Kanye West DW F/W 12.13 Paris

[fantastical]

^of course I know that. I was speaking in regards to forum members who are now acting like he's the first designer to use animal skins and furs

 

[Scott]

^and?? did you not read exactly what went into acquiring this fur? far more heinous than what i've read others doing. besides,this point goes way beyond the use of fur. it's his disillusionment that he thinks he's entitled simply because he's a superstar,has the money at disposal and because he loves fashion. having him on a mainstage sends entirely the wrong message to kids who may want to be designers some day....that things can happen by happenstance,without the effort.

and btw,the fact that he banned editors is so funny. trust me,this fiasco won't last. he either better think about going to LA or start thinking about a line for kohl's. i don't think the paris organisers will abide by this kind of behaviour.

 

[GivenchyHomme]

I'm just wondering what does DW stand for?

 

[Psylocke]

^Donda West, the name of his late mother. Though I still we're still unsure whether his line is actually called 'DW' or if it was just the name of the first collection.

 

[FelipeV]

Oh God, this have been a really sad season. We can't even pray to Dior or McQueen to save this. Thankfully this crap is not in the official calendar.

Kanye, GO AWAY! The "hardway story to sucess" is for people with real talent!

 

[fantastical]

^and?? did you not read exactly what went into acquiring this fur? far more heinous than what i've read others doing. besides,this point goes way beyond the use of fur. it's his disillusionment that he thinks he's entitled simply because he's a superstar,has the money at disposal and because he loves fashion. having him on a mainstage sends entirely the wrong message to kids who may want to be designers some day....that things can happen by happenstance,without the effort.

and btw,the fact that he banned editors is so funny. trust me,this fiasco won't last. he either better think about going to LA or start thinking about a line for kohl's. i don't think the paris organisers will abide by this kind of behaviour.

your argument isn't even valid. you can say that you don't like his clothing because you are most certainly entitled to your own opinion, but to presume that he didn't put any work into his clothing line is just ridiculous, obnoxious, and extremely biased. If you even did a little bit of research instead of assuming that he just threw money at a collection, you would know that he has been planning a collection since 2006!

stop pretending like every designer showing in Paris makes clothes worth gold! You think there aren't designers showing in ALL major fashion cities that didn't get their by some bureaucratic manner or born into wealthy families? Please.

I can't believe I'm defending a collection I only half-liked, but seriously some of the comments on this thread are so pretentious and obnoxious.

 

[Spike413]

^ What does planning on doing something since 2006 have to do with the fact that if he didn't already have money, if he didn't have fame and he didn't have friends in the industry, this "plan" of his almost certainly never would've taken off? Furthermore, since when does planning a business venture as someone with money and connections automatically mean that you poured your blood, sweat and tears into making it happen? How many all-nighters do we think Kanye pulled to work out every detail of this collection?

And before someone replies with "Karl/Marc/Miuccia don't do that either" consider that a) they spend more than enough time working on the collections they oversee, which include a hell of a lot more than 26 total outfits and b) they've pretty much earned the right to not suffer through sleepless nights getting things ready if they don't have/want to, which I'm sure doesn't stop them from doing it, anyway.

And hey, if having standards makes me pretentious, so be it.

 

[Scott]

funny how the most defensive have the gall to call out others on their supposed bias.....yet says they can't believe they're defending it. who appears biased now?

and if you can't discern one's attitude and overall unprofessionalism plus the amateur manner in which this collection appears,then you need to do more homework. obviously given your defensiveness,i don't expect you to see things clearly.

 

[loladonna]

Most of the people defending Kanye are doing so with the begudging admission that they don't necessarily like him. To me it takes more objectivity to be able to defend someone you don't even like. To say his collection was not the worst that I saw in Paris or Milan would be the truth and a kind understatement.

I do think there is a lot of hypocrisy and snobbery surrounding Kanye. He is not the first untrained person to show a collection and won't be the last. He is not the first or only designer to use exotic furs and skins so the reporter calling him out for that is full of it. The assumptions that he couldn't possibly have worked as hard or put the same time and effort into this collection as other designers who also have teams working for them are based on what? That he's a rapper? He's black? He's American?

