Kanye West Debuts His Line at Paris Fashion Week

What do Anna Wintour, Alexander Wang, Ciara, Lindsay Lohan and the Olsen twins all have in common? They were all front and center at the recent Kanye West showing during Paris Fashion Week this past Saturday night (October 1st). While it was probably the hottest ticket in town, West kept his show intimate with limited seating on both sides of the runway. He was modest when speaking to the press and apparently kept telling reporters “I’m so scared, I’m so nervous” which is pretty amazing when you consider his all star music performances on stage. Kanye didn’t even pack the house with his entourage of famous actresses, muscians and models like most celebrities do. However he did manage to attract the creme de la creme of Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New York buying team, along with major editors of well read fashion mags and blogs. Here are the latest looks by “Dw by Kanye West” (seemingly a tribute to his late mother, Donda West).



So just how and when did Kanye West crossover from music to fashion so quickly?Here’s how. As many of you stye mavens already know the award winning, uber successful American rapper, singer, and producer has been quite vocal about his dreams to launch his own fashion line someday. The decision was not rash nor was it a case of a big time celebrity slapping his name on a collection or a perfume without having a hand in designing and producing the actual product. No that’s not the case here with Mr. Kanye West who has been dilligintly researching a fashion line of his own for years. We have seen him as a front row fixture at fashion shows, dedicating himself to learning about the industry like any other student of fashion.


During the presentation, models strutted down the runway in bold leathers, exotic crocodile skins, supple suede, loads of eye catching furs and sexy sportswear. His standouts and signatures included color-blocked trousers and bondage dresses with exposed zippers. There was creativity, power, sex appeal and more. So what did the critics say? Well the reviews are mixed on Kanye’s first debut collection. The New York Times said “It was obvious that most of the clothes suffered from a poor fit.” WWD stated “The collection turned out to be neither triumph nor train wreck…it had the earnest veneer of a beginner.”  But The Associated Press was more positive and said West’s showing was “a luxurious hard-edged women’s collection that bucked all the stereotypes about celebrity designers. Designers like Jeremy Scott agreed with AP and said “Kanye has impeccable taste and you see his taste level is up there.” He received much praise and support from his friend, singer Ciara. Reporting to MTV backstage that she “loved the pants, the color-blocking and the orange, loved the fur accessories, loved the black dresses,” Phew thats a whole lotta love Ciara but I commend you for supporting your friend, believing in his talents and sticking by his side. Kanye and other new designers should not always be expected to put out perfection in their first shows. Afterall everyone is a work in progress. Tell us your thoughts on the Dw collection. Does the collection interest you? Do you want to see more from Kanye West? What are some of your favorite pieces?

by: Jen Abrams
Twitter: @JenAbramsStyle