Kanye West made a statement at his surprise Yeezy fashion show on Monday, wearing a black sweatshirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter” written on it.
Mannequins on the rapper’s show also wore clothes with the message over them, a response to the Black lives matter movement that was founded in 2013 after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.
Also posed with West, 43, right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who beamed as she wore 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 Monday at his surprise Yeezy fashion show, wearing a black sweatshirt with the tagline “White Lives Matter” written on it; seen monday
“I’m Ye, and everyone here knows I’m the leader,” West, 43, said at the event, referring to his new legal name, adding: “You can’t manage me.”
It’s not the first time Ye has sparked controversy around 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 on the Black Lives Matter movement and black people in general.
According to Page sixWest gave a speech to the crowd while wearing the garment, referring to his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s 2016 robbery in Paris where she was held at gunpoint, as well as his feud 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 after Kardashian’s ex Ray J claimed she and her mom Kris Jenner released their sex tape in a calculated fashion,” like an album .’
Although the producer and fashion star has publicly argued with Kardashian about her parenthood and her ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson, he has expressed a desire to reunite with her for months.
Palling around: Also posing with West, 43, was right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who beamed as he wore a complementary version of the ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt
Getting his family involved: Kanye’s daughter North West, nine, was spotted 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, referring to his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s 2016 Paris robbery where she was held at gunpoint, as well as his feud with clothing giant Gap; seen on September 26 in London
Prior to the show, the rapper shared a photo of headshots of various 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 inspired YZY season nine in some way. According to Page Six, only Naomi Campbell and Hamlin walked the runway.
Shayk attended the show but stayed on the sidelines.
In particular, the photos of the women were taken years or decades ago when they were particularly young. It is unclear why he sought 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 buying Taylor Swift’s master recordings, an act that infuriated her and led her to re-record her entire catalog to prevent the current owners from collecting royalties.
Naomi Campbell and Michèle Lamy were reportedly among those walking on the show.
In the spotlight: ‘I’m Ye, and everyone here knows I’m 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 on the Black Lives Matter movement and black people in general
Strange: West recently shared photos of models, actresses and singers – including ex Kim Kardashian – although it’s not clear if they will be attending the show, nor why he sought such young photos of the women
Photos from the show appear to show some models wearing “White Lives Matter” shirts.
The fronts of the attacking shirts were not clearly visible in photos and videos of the event.
West has previously been in the spotlight as he trudged through the 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 where he spoke of himself in front of a much larger video screen.
He was also seen among an array of earth-colored clothing that looked like it had been carelessly thrown to the ground in a photo she posted.
With him: Photos from the show appear to show some models wearing ‘White Lives Matter’ shirts
Dressed: West has previously been in the spotlight as he trudged through the 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 to ‘on another epic YZY collection’ with a short Insta Stories video where he spoke
Messy: He was also seen amid an array of earth-colored clothing that looked like he had been carelessly thrown to the ground in a photo she posted