Perhaps Kanye suffers from not being an attractive female a la Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham-- both untrained designers yet embraced by the industry. Maybe he should marry a footballer to get more credibility in the fashion industry.

 

[fantastical]

^thank you so much.

I'm glad there are some people who can think objectively
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Psylocke]

Perhaps Kanye suffers from not being an attractive female a la Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham-- both untrained designers yet embraced by the industry. Maybe he should marry a footballer to get more credibility in the fashion industry.

I'm not sure if being an attractive female really helps but when I read the article criticizing Kanye's use of fur I could also not help but think of the Olsen twins who overdo it with fur and crocodile skin in every The Row collection. I always feel like they try to cover up their lack of a vision and creativity by using the most expensive materials they can get and I actually find them to be the most overrated celebrity designers. But to each their own, I guess.

I could not care less for what reasons anyone gets to show their collection in Paris and how hard they worked for it; life will never be fair and pay most attention to those who have true talent but not the money to stage a spectacular show and buy many ad pages. In the end I will support the designers I love and who I think deserve to be supported, no matter where they showed their collection and what supermodels they used in the show. But I think Kanye has just as much of a right to show his collection where he wants; it's his loss if he can't measure up to what else is being shown around the same time in the same city. But as I mentioned earlier, this season his was by far not the worst collection to be shown in Paris.

 

[saann]

Perhaps Kanye suffers from not being an attractive female a la Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham-- both untrained designers yet embraced by the industry. Maybe he should marry a footballer to get more credibility in the fashion industry.

To be fair it took a while for people to warm up to Victoria as a designer around here.. she received unnecessary heat from the beginning. While star turned designers do get harsher reactions, it's understandable. It's kind of like nepotism, we know you didn't get it on your own so stop trying to pretend like you've worked hard for it when there are a ton of aspiring designers working their ***es off. However, I don't think that should lessen any of the work they put out. I think if they're good and consistent enough, eventually people's opinions will come around. As in Beckham's case, she has over time proven herself to be a good designer, has formed a look to her brand as well as having found her clientele. Not to mention she has convinced people just how serious she is with this.. The majority will only belittle you as a designer if your output isn't up to par. This is where Kanye is.

Not saying Kanye isn't serious, he is definitely interested in fashion. That is no secret, and I believe he truly cares about this. I like him a lot, he is one of my favorite artists but as a designer he needs to do a better job, because this is quite bad. The fit isn't very good and the use of leather and fur looks cheap. There are some standout pieces though, showing some kind of potential. He needs a bit more training though, even the top models in this can't bring the clothes above Kardashian Levels..

At this level he's showing at, there shouldn't be room for development. If you want to develop as a designer you go work for others first and learn the craft. You don't create your own brand first. I think he wanted too much too fast and it shows in the collection. It looks hastily done. Other designers have been guilty of this from time to time, but most of them have proven themselves prior to it. Kanye has yet to do that.

I don't think there's anything wrong with him wanting to put out a collection, but with all the advantages he has gotten due to his name it's only fair that the criticism will be harsher. The inevitable 'he only got this due to his name' will always be there, but if you do a good enough job it will eventually go away.

ETA: the criticism regarding his use of fur is for sure blown up due to his name, so he is receiving 'harsher' criticism than others due to his name. But he is also putting out a collection in Paris, has a complete lineup of top models and an enviable press and guest turnout. All due to his name so I guess they cancel each other out.

 

[Phuel]

This is not good..

His ego and immature, bratty attitude can't seem to understand that he needs to hone his skills and aesthetic before he wants to be taken seriously as a high fashion designer. Even the most influential designers like Rei, Miuccia, and Hedi will get a dose of less than favorable reviews from time to time-- so why should an amateur like him thinks he should be immune from negative criticism? Because he's got such a great and humble attitude?

