Less than a year after receiving unflattering feedback during the reveal of his self-titled clothing line at Paris Fashion week, Kanye West is ready to return to the scene of the crime. The acclaimed Chicago rapper/producer/designer is prepping the debut of a ready to wear line in the city of lights, next month.
The Grammy winner’s publicist, Karla Otto, confirmed to Women’s Wear Daily that West will introduce the line on Tuesday, March 6 and 9:30 p.m., but failed to give any details as to how this presentation will differ from his previous fashion showings. Staying one step ahead of his own spokesperson, last month West announced plans for DONDA, a multi-faceted industry takeover–named after his late mother–to include new projects in fashion, music, and film.
“They say [sic] you only live once but every time I come to work I feel like I’m starting a second life,” he wrote via Twitter. Ye also opened up about the dedication that he has put into the fashion line. “You guys might think I have some type of backing for my line but I don’t. I did the first fashion show out of my own pocket and used the money I made touring to follow my passion.”
Null of an official confirmation, his forthcoming showing is likely to exclude some of the over-the-top pieces that received more jeers than cheers from fashion critics last year. Although he wasn’t completely raked over the coals, outlets like the Wall Street Journal slammed West for several missteps, such as mimicking Herve Leger’s popular bandage dress calling it the “most knocked-off item of clothing of all time.” The WSJ also went after the 33-year-old for a lack of both skill and cohesion in his designs. “Zippers were unzipped. Snakeskin pants were metallic silver. There was a very large and furry fur backpack. For an arctic Spring/Summer 2012. Necklines plunged so precariously that they seemed a personal shout-out to J-Lo,” read the scathing review. “There’s something about fashion design that makes untrained people think they can do it, too.”
Much like music, the fashion world can be cutthroat and hard to break into, and has a reputation for being unforgiving in its review of newcomers–especially in the case of celebrity-driven lines. So while the jury may still be out on whether or not Yeezy is the next big rapper-turned-fashion designer, if things don’t go according to plan, he’ll always have his music career to fall back on.
