They said/We said: Kanye debuts his collection, anticipates lukewarm reviews, then throws a fit. Natch

Phoebe Philo lending Kanye West moral support as shot by Eric Ryan/Getty Images
Phoebe Philo lending Kanye West moral support as shot by Eric Ryan/Getty Images

It’s no surprise that Kanye West’s debut ready-to-wear collection in Paris on Saturday received mixed reviews. We’re also not surprised that the rapper-come-designer obnoxiously responded to his critics before any reviews of his show were actually published. It’s just his… thing, we guess.

Delivered to partygoers including Karlie Kloss, Lindsay Lohan, and Olivier Theyskens, West whined about the amount of hard labour he had put into his line, and how he’s “different” then other celebrity designers (different i.e. better?). To boot, he mentioned a hope that critics would be “easy” on him, considering it was his first shot out of the gate. “I took out motherf—ing loans to get the best models, to get the best designers, to get the best venue. I gave you everything that I had,” he reportedly added. Can we LOL now, or later?

THEY SAID…

Kanye West: “This is my first collection. Please be easy. Please give me a chance to grow. This is not some celebrity s—. I don’t f— with celebrities. I f— with the creatives in this room, the amazing people who spend every day of their life trying to make the world a more beautiful place.” [WWD]

Fashionista: “The main points seem to be that he received a lot of encouragement from the beginning, that he’s serious about this and that we should give him a chance to grow. The next night, he went to dinner with Cathy Horyn (who basically started slamming his collection as soon as the first look hit the runway) and some other people at Azzedine Alaïa’s house. Sounds super awkward, right?” [Fashionista]

WWD: “And with that, his DJ segued into Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness.” [WWD]

WE SAID…

Michael White, managing editor: “It’s interesting that Kanye has finally chosen to project some humility—albeit defensive, profane f–ing humility—precisely when his creative abilities are about to be subject to widespread criticism for the first time. (And isn’t it interesting that he gave this speech before any reviews had been published? Did he already know, in his heart, what people would say?) Kanye, do what real designers do: Put your head down and work harder next time.”

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