Kanya West made surprise statement ‘White Lives Matter’ at his YZY fashion show

Kanye West made a statement at his surprise Yeezy fashion show on Monday, wearing a black sweatshirt with the slogan ‘White Lives Matter’ written across it.

Fashion models in the rapper’s show also wore clothing with the message written across it, a response to the Black Lives Matter movement that was founded in 2013 following the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.

Also posing with West, 43, was the right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who beamed while wearing a complementary version of the ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt, and Kanye’s daughter North West, nine, was even roped into the event.

Shocker: Kanye West made a statement at his surprise Yeezy fashion show on Monday, wearing a black sweatshirt with the slogan ‘White Lives Matter’ written across it; seen Monday

‘I am Ye, and everyone here knows that I am the leader,’ West, 43, said at the event while referencing his new legal name, adding: ‘You can’t manage me.’ 

It is not the first time that Ye has stoked controversy surrounding race, after saying in 2018 that he thought 400 years of slavery ‘was a choice.’

The Anti-Defamation League has previously called the phrase ‘White Lives Matter’ a hate slogan.

The slogan worn on West and Owens’ shirts has previously been used by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations as an attack against the Black Lives Matter movement and Black people more broadly.

According to Page Six, West gave a speech to the crowd while wearing the garment, and referenced his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery in 2016, where she was held at gunpoint, as well as his fallout with clothing giant Gap.

West’s latest appearance with Owens is particularly surprising, as she called his ex Kim a ‘prostitute’ on her Daily Wire show in September after Kardashian’s ex Ray J claimed she and her mother Kris Jenner had released their sex tape in a calculated manner, ‘like an album.’

Although the producer and fashion star has feuded publicly with Kardashian over her parenting and her ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson, he has expressed an ongoing desire to get back together with her for months. 

Palling around: Also posing with West, 43, was the right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who beamed while wearing a complementary version of the ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt

Bringing his family into it: Kanye’s daughter North West, nine, was seen at the event. She was part of a group of children who marched in a circle and sang

Controversies: According to Page Six , West gave a speech to the crowd while wearing the garment, and referenced his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery in 2016, where she was held at gunpoint, as well as his fallout with clothing giant Gap; seen September 26 in London

Shocking juxtaposition: The front of West’s ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt appeared to show a collage of photo of Pope John Paul II

Historic figure: The bottom caption referred to him in Spanish as ‘Juan Pablo.’ It’s not clear if the late pope is supposed to have any connection to West’s album The Life Of Pablo

Owens has previously been critical of the NAACP, the Black Lives Matter movement, has referred to Covid-19 as a scam, and has claimed that white supremacy is not a pressing issue in society.

Prior to the show, the rapper shared a photo of headshots of several models, actresses and singers, including his ex-wife, his current romantic interest Candice Swanepoel, Amelia Hamlin, Angelina Jolie, Emily Ratajkowski and others.

However, it’s unclear if they were all expected to make an appearance, or if they just inspired YZY season nine in some way. According to Page Six, only Naomi Campbell and Hamlin walked the runway.

Shayk was present at the show but stayed on the sidelines. 

Notably, the photos of the women were taken years or decades ago when they were particularly young. It’s unclear why he sought out those photos rather than more contemporary photos of them. 

During his introduction to the show, West also referenced his former manager Scooter Braun.

Braun is perhaps best known to the general public for purchasing Taylor Swift’s master recordings, an act that infuriated her and has led her to rerecord her entire catalogue to prevent the current owners from garnering royalties.

Taking the spotlight: ‘I am Ye, and everyone here knows that I am the leader,’ West, 43, said at the event while referencing his new legal name, adding: ‘You can’t manage me’

Strange bedfellows: The slogan worn on West and Owens’ shirts has previously been used by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist organizations as an attack against the Black Lives Matter movement and Black people more broadly

Odd: West recently shared photos of models, actresses and singers — including ex Kim Kardashian — though it’s not clear if they’ll be attending the show, nor why he sought out such young photos of the women

Naomi Campbell and Michèle Lamy were reportedly among those who walked at the show. 

Photos from the show appear to show some of the models wearing ‘White Lives Matter’ shirts. 

The front of West’s ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt appeared to show a collage of photo of Pope John Paul II, with the bottom caption referring to him in Spanish as ‘Juan Pablo II.’ 

The YZY designer is no stranger to offensive clothing. In 2013, he wore a jacket featuring the Confederate flag, and he has previously worn the red Make America Great Again hat favored by former President Donald Trump and his fans. 

