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Ye's Maison Margiela 'Yeezus' Tour Mask Is On Sale for $50,000 USD

Currently listed on grailed..

One of Ye ‘s Maison Margiela masks worn for his 2013 Yeezus tour has been listed on Grailed for $50,000 USD. This mask, in particular, is encrusted in black tiles and listed under Maison Margiela number 1, a women’s collection in which the house expresses its love for conceptual and avant-garde designs.

During the tour, Ye famously worked with the Margiela team to craft several crystal-encrusted masks which the artist would wear throughout his performances. The masks would later become era-defining pieces as part of Ye’s ascension to superstardom. The project was led by Matthieu Blazy , the now-creative director of Bottega Veneta who worked at Margiela as head designer at the time.

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Remember those Maison Margiela crystal masks that Kanye West wore?

Kanye West has quite a thing for face masks.

The rapper has spent much of the year making the headlines with them: he wore a bizarre balaclava to a Balenciaga show , he hosted his Donda album listening party with a pantyhose around his head, and lately he’s been walking around in public with creepy prosthetic masks of white faces. In the middle of the pandemic, when masks are mandatory, West somehow managed to make a statement with that commonplace covering.

But whatever that statement really is can be compared to those masks — mysterious. Some call it performance art . Some think that West, now known as “Ye”, simply wants to be anonymous. Perhaps the masks are meant to distract from what the musician actually does when he wears them, like having coffee with Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, rubbing shoulders with accused rapist Marilyn Manson, or performing at LVMH heir Alexandre Arnault’s wedding.

Or maybe this is how Ye is marketing his upcoming merch, which is reported to include “sanitary masks” and “fashion masks”. (That’s how his buddy Virgil Abloh has been making money in a pandemic , too.)

What we do know is that masks are nothing new to West’s wardrobe. And as intriguing as his balaclavas and Michael Myers disguises are, it was Maison Margiela who made some of Yes’s best masks of all time.

How those Maison Margiela masks defined ‘Yeezus’

Two years after name-dropping the fashion brand in his and Jay-Z’s album Watch the Throne , Kanye West embarked on his  Yeezus tour in 2013 with outfits designed by Maison Martin Margiela, as it was then known.

“We have wanted to work with Kanye West for a very long time, ever since he became a close friend of the Maison; supporting us a lot and coming to our shows,” said the brand. (Before John Galliano joined it, Maison Margiela didn’t have a figurehead and spoke as an anonymous collective of designers.)

The brand collaborated closely with West to realise his vision for Yeezus : “We firstly went through the Maison’s archives, finding iconic pieces to be reinterpreted. We then had a few fittings, bouncing ideas back and forth about how to adapt the garments, the fabrics, textures, colours and details, to transform them into a stage wardrobe.”

Although West toured in head-to-toe Maison Margiela, all anyone could talk about was the head. Here was the most famous rapper in the world, hiding his face in crystals and mirrors. Again, there were questions: Was this a fashion statement? A revolt against fame? Could Kanye even see through them? (The answer to that last one, according to Maison Margiela, was yes: “It is very easy to see when wearing the veils as the black silk chiffon base is embroidered in a way that allows one to see through the fabric.”)

West himself clarified , somewhat: “That’s why I got this f**king mask on, because I ain’t worried about saving face… F**k whatever my face is supposed to mean and f**k whatever the name Kanye is supposed to mean, it’s about my dreams! And it’s about anybody’s dreams. It’s about creating.”

How those masks exposed fashion’s best-kept secret

For Kanye West fans, those avant-garde masks became one of the biggest grails you could own. (One of them was even sold for US$50,000.) But for those in the fashion industry, the bejewelled headgear was already a familiar facet of Maison Martin Margiela’s ‘Artisanal’ haute couture shows.

With the masks, the Paris-based label stripped runway models of their individual identity — a Margiela motif, as mentioned earlier. But those crystal creations ended up putting someone else in the spotlight: Mathieu Blazy, who was exposed as their designer by fashion editor Suzy Menkes.

After Margiela, Blazy maintained a low profile while contributing to fashion’s buzziest brands. He worked alongside Daniel Lee at Céline, then helmed by Phoebe Philo . He joined his partner Pieter Mulier , Raf Simons’s right-hand man, when the latter took over Calvin Klein. (Mulier is now creative director of Maison Alaïa .)

