Yeezy Season 5 Gives Kanye West a Fresh Start
- Words Nico Lazaro
- Date February 16, 2017
Leading into Wednesday afternoon, fans and press alike speculated on the nature of the Yeezy Season 5 show and what might possibly debut. Invitees received zines and sweatshirts with “Lost Hills” or “Mulholland” written on them, and an image suggesting a “Lost Hills” collaboration with Drake was later found making the rounds online, reinforcing the rumors that new music would debut and that the collection would pay tribute to the Calabasas neighborhood that 'Ye calls home.
Despite past shows being notoriously delayed in the past, culminating with Season 4's two hour wait, once guests had found their seats in the darkened halls of Pier 59 Studios, the show began more or less on schedule with images of the models projected in hi-res detail on a gigantic screen before they eventually walked the runway in standard industry protocol for the finale, providing guests with an in-person view of the complete looks.
Most notably a new model, Halima Aden, made waves for wearing a hijab with her look, sending a clearly politically-charged message to Trump's travel ban. Interesting enough, Kanye also recently deleted every one of his past tweets supporting the current President. While there was no new music per se—a resurfaced and reworked demo of The-Dream singing J. Holiday’s “Bed” was played—the show was heavy on Calabasas-inspired looks emblazoned with the aforementioned “Lost Hills” and “Mulholland” text. The collection also saw the introduction of Yeezy denim, along with a new, headline-stealing Yeezy runner sneaker model, and several Adidas Calabasas-branded wears which the Wests have been teasing for over a year, making this collection Kanye's most visible fashion partnership with Adidas shown to date. Interestingly enough, Kanye opted not to make an appearance, deciding to remain backstage after the show to privately meet with friends and press.
All in all, the show was a relative success and a step forward for Kanye's sportswear, avoiding the usual mishaps the Yeezy Season shows have unfortunately been known for, while providing a fresh perspective and plenty to look forward to when the collection releases later this year.