• Turn Back Thursday: Kanye Wearing Bape

Not only has Kanye West worked alongside many great music talents, but he’s also made quite a few valuable friendships in the fashion industry. We’ve all seen the photos of Kanye with the likes of Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld, who I’m sure have been a big influence in his journey to develop his own fashion label, Pastelle (Past Tell). However, one friendship that truly sticks out from the rest is his relationship with A Bathing Ape, commonly referred to as Bape, founder Nigo. Bape, and really the entire Japanese street culture, has definitely become a pioneer for many U.S. street wear trends that have emerged the past several years. Here is Kanye, with Nigo,  in the Bape Spring/Summer 2007 catalog wearing a black Bape crewneck sweater, with their infamous “Ape Shall Never Kill Ape” motto on the front.

• Air Yeezy on 100 Best Sneakers of the 2000s

With all the hype and astronomical aftermarket prices that the Nike Air Yeezy commanded during the 3 consecutive months of each colorway’s release, it was only right that the shoe found its way on Complex Magazine’s 100 Best Sneakers of the 2000s list. The Air Yeezy,  a collaboration between Kanye West and Nike, was #5 on a list that included some of the most sought-after shoes that have been released in this decade. Some of the shoes that joined the Air Yeezy in the top 10 included the Nike Dunk SB Tiffany, Nike Dunk SB Jedi, Air Max 90 Bacon, and the UNDFTD Air Jordan IV.

(more…)

• Kanye Talks About Taylor Swift on Leno

No matter how you feel about Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV VMA awards, you have to agree that  Kanye’s interview with Jay Leno showed that he could be a compassionate human being. The interview was under 4 minutes and Kanye appeared extremely hurt and remorseful towards his on-stage antics at the previous night’s VMAs. For a little moment, it appeared as though Kanye would have a complete breakdown after Leno asked him how his late mother, Donda West, would feel about Kanye’s behavior towards Swift. Kanye eventually pulled it together and realized that he needed to figure out a solution to better himself.

But I need to, after this, take some time off and just analyze how I’m going to make it through the rest of this life, how I’m going to improve.

Now, whether or not Kanye  genuinely meant it is entirely different story, but you have to give it up for him for facing this situation head-on, and not allowing his PR team to release a statement on his behalf. Now, with this “break” that Kanye mentions, does that mean no Fame Kills concert with Lady Gaga? No new album? We’ll just have to wait and see how this unfolds, because without a doubt, it won’t go away just this easily. The media won’t allow it.

Read Kanye West’s interview transcript with Jay Leno

• Kanye’s Taylor Swift Outburst at the VMAs

By now, you should already be aware of Kanye West’s on-stage outburst during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for “Best Female Video” at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. For the sake of the consistency of this website, Dress Like Kanye West, I will not shed my opinion on the subject like every other blog and social media outlet. I prefer to keep it positive and discuss strictly fashion-related Kanye topics. That being said, from what I saw on TV, Kanye wore aviator-like sunglasses, a black short-sleeve button down shirt, light washed Balmain Destroyed Biker Jeans, and black 6-inch Timberland boots. In case you missed it, here’s official MTV footage of the incident between Kanye and Taylor Swift.

Source: MTV, Upscale Hype

• Grammy Air Yeezy Auction Photo Details

If you plan on bidding on the size 12 Nike Air Yeezy sneakers that Kanye West wore at the 2008 Grammy’s, it’s only fair to evaluate the product that you’re going to be spending money on. Here are detailed photos of the Grammy Air Yeezys that Kanye actually wore and the custom wooden box that will house the shoe. The black leather, Y-lacelock, glow in the dark Air Jordan 3-inspired sole, and overall silhouette of the Grammy Air Yeezy is comparable to the 3 Air Yeezys that were released to the general public several months back. The only noticeable difference is that the Grammy Air Yeezy contains no Y-print anywhere on the shoe. The Zen Gray had the Y-print on the toe-box and strap, the Net/Net Yeezy only had the Ys on the toe-box, and the Black/Pink Yeezy had the Y-print across the back of the shoe and strap. Nonetheless, it’s a truly remarkable 1 of 1 shoe that would be a great addition to any collection and best of all, the auction proceeds will benefit the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

(more…)