And now, after Lee’s surprise exit from Bottega Veneta, Blazy has been forced out of the shadows again — this time, as Lee’s successor.

Will those Maison Margiela masks make a comeback?

Mathieu Blazy has proven to be a very versatile designer. He went from the artistic maximalism of his Margiela days to the quiet minimalism of Philo’s Céline; and then from the conceptual, anti-commercial universe of Raf’s Calvin Klein to Bottega Veneta’s very profitable, product-driven chapter under Lee.

Stepping up from his role as Bottega Veneta’s RTW Design Director, what exactly should we expect from Blazy now that he calls the shots?

His superiors seem to suggest we’ll get more than Lee’s Instagram-friendly designs. “Bottega Veneta has always been equated with signature craftsmanship and distinctive creativity,” says Bottega CEO Leo Rongone. “Matthieu’s appointment will further enhance the modern relevance of our brand and accelerate our growth, while preserving the values that are at the core of Bottega Veneta.”

And, from Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault: “I am confident that Mathieu Blazy’s wealth of experience and broad cultural background will allow him to bring his creative impetus to the task of carrying on the legacy of Bottega Veneta.”

With creativity being emphasised so much, we can only hope that Blazy does indeed showcase his talents at the helm of the Italian luxury brand. Maybe he will challenge the fashion industry, whose biggest players have come to rely heavily on It-bags and limited-edition sneakers. Maybe he’ll venture into avant-garde territory once again, and introduce inventive forms of BV’s intrecciato weave. And maybe he’ll even make masks out of them.

We will find out soon enough: Blazy’s first collection for Bottega Veneta will be showcased in February 2022.

Header photo credit: Don Arnold / Wireimage / Getty Images

Pameyla Cambe

Senior Writer

Pameyla Cambe is a fashion and jewellery writer who believes that style and substance shouldn't be mutually exclusive. She makes sense of the world through Gothic novels, horror films and music. Lots of music.

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11 Reasons Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’ Tour Is Actually Incredible

By Jonathan Ringen

Jonathan Ringen

Reading some of the reviews of Kanye West ‘s Yeezus tour, you start to sense that the monster wave of critical acclaim the superstar producer-MC has been riding since his Polo-and-backpack days is finally breaking. It turns out (shocker!) that near-constant, Tourettes-like declarations that you’re a “creative genius” might turn people off. But judging from his shows at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena this week, we don’t quite get the hate. The show is crazily entertaining, hugely ambitious, emotionally affecting (really!) and, most importantly, totally bonkers. As for Ye being at least some kind of genius? To paraphrase The Big Lebowski , he might be an asshole, but he’s not wrong. Here are 11 things about the tour that prove it:

1. There is a mountain in the arena! And there’s a second stage that looks like an iceberg, bringing to mind a trapped polar bear floating out to sea. (Which seems like an okay metaphor for what it must sometimes feel like to be Kanye West.) Halfway through the show, that, too, turns into a mountain. To recap, there are two mountains in the arena.

2. The whole show sounds like luxury. The Yeezus tracks, plus recent-vintage hits like “Clique” and “Mercy,” are tough, streamlined monsters that knock like Dre, roar like Nine Inch Nails or, most awesomely, do both. Unsurprisingly for the control-obsessed producer, Kanye gets the little things right. Sonic flourishes, like guitar solos courtesy of his supremely musical partner Mike Dean (who alternated between a large bank of synths, bass and guitar) were tasty in a way that other rappers don’t quite get. (See the corny Sunset Strip-style metal noodling that opener Kendrick Lamar’s guitarist occasionally unleashed on Tuesday night.)

3. Kanye’s team of female backup dancers, clad in nude bodysuits or weird fur bibs, don’t dance as much as creep in discomfiting, slow processions around the stage, like priestesses in a bizarro mass. Whatever they were doing, it was totally riveting. No one has gotten this avant-garde in an arena since Sonic Youth’s opening set terrified Neil Young fans in 1991. Not only does Kanye’s aesthetic exist in the nexus of art, money and fashion embodied by events like Art Basel, the rapper is clearly one of the architects of that aesthetic.

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4. OK, so yeah, he does wear bejeweled, full-face Martin Margiela masks for most of the show. And while on one level they suggest a supreme “look not upon the face of Yeezus, mere mortals” arrogance (which is so off the rails it’s kind of awesome), the masks also have real theatrical usefulness. Given that most of the audience is way too far away to see his face, they provide a vivid, readable visual.

