Kanye West Spotted Wearing ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirt at Fashion Show
Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, is no stranger to being criticized online and often doing things that instigate said criticism. For much of his career, he has done things that many say “cross the line.” It appears he’s done it again.
On October 3rd, Ye hosted a fashion show for season nine of his clothing brand, Yeezy. He hosted the show in Paris during Paris Fashion Week, just a couple of weeks after ending his partnership with GAP. It was an invite-only show, and guests were told to not share the address.
Well, upon the start of the fashion show, hundreds of fans were lined up creating chaos. The guests who were legitimately invited were severely outnumbered. Many big names in fashion attended the YZY Season 9 drop, including Anna Wintour, John Galliano, and Demna, the Balenciaga designer, just to name a few.
The undeniable star of the show was a T-shirt that had a photo of Pope John Paul II on the front of it, and the phrase ‘white lives matter’ written across the back. Along with Ye, multiple models also sported the controversial shirt, as well as right-wing reporter Candace Owens. To throw more gasoline onto his fire, he had children from the choir at his school, Ye Academy, sing songs as the models walked across the catwalk.
The phrase first came about in 2015 as a petty response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The Anti-Defamation League categorizes it as a “hate slogan,” and it is a common phrase amongst white supremacy organizations.
Mr. Ye West is no stranger to receiving backlash for statements he has made relating to race. In 2018, he infamously made the claim that slavery was “a choice.” He did apologize eventually, but unfortunately it seems he hasn’t made much progress with his alleged beliefs system, or at the very least, watching his mouth around the press.
The rapper was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years back, in 2016. Fans and otherwise have attributed many of his harmful actions towards his mental illness. Mental health is complicated for those suffering, even as a wealthy man with basically endless resources.
Many also argue that bipolar disorder is not an excuse to promote racist ideals. It is unclear whether Ye truly supports the rhetoric he’s pushing or if it is nothing more than a publicity stunt. He would know better than anyone that no press is bad press.
Some theorize that the shirt was an attempt at a satirical fashion statement, perhaps about how white men are given the most credit in society, even when it is not due. Sadly, he has also harassed a writer for Vogue about her piece on his fashion show and shirts.
As Ye is with anything, much of his words on social media lately have been very cryptic. He’s developed a habit of posting on Instagram and deleting the posts very soon after. As of right now, his Instagram has two posts, one of which is a screenshot of text messages from fashion designer Mowalola Ogunlesi, who said, “I also don’t think u should insult that writer. You could actually have real conversation about the tee.”
