On Saturday night Kanye West will attempt to go from rap star-cum fashion front row fanatic to bona fide designer. His move isn't without precedent (see Victoria Beckham's CV) but it is the first time that a male musician has attempted to design high-end womenswear with the audacity to present it during such a rarified event as Paris fashion week.
Details about the forthcoming collection are sketchy. Around 100 hand-picked individuals from around the world have been invited to see a collection that is rumoured to be so fantastical as to be rendered entirely unwearable.
It is thought that the collection is being designed by a team of Central Saint Martins graduates and a possible list of designers which includes Louise Goldin, Dean Quinn and menswear designer Katie Eary – all working under West's direction. The collection is rumoured to be based on sports luxe, Japanese samurai and experimental knitwear and will contain gold or peach according to which gossip you believe.
West's PRs are keeping quiet. Requests to confirm any of the rumours have been met with a curt response: "The Kanye team have no comment nor are they doing any pre-show quotes or interviews," said an email to the Guardian.
West has not been reticent in the past of stating whom he admires in the fashion industry. The rapper has done work experience at luxury labels Fendi and Louis Vuitton and has name-checked Riccardo Tisci and Raf Simons as heroes – both hugely influential designers but not household names. Nor has he shied away from actually wearing womenswear. He wore a printed silk shirt from Phoebe Philo's Celine label on stage a few months back. Given that the best way for a celebrity to promote their own collection is to wear the clothes themselves (see Beckham again) then his penchant for swaggering around in womenswear will be no bad thing.
