Steal the style : Kanye West
Today, the name Kanye West in conjunction with the word "fashion" is associated, first of all, with its brand Yeezy. But the rapper was a fashion influencer long before creating his own fashion brand. Namely - from the moment of his appearance on the scene.
Kanye Style in the late 90s and early 2000s, you can describe it as a prep-hop: the rapper wore pastel-colored clothes, knitted vests with an argyle pattern and massive shiny jewelry. One of the most iconic things of that period was a sweater with a picture of a teddy bear from Polo Ralph Lauren. Thanks to Kanye West, once became one of the most popular items in the Ralph Lauren line.
But Kanye's style is rapidly changing - it is becoming more mature, luxurious and masculine. The rapper tries on pantsuits and combines them with Alain Mikli sunglasses. In one of the episodes of the animated series "South Park", the rapper was depicted precisely in these glasses.
By the end of the first decade of the 2000s, Kanye was trying all new fashion experiments. He choose colorful flowers, wore Mocler puffer vests, uniforms, and natural fur accessories. Kanye affirms himself in the title of a new style icon, makes friends with designers and becomes a regular guest of fashion shows. And for the first time he is trying himself as a designer. In 2009, West made a collaboration with the Louis Vuitton brand, which at that time was under the creative direction of Marc Jacobs.
At the same time, West, together with Virgil Abloh, practices at Fendi, wanting to get to know the design better and understand how everything works from the inside. Interestingly, Kanye paved the way not only for rappers, but also for many promising designers.
In addition, in 2009, the rapper presented the first model of sneakers, created in conjunction with Nike - Nike Air Yeezy hi-tech. Sneakers with Velcro and bright elements, made in three colors, are popular to date.
And the rapper presented his first full-fledged collection at the 2011 Fashion Week in Paris. The second - in the same place six months later. Both were more feminine, aggressive, and glamorous than Yeezy.
In February 2015, everything changes: West shows the Yeezy Season 1 collection. Voluminous vests, oversized sweaters with holes, transparent overalls, sweatshirts with elongated sleeves, coats with patch pockets - almost all things are done in brown, blue and green muted colors.
Each season, Kanye continues to release new collections. His baggy jackets, sweatpants, tight-fitting bodysuit, knitted dresses, elongated sheepskin coats with fur and cropped tops become the uniform of the new generation. Deep gray, warm milky, light blue - basically, West chooses “faded” shades, embodying them in simple forms. This is not a faceless clothing, it is clothing created in order to focus on the person who wears it. Create the right silhouette, while maintaining the silhouette of the owner, and perform utilitarian functions.
The rapper remains himself and is not afraid to show himself differently. In one of his tracks he mentions religion and swears, and he suggests wearing sports leggings with a mule on a stiletto heel. All this is about freedom of manifestation in various forms, about the freedom to be oneself. And while freedom will be in fashion, so will Kanye.