West previously found himself in the spotlight when he trudged through mud at Balenciaga’s fashion show for Paris Fashion Week in a thick, militarized ensemble.

Shayk, who briefly dated the Monster rapper after his split from Kim Kardashian, shared her congratulations ‘on another epic YZY collection’ with a short Insta Stories video of him speaking in front of a much larger video screen of himself.

He was also seen standing amid an array of earth-toned clothing that looked as if it had been carelessly thrown on the floor in a photo she posted.

Joining him: Photos from the show appear to show some of the models wearing ‘White Lives Matter’ shirts

Suited up: West previously found himself in the spotlight when he trudged through mud at Balenciaga’s fashion show for Paris Fashion Week in a thick, militarized ensemble

Exes: Irina Shayk, who briefly dated West after his split from Kim Kardashian, shared congratulations ‘on another epic YZY collection’ with a short Insta Stories video of him speaking

Messy: He was also seen standing amid an array of earth-toned clothing that looked as if it had been carelessly thrown on the floor in a photo she posted

In an interview with Vogue Business prior to his show, West expressed his determination to make YZY an inclusive brand, despite having his hopes dashed with some of his recent clothing collaborations.

The College Dropout rapper recently terminated his collaboration with Gap, and he has now outlined his long-term ambition for his fashion brand.

Kanye — who has legally changed his name to Ye — explained: ‘Our point, our idea, is that there is no one who is not welcome at YZY, at Donda. 

Available to all: West said in a new interview with Vogue Business before the show that he wants YZY to be an affordable company; seen on Saturday  at the Givenchy show in Paris

‘And that’s why I went to Gap,’ he continued. ‘And why I brought Demna [Gvasalia, Balenciaga’s creative director] with me. To say “OK, Demna’s cut is at the top of what Paris has to offer. And Paris is at the top of what fashion has to offer. So let’s bring Paris to the people.”‘

Asked why the collaboration didn’t work out, Kanye said: ‘They made the T-shirts we had done cost $200. And then, they took our color palette and made a shape that was appropriate to what I think someone in the office thought was at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. And I felt that was civil rights.’

When asked to clarify his statement, he explained, ‘Well, when we went to shows,’ he began, referencing his 2009 trip to Paris with Virgil Abloh and other future fashion luminaries and friends, ‘there were certain shows we couldn’t get into. 

‘That relates to the civil rights movement. It shouldn’t be that you can’t have this fabric or have this cut until you’ve made it to a certain place or class in life. It’s about dignity. And democracy.’

Burned: West complained about his recently ended collaboration with Gap, as the brand sold his T-shirts for $200, when he hoped to make them much more affordable; seen with Psalm, Chicago and Saint in Villepinte, France, on Sunday

The chart-topping star subsequently suggested that he plans to run YZY as a vertically integrated business.

He added: ‘We just bought our fourth factory in California.’

Kanye recently hit out at both Gap and another of his collaborators, Adidas, for failing to fulfill a promise to build ‘permanent stores’ for their ventures.

Sharing his plans for his brand, the rapper wrote on social media: ‘I’ll buy the land and or building. Then we gonna open up in every state and then internationally. 

‘Anyone who has over 10 years retail experience and is ready to change the world post your instagram handle or store location in the comments and we’ll find you.

‘I signed with both Adidas and Gap because it contractually stated they would build permanent stores which neither company has done even though I saved both of those companies at the same time [sic].’

Failure: ‘I signed with both Adidas and Gap because it contractually stated they would build permanent stores which neither company has done even though I saved both of those companies at the same time [sic],’ he complained; seen Sunday in Paris

Kanye has been getting a chance to have some family time while abroad for Paris Fashion Week.

His daughter North, nine, was with him while he chatted with Vogue ahead of his YZY fashion show, which was off the official Paris Fashion Week calendar.

The show will be his fourth in the fashion capital, and just his eleventh overall.

On Saturday, he was seen taking her out to dinner in Paris, along with his other three children: Saint, six; Chicago, four; and Psalm, three.

The children had previously been traveling with their mother Kim Kardashian as she headed to Milan Fashion Week, though now they seem to be spending some time with their father. 

Family: His daughter North, nine, was with him while he chatted with Vogue ahead of his YZY fashion show, which was off the official Paris Fashion Week calendar; seen with Kim Kardashian and Chicago in July in NYC

On the move: Kanye’s children were previously traveling to Milan Fashion Week with their mother; North seen in front of the Duomo di Milano