Kanye West: Fashion Phenom or Flop?

Kanye West is probably the embodiment of the phrase, “Go Big or Go Home.”

Not only is he regarded as near music royalty with his eclectic mix of hip-hop albums and known for his infamous Twitter rants, but he is now trying to make a lasting name for himself in the fashion world.

After previous failed attempts to bring out a successful clothing line, he tried again during New York Fashion Week. We’ve all seen the buzz surrounding Kanye West’s new fashion line, the collection with Adidas Originals. The line features the brand new Yeezy Boost sneakers which retail for upwards of $350 and is double that in some places. A lot of the clothing pieces are being describe as “ready to wear” with common pieces such as leggings, jackets, plain shirts with neutral colors. Valley took a look into the hype surrounding the line and also the reception it gained after its debut.

Unfortunately Kanye’s personal opinion of his prowess as a designer doesn’t match public opinion of his new line. For the most part, the show was a flop. Even though the hype was there (the show was streamed in select cinemas worldwide) the workmanship wasn’t. Fellow designers saw the line as appearing rushed and lazy, “I’m not into his fashion thing,” Kelly Kutrone, founder of the fashion PR firm People’s Revolution, bluntly commented,” I think he’s fine as a rapper. I think he’s a joke as a fashion designer. Most people see the line as unimaginative and lacking innovation.”

Kanye has been in the news for a while for his over-the-top rants about his experience with breaking into the fashion world. He’s documented his struggles with various high end designers even claiming that he created leather jogger pants, but was shot down by Fendi. Kanye claims that a mix of racism, classism, and elitist attitudes are the reasons for his failure in the fashion world. I guess it really is about who you know.

Does Kanye have a point? Is the fashion world made up of closed-minded people? Or is he just not that skilled as a designer? Time will tell since he probably will try his hand again at next year’s Fashion Week.