Kanye West's YZY SZN 9 debut at Paris Fashion Week stirred up a storm on social media. Alongside Candace Owens, the two were rocking "White Lives Matter" t-shirts, prompting a flurry of backlash.
Jaden Smith said he walked out of the event while Boosie Badazz denounced Kanye's actions. Others, like Waka Flocka, felt like Ye's statement may have had some validity behind it.
However, it was Vogue's fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson's commentary that seemingly got under Ye's skin. Karefa-Johnson described the supposed fashion statement as "indefensible," breaking down her thoughts in separate posts.
"What I feel is that he is not fully aware of the difference between appropriating BLM and subverting the 'Make America Great Again' hat. Although I disagree with his thesis there," Karefa-Johnson shared via DMs. "I understand his idea that the hat was a readymade and its value was intrinsic to context -- signature of the artist. He neglected to realize the importance of object when he tried to extend that kind of subversion to the BLM slogan."
"I know what he was trying to do," she continued. "He was trying to illustrate a dystopian world in the future when whiteness might become extinct or at least would be in enough danger to demand defense."
She added, "I guess I get what he tried to do -- he thought it was duchampian. It wasn't. It didn't land and it was deeply offensive, violent, and dangerous."
Karefa-Johnson continued to explain that Ye's fashion show reinforced the dangerous "idea that white supremacy is in danger of extinction."
In addition to the t-shirt, she criticized Kanye for bringing children from Donda Academy to perform the soundtrack. "It really felt like the divide between indoctrination and education has never been finer."
She explained that her posts were not intended to justify Kanye's "White Lives Matter" shirt.
"The t-shirts this man conceived, produced and shared with the world are pure violence. There is no excuse, there is no art here. I'm sorry I failed to make that clear. I thought I did. I do think if you asked Kanye, he'd say there was art and revolution and all of the things in that t-shirt," she continued. "There isn't."
The commentary landed on Ye's radar, turning the fashion editor into his next social media target. Ye shared a screenshot of her Instagram page, writing, "This is a droid," before adding that she "is not a fashion person." Then, he zoomed in on her footwear, writing, "I KNOOOOOOW ANNA HAAAATES THESE BOOTS."
Shortly after, Ye shared a screenshot of a text from Mowalola (presumably fashion designer Mowalola Ogunlesi), who told Ye that he shouldn't resort to insults. "U could actually hv a real conversation about the tee," Mowalola wrote."
However, it seems like Kanye West stands on the White Lives Matter t-shirt no matter what. He directly responded to the controversy, calling BLM a "scam."
"EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM. NOW ITS OVER. YOURE WELCOME," he wrote on his Instagram Story.
We'll see if Ye ends up providing a more elaborate explanation for his "White Lives Matter" t-shirt at some point.
