Kanye West is making a statement.
The rapper staged a surprise Yeezy fashion show on Monday in Paris, showcasing his Season 9 collection to much fanfare.
Before the models appeared, West gave a speech while wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt emblazoned with the Pope’s face on the front and the same bedazzled flip-flops he sported last week.
He referenced his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s 2016 Paris robbery, his former manager Scooter Braun, the struggles he faced entering the fashion industry, his recent fallout with Gap and much more.
“I am Ye, and everyone here knows that I am the leader,” he said at one point, referencing his new legal name. “You can’t manage me.”
Before the show, Ye teased some of the famous models expected to make appearances: Kardashian, 41, ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk and current flame Candice Swanepoel as well as other big names like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Lauryn Hill, Naomi Campbell, Emily Ratajkowski, Gisele Bündchen, Bella Hadid and Amelia Gray Hamlin.
However, it appears only Shayk, Campbell and Hamlin made appearances, with the Russian model watching from the side as the other two walked the runway.
Some of the models in the show wore the same shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter” on the back as well while fans on social media reacted.
“Sending a “WHITE LIVES MATTER” t-shirt down a runway in Paris is literal insanity and no amount of gospel is getting that man through Heaven’s gate, I’m so sorry,” one person tweeted. Another wrote, “mind you kanye was just calling kim and kris the kkk 2 weeks ago and now he’s wearing a white lives matter shirt.”
Others recalled his infamous trip to the White House wearing a “MAGA” hat. West has also previously caused controversy wearing a jacket with the Confederate flag on it in 2013.
“There’s just people. From the same planet. And sometimes, in high school, it feels like we don’t fit in. And in a situation like this, we have the opportunity to come together to express who we are,” West told Vogue of his vision for the runway ahead of the show.
“It’s leaning into the shape of how I see this future world … this alternate world. But in high school. It’s focused on curriculum because both my parents are educators.”
West has been attending fashion shows in London and Paris over the past week, even making his runway debut as a model, opening the Balenciaga fashion show on Sunday. Khloé Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and his daughter North West sat front row for the star’s walk through the muddy runway.
Previous Yeezy fashion shows have been marred by disaster, having previously made guests wait for hours in the hot sun, fainting models and more. However, this is the first time West is taking his designs to Paris Fashion Week.