Just because he loves expensive designer clothes, is a famous rapper, and has been planning to be a designer for several years, does not make him a serious contender. I'm sure he thought if he had access to the most decadent, luxurious and expensive materials, can hire the top models and fashion consultants, borrow the designs of designers he likes and style it into one collection and call it his, and showcase in Paris, along with his namesake, that this would be his hitmaker in high fashion. He's wrong. And I'm glad people aren't fooled. This isn't rap-- where you can blatantly insert borrowed beats, hooks and snippets of other known tracks into your own track and have a hit. Learn your craft Kanye-- because you can't buy it.

The cuts are the most obvious weakness in his designs. The most luxurious materials can't overcompensate the poor cuts and fit, which is what his collections seem to be all about: If I can spot such poor cuts on my display-- I can only imagine how sloppy the actual piece looks. And those boots are horrendous; If they make top girls look like they all have fat legs, I can't imagine how they would look on shorter women with thicker legs... scary. Everybody is entitled to their own brand of aesthetic-- if you want to do urban rich b*tch in over-the-top skins designs, you do your thing, Kanye. Just do it well-- like Olivier Rousteing; can't accuse him of poorly cut and fitted clothes, even if he designs are a tad too tacky for my taste.

Kanye deserves all the harsh criticism he's getting. But I'm sure he's just going to throw a temper-tantrum and blame his critics as jealous and haters, and even racist, instead of actually blaming his own ego for another unoriginal, and more importantly-- poorly-cut and fitted collection.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Saann and Psylocke, your posts make a lot of sense to me. I don't think L.A.M.B. or Victoria Beckham were originally embraced. That said, and I don't mean to infuriate anyone, maybe the fact that they are women designing for women helps given that they had no training, .i.e., they understand what they, as women, like about fit in women's clothing, and perhaps that helped them in the early stages of developing their lines. Maybe it helped Sean Combs, too, in designing for men. But Kanye is trying to design for women, in the highest market other than couture, with no background. He doesn't have the benefit of "designing for himself" or with himself in mind, like Gwen and Victoria (or Sean) would've had. Maybe this is a relevant point; maybe not, but it came to mind the other day.

Psylocke you make a great point about the Row and its use of exotic materials. I like the Olsen sisters' Elizabeth and James line much better because it doesn't rely on skins/furs to "make" the clothes. But I actually don't know much about the process or whether they even design the looks for both labels or not.

 

[ParisFashionMuse]

its much better than last season but not a fan of his designs

 

[Fashionturnip]

Victoria Beckham is in a different league. Fashion has always been her 'thing'. Regardless of collections she is humble and never EXPECTED to be embraced regardless of what she produced.

+ Does anyone take L.A.M.B seriously?

Kanye is just annoying. *sister2sistervoice* GO HOME KANYE!

 

[clocked]

better because he learned he needed people who knew what they were doing with this...

....still pretty dreadful though. the makeup, the boots....the fur pieces....blech. it's still not working, Kanye

 

[kowie]

I think it's such an insulting act against fashion designer as a profession. To be a fashion designer is a demanding task that not everyone can accomplish and not to mention maintain. Thus, when an idiot comme Kanye shows a collection at pfw that reveals no skill or/and understanding of construction, their will be no mercy.

His arrogant attitude just highlights his poorly design. If he really wants to be a fashion designer, then he should start to learn, which means that he must first acknowledge his attitude problem. If he gain success, then he can climb back on his high horse, in the meantime, staying humble is a smart move.

 

[educo]

your argument isn't even valid. you can say that you don't like his clothing because you are most certainly entitled to your own opinion, but to presume that he didn't put any work into his clothing line is just ridiculous, obnoxious, and extremely biased. If you even did a little bit of research instead of assuming that he just threw money at a collection, you would know that he has been planning a collection since 2006!

stop pretending like every designer showing in Paris makes clothes worth gold! You think there aren't designers showing in ALL major fashion cities that didn't get their by some bureaucratic manner or born into wealthy families? Please.

I can't believe I'm defending a collection I only half-liked, but seriously some of the comments on this thread are so pretentious and obnoxious.

Planning a collection since 2006?!? I'm DONE.

 

[Ninia]

there is not something new, in this collection ( only boots). but another way it's stylish and somehow sexy.