Kanye West sure knows how to make an entrance. The 38-year-old rapper-turned-designer hosted a last-minute NYFW show for his new Kanye West X Adidas Originals Collection (Yeezy Season 2) on Wednesday, Sept. 16, and the bold-faced names who turned up for the star-studded event were aplenty.
Among the famous faces in the crowd were Jaden Smith, Drake, Lorde, Seth Meyers, Andre Leon Talley, and Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry.
West’s sisters-in-law Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner sat front row (as did wife Kim Kardashian and daughter North). Anna Wintour, Riccardo Tisci, Common, and Michael Strahan also enjoyed VIP status at the event.
West, who debuted Yeezy Season 1 at NYFW last February, showcased a wide range of nude and natural colors at his current show, which was held at the Skylight Modern in NYC. His models wore a variety of hoodies, bodysuits, and loose-fitting pants for the military-inspired presentation, and they stomped through the warehouse-like space in heels and high tops.
The much-talked about show also featured West’s youngest sister-in-law Kylie Jenner taking a turn down the runway. The 18-year-old reality star — who walked in West’s first show in February — strutted across the floor like a professional.
West’s clothing line wasn’t the only thing that made a splash on Wednesday. The “FourFiveSeconds” rapper also debuted a new track, allegedly titled “I Feel It”; last season, West released “Wolves” featuring Sia and Vic Mensa.
Not everyone was impressed by West’s headline-grabbing event, however. Designer Anne Bowen told Women’s Wear Daily that she and her team had to rearrange the date of the show for her streetwear collection, Nomad VII by Anne Bowen, because of West’s last-minute addition.
“Kanye knows he is a media sensation and it is just not ethical to do this,” she told the publication. “It’s like we are David and he is Goliath. We have put our heart and soul into our show, and should not be stepped on like this.”
Naeem Khan’s show was also scheduled at the same time as West’s on Wednesday, but the designer told WWD that he was “confident” that fans of his brand would still turn out to support him, despite scheduling conflicts.
Steven Kolb, president of the CFDA, explained that West hadn’t notified the organization that he would be having the show (the rapper announced the date and time just before last Friday’s Givenchy event).
“The first I heard about the Kanye show was what I read in the Post,” he said. “There was no listing on the Fashion Calendar, and we didn’t know about it. We can’t avoid conflicts unless we know someone’s doing it.”
