Kanye West has made headlines once again with his designs during Paris Fashion Week.
The 45-year-old Yeezy founder sparked controversy by wearing apparel branded with the problematic slogan “White Lives Matter” during his PFW presentation on Monday — before also sending models down the runway in the same look.
West wore a black long-sleeve tee with the divisive statement printed on the back, which the Anti-Defamation League has branded “hate slogan.” Joining him was conservative commentator Candace Owens, who wore the same shirt in white. The front of the garment featured Pope John Paul II and the phrase “Seguiremos Tu Ejemplo,” meaning “We Will Follow Your Example.”
Following his show, fashion editor and stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson shared her thoughts on Instagram after attending the presentation. She also shared screenshots of messages she’d sent to friends that detailed her extreme disturbance with West and his apparel.
The “Donda” artist quickly took to the social media platform and mocked Karefa-Johnson’s clothes and questioned her place in the fashion world in the process. He called the Vogue editor in a since deleted post “not a fashion person” and claimed that Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, would hate the boots she was wearing in one of her social media posts.
“There is no excuse, there is no art here,” Karefa-Johnson later added, “I’m sorry I failed to make that clear — I thought I did. I do think if you asked Kanye, he’d say there was art, and revolution, and all of the things in that t-shirt.”
According to both West and Vogue, Kanye and Karefa-Johnson met up to hash out the incident.
“IM NOT LETTING PEOPLE GO TO BED THINKING I DIDN’T MEET WITH GABRIELLE AT 5 PM TODAY FOR 2 HOURS THEN WE WENT TO DINNER AT FERDIE [an Italian restaurant in New York City,” he claimed, saying the two “APOLOGIZED TO EACH OTHER FOR THE WAY WE MADE EACH OTHER FEEL” and “ACTUALLY GOT ALONG.”
Vogue added, “She was personally targeted and bullied. It’s unacceptable. Now more than ever, voices like hers are needed. In a private meeting with Ye today she once again spoke her truth in a way she felt best, on her terms.”
Early Wednesday, she added, “Your girl has been through it! I’m exhausted, but I am so moved by and grateful for the outpouring of love I’ve received (here and elsewhere) over the last 24 hours.” She concluded, “One thing about me: I will always speak my mind, and always try to honor my truth. My thoughts are my own, and I stand by them.”
Karefa-Johnson, however, has not said anything about the alleged meeting.
During the controversy, a number of stars came to Karefa-Johnson’s defense, including Gigi Hadid, who worked with her on her March 2021 Vogue cover.
“You wish u had a percentage of her intellect,” Hadid commented under West’s post. “You have no idea haha…. If there’s actually a point to any of your s— she might be the only person that could save u. As if the ‘honor’ of being invited to your show should keep someone from giving their opinion ..? Lol. You’re a bully and a joke.”
The 27-year-old continued her sentiments on her Instagram Story, calling the Vogue editor “one of the most important voices” in the industry and could “school that disgraceful man.”
Her mom, Yolanda Hadid, also commented on Vogue’s post, adding: “YES!!! Gaby is an extraordinary, super intelligent, kind, honest and one of the hardest working woman of “fashions future” Her voice should be heard because she will be running the show one day…”
“Thank you for calling it how it is,” Tess Holliday also wrote on the Vogue post.
Following Hadid’s example, Hailey Bieber took to her own Instagram story in support of the editor. “My respect for you runs deep my friend!” the 25-year-old wrote over a photo of Karefa-Johnson. “To know is to adore you and to work with you is an honor …The most kind. the most talented. the most fun. the most chic.”
Also in attendance at the Yeezy show was Jaden Smith, who shared he walked out of the Yeezy presentation on Twitter.
“I had to dip,” he wrote. “I don’t care who it is, if I don’t support the message I’m out.”
Smith also tweeted, “Black Lives Matter” and urged his followers to “think for yourself, have an opinion” and to “follow your own morals, not people” before claiming that West did not have “the full support of the youth.”
Kendall Jenner subtly showed her support for Jaden walking out of the Yeezy show by liking a series of his tweets about her sister Kim Kardashian‘s estranged ex-husband.
In addition to Jenner, Khloe Kardashian stepped up to defend her sister Kim from West’s comments against his ex-wife amid his PFW controversy — after he resurfaces his birthday drama with Kardashian while asking, “I wonder what Gigi and [DJ Venus X’s] perspectives were when I didn’t know where my child was on her birthday … why did everyone feel so free to attack me about my t shirt but Candace Owens was the only public figure to say that it was wrong for the Kardashians to keep me from seeing my daughter.”
The Good American founder asked Kanye to “STOP tearing Kimberly down and using our family when you want to deflect” in response to the “Donda 2” artist’s public rant about Kim’s neglected invite to his daughter Chicago’s birthday party which he ended up attending.
“Again with the birthday narrative. Enough already. We all know the truth and in my opinion, everyone’s tired of it,” she commented under Kanye’s post. “You know exactly where your children are at all times and YOU wanted separate birthdays. I have seen all of the texts to prove it.”
Kanye responded to Khloe’s claims by making his own under a screenshot of her comment and called her and the Kardashian family “LIARS” saying that Chicago was “kidnapped” on her birthday.
Diddy also chimed in on the controversy on “The Breakfast Club” on Wednesday, praising West for being a “free thinker” and saying that “a lot of time what he means is misconstrued,” before criticizing his move and calling it “tone deaf.”
“We don’t have to condemn Kanye or cancel him … but at the same time, you gotta understand your actions,” he added, saying he needed a few days to get over West’s shirt.
“Right now, we’re the ones that are dying, that are incarcerated, that are left in poverty, aren’t getting any money for reparations,” he added. “This time is the wrong time, we don’t need to get distracted, we need to know what’s going on in our communities.”
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