display of showcasing T-Shirts with the slogan “White lives matter” printed on the back of them, a phrase the Anti-Defamation League defines as a hate slogan.
Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson was one of the first to respond by walking out of the show. Following this Karefa-Johnson expressed her distaste upon her Instagram stories. “The t-shirts this man conceived, produced and shared with the world are pure violence,” Karefa-Johnson wrote. “There is no excuse, there is no art here.”
In response to Karefa-Johnson’s comments in defence of the Black lives matter movement the Donda rapper did not appreciate the criticism and fired back at her through a series of distasteful posts personally attacking and criticising Karefa-Johnson’s own personal style on instagram.
Before the backlash Kanye was not afraid to share his views stating “And when it comes to the culture, I am Ye, and everyone knows I am the leader.” This statement and his further actions on social media to call out those who opposed him have taken a turn for the worst stirring controversy and disappointment amongst many.
To call the Black Lives Matter protest a “scam” is at large one of the most sensitive conversations to be had which many will find hard to forgive Kanye for. Further, Kanye has been labeled a “ bully and a joke” by many overlooking the online events including Vogue who released a statement in support of Karefa-Johnson and model Gigi Hadid who ran to defend her cause on twitter.
It is public knowledge Kanye West suffers from Bipolar Disorder and this isn’t the first impulse we’ve seen from him over the years. Most recently in the last few months Ye once again made headlines for attacking Pete Davison after his separation from Kim Kardashian who’s separation from Kanye West is to be stemmed from similar behavioural circumstances from the rapper.
His obsessive behaviour with these posts is concerning enough and clearly erratic. Despite this it seems social media platforms and industry leaders choose not to learn from Kanye’s past actions in both the public and the media as Kanye is continued to be given a space to share his questionable views which many have found to be insulting, disturbing and ultimately unprofessional. In a comment to Rolling Stone, Cooper-James said the online discussion surrounding the design caused the WLM phrase to trend, “which would directly support and legitimize extremist behavior.”
There is no excuse for online abuse or abuse of any kind especially within the creative industry where personal expression is at its core. Aside from this as a community we should do better to understand the issue of those experiencing mental health issues and be more attentive to avoid situations like this occurring repeatedly.
Kanye West appears to be on a mission to destroy his entire fan-base to those who are in business and association with him. It now remains unclear what he is expected to do next. It’s nothing new for West to “go away.” He has briefly retreated before from the public eye after facing backlash for his unhinged behaviour. Kanye West now needs to be held accountable and get the treatment he clearly needs for what appears to be a mental psychosis. Perhaps Ye should wisely walk away from the spotlight before he does anymore damage to himself and his legacy.
