On Monday night, Kanye West wore a long-sleeve shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter” printed on it at the launch event of his fashion label YZY’s ninth season.
Tuesday saw a firestorm of outrage and criticism in response to the rapper/boss surprise programThere are also black models wrapped in garments read “White Lives Matter”, a phrase Anti-Defamation League defined as a hate slogan.
Some of this criticism comes from Vogue Editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who is on the YZY show and who expressed her distaste for the uncertain outcome on her Instagram stories.
“The t-shirts this man conceived, produced, and shared with the world were pure violence,” wrote Karefa-Johnson. “No excuses, no art here.”
In response, West, who recently changed his name to monosyllabic Ye, posted pictures of Karefa-Johnson on his Instagram stories, annotate them with cruel taunts: “This is not a fashionista. You talk about Ye Ima talking about you, Ask Trevor Noah,” and “I KNEW ONE WHO HAS THIS BOOK. ”
West also posted screenshots of a conversation with someone identified on his phone as Mowalowa, presumably Nigerian fashion designer Mowalola Ogunlesi, in which she said to West, “I don’t think you should offend that writer, you really can [a] real conversation about teeing off,” but the damage has already been done.
West has yet to delete his post, while supermodel Gigi Hadid has responded to West, also via Instagram, to express his disapproval.
“You wish you had one percent of her wisdom,” Hadid commented. “If it really has anything to do with your damn thing, she might be the only one who can save you. You have no opinion haha…. As if the ‘honour’ of being invited to your show should keep someone from giving their opinion..? Laugh out loud. You are a bully and a joker. “
The “White Lives Matter” shirts are “so insensitive, obnoxious and destructive on so many levels that I don’t think the English dictionary has enough words to help me adequately describe its vileness,” said one author. famous online fashion commentary Nathan Capistrano told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. “Now seeing the many headlines and attention (good and bad) with which the shirt was generated (not to mention Candace Owens wore a white version of the shirt at the show), this only makes followers white supremacy and the KKK continue their hateful terror and all that damn horror. “
The Daily Beast has reached out to Condé Nast, Karefa-Johnson and West for comment.
