A man of great talents, formally known as Kanye West, now ‘Ye’ is an influential icon when it comes to music and fashion. Famously known as a rapper, music producer, and fashion designer, he’s definitely a person with many hats.

The rapper who has bagged 22 GRAMMYs till date has also made head-turning headlines when it comes to fashion. His ‘Yeezy’ venture which initially started with Nike and later partnered with the three-striped brand ‘Adidas’ was a collaboration of the decade. Adidas Yeezy Boosts were sold out within 10 minutes after the initial release. With his visionary mind, Ye has been able to turn his ideas into innovations and inspire millions of people.

From funky shutter shades from his early music video “Stronger”  to chunky dad shoes, Ye has always been a trendsetter, to say the least.

Along with Nike and Adidas, Ye has collaborated with Louis Vuitton and back in the days he was called “the Louis Vuitton Don”. A little back-story here— during the Paris Fashion Week,2009, Louis Vuitton launched a sneaker collaboration with Ye with an all-red monochrome colorway known as the “Don”. Hence, the name.

Fast forward to 2021, all gasped when he announced a deal with Gap. Knowing how unpredictable he can be, many of us were stunned when we got to know the deal was made for ten years. Last year he gave us a little hint on his Yeezy X Gap collaboration with the hashtag #WestDayEver. On his 44th birthday, he released a full recycled nylon metallic sky-blue “round jacket” and later this year in September he released a six-colorway hoodie which sold out within a few hours. His unique perspective in fashion and intellectual mindset is what influences the audience and brands like Adidas and Louis Vuitton’s are all eyes.

Not only to the bigger crowd but he also has a major fashion influence on his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. He was the one who designed the SKIMS logo, which is now a billion-dollar shapewear brand. In the past, Kim described Kanye as the "ghost creative director" for SKIMS. Kim on the other hand recently won the Fashion Icon Award at the 2021 People’s Choice Awards. She mentioned and thanked Ye for his contribution to introducing her to the fashion world as she accepted her award.

Ye’s personal style definitely grew over time. We see him wearing rugby polos to avant-garde pieces, the one time where he wore a Balmain crystal-encrusted denim jacket paired with shredded jeans and blue contact lenses on Met Gala 2016. He was definitely creating some statements and making everyone else busy in taking notes.

Working all the way up by yourself is harder than it seems and it’s not always fun and games when you’re in public’s eyes. Nevertheless, he isn’t fazed and continues to do what he feels like doing. After all “Kanye loves Kanye” — that's something we love about Ye too.

The impact that he made on the fashion business is no less than what he did in the music industry. He exceeds every limit when it comes to art and creativity. While releasing his recent album DONDA he appeared with several bizarre to some plain black customized masks as we know it’s not a new thing between him and masks; as we have seen it in the past too. It could be his way of relating his music to his personal style or it’s just “Ye being Ye”.
All we know is that he knows how to put himself out there and create some buzz in the market.

Imagine people recognizing you even if your face is hidden under a mask. Yes, the power Ye holds in the matter of fashion. His solid colour outfits and masks that give a sense of incognito are now a trend:

We know for sure that whatever he wears, he sells. As for his outfit rotation, we can catch him wearing staple denim, cropped hoodie or bomber, chunky boots, and his recent Adidas Yeezy NSLTD boots which indeed are getting the hype. Not to miss on Yeezy Foam runner which was released back in June is also loved by so many people. There is one specific brand that we see Ye often wearing other than his own collaborations and that’s none other than Balenciaga. His head-to-toe Balenciaga for the Donda listening party was simply ‘iconic’.

Whether you like it or not, he has created some impact on music and fashion. He might seem arrogant to the world sometimes but he’s really just a diligent person. That time when he interned at Fendi alongside Virgil Abloh only proves that he is a genuine guy who works hard for what he wants.

A man of aspiration who brings his imagination into reality. He, who wants people to believe in dreams because with focus and dedication they can become true. Through his music, he sends a message to the audience to always keep your self-esteem to the top. Ye is more than his voice, a true inspirer who is paving the way in fashion and music. Hands down to the best. It’s a yeah! for ‘Ye’.

Written by Aseem Shrestha for nclgallery