第4弾、カニエ・ウエストが手がける”Yeezy season4”がニューヨークで発表された。ハイライトともいえるニューヨーク・コレクション1発目の大天幕。ロケーションはあえて公開されず、マンハッタンのチェルシー地区でシャトルバスに乗り込む。招待客を乗せたバスは、イーストリバーの中に位置する細長い小島ルーズベルトアイランドに到着。公園内のV字の舞台に着くとYEEZY軍がお出迎え、その奥では最終調整を行うカニエの姿が。本番3日前のキャスティングでは、様々な人種的背景をを持つ ”マルチレイシャル” の女性のみをオーディションに参加。カラーパレットはそこまで変わらずユニークで美しさを持つモデルたちのルックスと、ボディコンシャスなアイテムにクリアのニーハイブーツが目立っていた。会場ではカーダシアン・ファミリーにアナ・ウィンターらの姿が。
Kanye West’s YEEZY SEASON 4 was the first marquee event of the New York Fashion Weeks Spring/Summer 2017 season. Location information was kept under wraps until an email directed Editors to a shuttle bus pick up location in Chelsea, the final destination, Four Freedoms park on Roosevelt Island being announced just hours before the 3pm start time. The buses (which would have benefited from a bit of music) wound their way slowly through the streets of Manhattan emptying the crowds into the sun to then slowly navigate three check points to enter the show space. Complaints about the heat gave way to quiet commiserations when attendees were met with a YEEZY army in statuesque situ within the park. Whilst the fashion press took their seats around the V-shaped runway, Kanye was busy at the back of the park making final adjustments to the ‘multiracial women only’ cast of models picked from the 10,00 applicants who had responded to the notice that had gone out a couple of days previously. With a sombre, ethereal soundtrack, the show began. If anything, the unique looks of the girls worked against West as their features and beauty almost distracted from the body-con combos and outerwear in the same khaki, green and grey color palette as previous seasons. YEEZY SEAON 4 show was yet another collaboration with Artist Vanessa Beecroft – some may daydoing the same thing over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity – I see this as the artist continually delivering his message until he feels he is understood. With the amount of fast-fashion knock offs I think YEEZY’s message is well and truly being understood. Yes some girls struggled to walk in their shoes, yes the heat was oppressive – but this was a the kind of spectacle the fashion world needs. Enabled by adidas, lets see if this one goes into production (and if not we can still by the merch).
All photos by Dan Bailey