Ye, formerly Kanye West, has long been enamored with the concept of camouflage, sometimes in a sartorial sense but more frequently in a philosophical one. He has experimented with how far he can go to hide his identity or look, whether it be by donning a full-face mask, moving to and then out of rural Wyoming, or changing his name to a monosyllabic nickname.
Over time, that desire has evolved from a fashion statement to more of a conceptual art performance. It begs the question of whether or not someone as well-known as him is even able to successfully disguise oneself. Kanye West’s new style might be a sign of new beginnings.
All of this is to suggest that Ye has spent the last year wearing the same type of bulky, booted, Balenciaga-heavy ensembles, which he has also designed and sold. And finally, Kanye West’s new style appears to the surface. They have become regular to the point that they have become a part of him.
Ye, like his obscenely famous ex-wife Kim Kardashian, has become instantly recognized by his silhouette. In fact, at first, many people believed Ye, not Demna in a mask, was accompanying Kardashian to the Met Gala last autumn.
He’s also made dressing like a lobsterman into a modus operandi with a designer price tag, which has encouraged many fans to start tucking their jeans into some big, bold boots. Thankfully, he hasn’t convinced fans to wear morph suit masks while out and about in public. However, he has made it a modus operandi with a designer price tag.
Therefore, even minor variations from Ye’s consistent attire look noticeable. He wore what one might venture to call “Kanye casual” last week when he went out in Los Angeles. He wore a sleeveless Balenciaga logo hoodie over a green camouflage long sleeve, along with a pair of baggy gray denim carpenter pants, a weathered baseball cap similar to the one Demna frequently dons, and lug-soled black work boots.
Nothing about these outfits is really new for Kanye. Always he’s enjoyed work clothes, army surplus clothing, and camouflage prints but it’s been a while since we’ve seen him put together an ensemble like this.
Regardless of whether Ye is entirely changing his Donda era, it is still reasonable to state that whatever is happening with his personal style is a reliable indicator of what will happen in the menswear industry. Ye’s true method of concealment is either that or perhaps clothing a bit differently.
