Once everyone was seated, the lights dimmed as the unmistakable opening piano note of “Runaway” set the show in motion, with a lone model striding in a killer black trench coat. From there, two more models, men this time, came out in the opposite direction; What followed was a bit of organized chaos with the number of patterns and paths alternating at random intervals to the rhythm of a playlist that oscillated between Ye’s new music (British garage vibe, it seems) and a gothic orchestra reminiscent of the scores Danny Elfman was preparing for Tim Burton.
The adjustments were clean, practical and tactical. Most of the men’s clothing was ready-made for basic maneuvers, while the women’s looks were smart-casual, with some Milla Jovovich-in-Fifth–Element skimpy sets added because you can only hold back, but to a certain extent. The most notable thing, among the guys in particular, were the relatively clean silhouettes: cropped coats, bombers and vests, tailored pants and sweatshirts. Where the old Ye lines defended and emblazoned the path of the loose wave, with oversized boots and pants one could swim in, Ye seemed to brazenly plant a flag at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Nearly 12 years and a dozen lifetimes since his first Yeezy Season 1 show in 2015, the notion of “Season 01” – his first official presentation since his damning 2022 show in Paris, the one with the “White Lives Matter” shirts – is a blatant attempt to clear the slate. All of his previous shows had been produced in collaboration with Adidas, which severed ties with Ye four years ago after he tweeted a tirade of anti-Semitic remarks. This time, so the clothes say it, Ye is locked up. I don’t have an image of every Yeezy Season line burned into my brain, but I feel comfortable saying that Ye’s latest was the first time I looked at one of his collections and objectively thought: I could wear this. Most of the material is pretty solid and the familiar Ye uses the same playbook with Season 01 that he uses with his music and, to some extent, his character. It’s the Yeezy gear you know and love, refined to make it even more palatable, the same way a song like “Whatever Works” puts it back on samples of chipmunk soul. And true to the title, this is indeed the case; that this is the case is perhaps a testament to the brilliance that has been lost in madness. But is playing the hits (literally, with “Runaway” opening the show) what we expect from one of the most revolutionary – and absolutely chaotic – creative minds of our time?
Gn entert
