KANYE WEST

Life Career Ventures Achievements Sources

Early in his career, West made clear his interest in fashion and desire to work in the clothing design industry.[36][94] In September 2005, West announced that he would release his Pastelle Clothing line in spring 2006, claiming "Now that I have a Grammy under my belt and Late Registration is finished, I am ready to launch my clothing line next spring."[188] The line was developed over the following four years – with multiple pieces teased by West himself – before the line was ultimately cancelled in 2009.[189][190] In 2009, West collaborated with Nike to release his own shoe, the Air Yeezys, with a second version released in 2012. In January 2009, West introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week. The line was released in summer 2009.[191] West has additionally designed shoewear for Bape and Italian shoemaker Giuseppe Zanotti.[192] In fall 2009 West moved to Rome and did an internship at Italian fashion brand Fendi where he gave ideas for the men's collection.[193] In March 2011, West collaborated with M/M Paris for a series of silk scarves featuring artwork from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[194]

On October 1, 2011, Kanye West premiered his women's fashion label, DW Kanye West[195] at Paris Fashion Week. He received support from DSquared2 duo Dean and Dan Caten, Olivier Theyskens, Jeremy Scott, Azzedine Alaïa, and the Olsen twins, who were also in attendance during his show. His debut fashion show received mixed-to-negative reviews,[196] ranging from reserved observations by Style.com[197] to excoriating commentary in The Wall Street Journal,[198] The New York Times,[199] the International Herald Tribune, Elleuk.com, The Daily Telegraph, Harper's Bazaar and many others.[200][201][202] On March 6, 2012, West premiered a second fashion line at Paris Fashion Week.[203][204] The line's reception was markedly improved from the previous presentation, with a number of critics heralding West for his "much improved" sophomore effort.[205]

On December 3, 2013, Adidas officially confirmed a new shoe collaboration deal with West.[110] After months of anticipation and rumors, West confirmed the release of the Adidas Yeezy Boosts. In 2015, West unveiled his Yeezy Season clothing line, premiering Season 1 in collaboration with Adidas early in the year.[206] The line received positive critical reviews, with Vogue observing "a protective toughness, a body-conscious severity that made the clothes more than a simple accessory."[207] The release of the Yeezy Boosts and the full Adidas collaboration was showcased in New York City on February 12, 2015, with free streaming to 50 cinemas in 13 countries around the world.[208] An initial release of the Adidas Yeezy Boosts was limited to 9000 pairs to be available only in New York City via the Adidas smartphone app; the Adidas Yeezy Boosts were sold out within 10 minutes.[209] The shoes released worldwide on February 28, 2015, were limited to select boutique stores and the Adidas UK stores. He followed with Season 2 later that year at New York Fashion Week.[112] On February 11, West premiered his Yeezy Season 3 clothing line at Madison Square Garden in conjunction with the previewing of his album The Life of Pablo.[129] In June 2016, Adidas announced a new long-term contract with Kanye West which sees the Yeezy line extend to a number of stores and enter sports performance products.[210] The Yeezys will be seen in basketball, football, soccer, and more.[210]

In February 2017, West unveiled the Yeezy Season 5 collection to favorable responses from critics.[211] In May 2017, West, alongside wife Kim Kardashian, launched a clothing line for children titled "Kids Supply".[212] A second collection was released in July 2017.