5. It’s not like he isn’t aware that he’s being provocative. Witness the call-and-response section of “New Slaves.” Kanye kicks it off with, “there are leaders,” and has the audience take the “and there are followers” part. And they (we!) were more than psyched to play the role.

6. Regular holiday pageants aren’t twisted enough for your family? Bring them to the Yeezus tour, which in parts has a weird, supersized school-play vibe, featuring cameos from a red-eyed, spider-limbed devil-creature, who creeps down the mountain and White Jesus, who appears during “Jesus Walks” and gets Kanye to finally remove the mask. The moral of the story? Who knows! But we would love to see Michel Gondry or Spike Jonze turn it into a movie.

7. Near the end of the show, Kanye breaks into “All of the Lights” and “Flashing Lights” back-to-back. Which is fitting, because the Yeezus tour totally does have all of the lights, and they are all flashing pretty much all of the time. It also has pyro, lasers, fog machines and, best of all, the Greatest Video Screen of All Time – a huge circular hi-def number canted over the stage and mostly devoted to really ominous storm clouds. If you want to see every state-of-the-art arena concert technology in one show, this is the show.

8. One technology we forgot to mention in that list: the snow. Dude makes it snow! During the raw 808s & Heartbreaks track “Coldest Winter,” dedicated to Kanye’s late mother, Donda, a flurry falls softly from the arena ceiling. (Just keeping track, so far we have two mountains, one devil, one White Jesus, and control of the weather.)

9. Late in the show, the mountain splits in half and becomes a volcano. No big deal.

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10. Over the last few years, Kanye has pioneered a new form of superstar entertainment: the Auto-Tune rant. Which occurs like clockwork during every show, making it kind of like a crazily amped, talky Drums/Space . At Barclays, he laid into a former head of a multibillion-dollar company who has been giving him dubious advice about how he presents himself publicly. (These rants are almost psychedelically self-referential.) Kanye also compared himself to inventor Nikola Tesla and Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose way-out-there 1973 movie The Holy Mountain is a key influence on the show. It was not boring.

11. But the main thing that makes the Yeezus show totally riveting? Kanye himself. He sings and raps and stalks the stage with so much intensity it’s slightly unnerving. He digs into emotional places that are dark and weird and sad maybe explain why he prefers to wear a mask. If you were inclined not to like him, you’d find tons of reasons to confirm your dislike in this sprawling, indulgent, emotionally messy performance. But you also probably wouldn’t have dropped a bunch of cash on Kanye tickets. As for the people who actually wanted to be there? They clearly loved every minute.

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The dark beauty of Kanye West’s masks: Deeper than a fashion statement

Like most things involving the rapper, the masks carry a heavy meaning — but will we ever really know what’s behind them?

In 2013 — seven years before coronavirus made masks common — Kanye West donned a studded facial covering during performances of his album Yeezus .

An act of rebellion against none other than himself, Kanye’s mask served as the original “separate the art from the artist.” Meant to highlight West as a musical vessel — rather than the man who married Kim Kardashian, ran for president, and once peed on a Grammy — the facial covering attempted to veil the artist’s enormous ego as he focused solely on his work.

“Stay in your place! Don’t embarrass yourself trying to chase your dreams. Save face. Save face,” West said, paraphrasing fashion brands during his London Wireless Festival performance on July 4, 2014. “That’s why I got this fucking mask on, because I ain’t worried about saving face… fuck whatever my face is supposed to mean and fuck whatever the name Kanye is supposed to mean, it’s about my dreams!”

Now, Kanye is dreaming once again, this time for the long-awaited release of his album DONDA . Listening parties for the project, as well as recent paparazzi shots, show West wearing masks that cover his entire face — he even wore a facial covering while doing pushups at his new Mercedes-Benz Stadium living quarters. But why has West continued to adopt the accessory? Does it serve as a barrier between himself and his work, or is it simply an escape from the constant eye of fame?

Devil in a new mask

Kanye’s 2014 concert speech — which is the only time he’s ever spoken publicly about why he wears masks — implies he wants to depersonalize himself and focus on his “dreams.” To the rapper, who’s known for his huge ego, covering his money-maker may be a way for him to momentarily free himself from the idol he is (or at least sees himself as).

“ People just saw me perform for 80 percent of my show without seeing my face .”

