Contemporary Fashion: Yeezy Season 3 at MSG
A theoretical analysis of the vagabond world of Kanye inspired cat walks ...
Okay so this is not actually too theoretical, and vagabond - meaning rogue and insane - is too loose a term to describe this meticulously crafted fashion/music/art spectacle. Truthfully, we've all been strapped onto the Yeezy Express since 2016 kicked off, unless of course you've been hiding under a huge rock, and I have to admit its been a rollercoaster ride ever since.
His latest studio album SWISH ... or should I say Waves? ... I'm sorry I mean The Life of Pablo, took over the internet keeping us all guessing at what Kanye was willing to do in order to garner this album as much hype as humanly possible. Add a twitter war with famous ex Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa, throw in some Kardashian reality TV drama magic, and killer Kanye attitude - not to mention the inevitable jab at T-Swift - to the recipe, and VOILA! this Madison Square Garden show quickly turned into THE event of early 2016. I'm reviewing this a week later, only because I wanted to make sure that no further information would have to be edited into this post due to the ever changing chameleon that this story has become.
In short I like to do my research, and as a self proclaimed fashion fanatic, I've read the reviews and watched the videos. And what I have to say about this spectacle, is actually, quite simple.
Thank you Vogue for the awesome image and informative article - check it out!
It was brilliant.
The fact that Kanye managed to turn a collaboration with Adidas into the single largest runway show in fashion history, with over 20, 000 attendees and a ticketed audience, means that quite simply ... he has won.
As someone who could only dream of attending NYFW, he gave us all a chance to be a part of it, to experience it LIVE. Tickets to the show were sold for live streaming in select theatres worldwide, even though I did not attend either, it's the possibility that entices viewers and generates more hype. The idea that he made fashion fun and accessible to the public is truly the essence of this success. He exhibited in Madison Square Garden, this was a show for people to see that he is someone who does not care about awards or recognition from so-called "moguls". Anna Winter sat with the Kardashians, front row, in an even greater statement. Welcoming Kanye into the fashion world with open arms, and this is only the beginning.
Yeezy Season 3 was reportedly inspired by a Rwandan refugee camp.
Fashion as an industry is becoming more interactive and consumer oriented than ever, and Kanye gets that. His show made one of the biggest statements in fashion history, it said "I have the power to combine fashion and music, I can do both, and I will ... watch me." It was inspirational to those who do not believe they have to chose ONLY one track or profession and never color outside of the dotted line. At least that's what I got from watching the show, it gave me goosebumps, because when the camera zooms in on him dancing and playing his own music as he watched the models roll out, you know somehow that this man is fully and completely invested in BOTH.
As a fan, a critic and writer, this show, marks the official and undisputed coronation of Kanye West into the world of fashion. The music was sick, and the clothes were Yeezy-esque as ever. He stuck to more earthy undertones this year, religiously leading us all into the comfortable and fabulous world of Athleisure. I cannot wait to see what he has in store for the future.
“Shut Up. Relax. You have won.”