On a less humble note, the masks could also symbolize just how big Kanye’s ego is: “People just saw me perform for 80 percent of my show without seeing my face and they’re like, ‘We paid all this money to see him and he ain’t show his face for 80 percent and we still cool with that,’” remarked Kanye on his Yeezus tour, referring to the four different Margiela masks he wore during performances. No matter what the artist does, he implies, his fans will still show up for his music.

View on Instagram

In the DONDA era, not much seems to have changed. West has rarely been spotted without a mask for months, and arrived nearly two hours late to his first DONDA listening party. His ex-wife Kim Kardashian, who he so famously used to style, has even joined in on the mask phenomenon, wearing a zippered Balenciaga gimp mask to one of Kanye’s DONDA listening events.

Seemingly a sign of support, Kim’s fabric mask mirrored Kanye’s facial covering of the same brand, while mimicking its message. Both facial coverings imply that Kardashian and West are able to shroud their identities and still be instantly recognizable figures.

For Kanye, a man dedicated to his religion, his masked self may nod to one of his nicknames — Yeezus. The album of the same name carried many religious references, with West even bringing out “Jesus” onstage with him at performances. Only when the stage savior appeared did Kanye take off his mask, perhaps suggesting the artist was only a messenger.

A fan theory has tied more religious meaning to his masks .

Of course, like most things West does, everything is up for interpretation (and speculation). A fan theory has tied more religious meaning to his masks, inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil.” In the story, a clergyman decides to don a black veil after coming face-to-face with his own sins, repentance, and morality. He openly wears the veil in public, preaching sermons and living day to day while never removing the mask in front of anyone, not even on his deathbed.

It’s not a bad theory: The past few years have seen West focused on making religious music, founding his Sunday Service, and creating religious DONDA merch, including a T-shirt bearing a Star of David with a crucifix inside. One of his recent facial coverings even pictured a crucified Jesus Christ.

Kanye’s minimalistic room at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where he’s staying as he works on DONDA , has also caused fans to compare the artist to monks, who often live in small, simple quarters.

The theory believes Kanye is trying to hide his sins while he works on the album, which is named after his mother, Donda West, who passed away in 2007. It’s been suggested that the artist may feel some sort of regret, or wants to repent for his “sins” — perhaps including his recent divorce from Kim Kardashian.

For the rapper, there’s always been power in symbolic anonymity, particularly as he leaves a fairly public marriage. What he’s actually symbolizing, though, won’t be concrete until we see the release of DONDA — whenever that is. Like all things Kanye, only time will tell.

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Kanye West Kicks Off Yeezus Tour With Four Masks

You barely see his face for the whole show.

Image via Complex Original

If you’re lucky enough to catch  Kanye West  during his "Yeezus Tour," don't expect to see the emcee's face for very long. For most of the 2-hour long set that he played on the tour's opening night in Seattle, Yeezy went through a couple head-to-toe wardrobe changes, and in the process rocked a total of four masks.

The masked movement is clearly still on and he’s upgraded from those crazy crystal-studded Mason Martin Margiela  and the " Kanyeti " joints he rocked last year. The rapper wore pieces that look like relics perfect for temple Yeezus. These decorative disguises were set with mirrored tiles, black studs, and shiny gems. We just hope these masks are well ventilated. It gets hot up there under all those lights, even when your pants rip open to give you a breeze . 

We’re digging that Kanye puts so much effort into all the details of creating a true spectacle that will definitely be worth the price of admission. Did you see the damn Wes Lang collaborative merch being peddled? He is not playing around. So far, all indications point to the "Yeezus Tour" being an awesome display of showmanship we rarely see from male rappers these days—but most probably don’t have the same budget as Yeezy.

Expect to see more wild disguises as the tour goes along. Here's a couple ideas we have our bets on. 

[ via MTV Style ]

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Kanye West's Yeezus Tour Kicks Off With Masks, Merch, And A Wardrobe Malfunction

Kanye West kicks off Yeezus tour in Seattle.

Photo: @givenchydonc's Instagram

While you were carving pumpkins and putting the finishing touches on your Halloween costume this weekend, Kanye West was kicking off his Yeezus tour in Seattle . His first solo tour in five years, Yeezy held nothing back, giving his audience a massive show (a two-hour 27-song set list to be exact) complete with an enormous mountain-shaped set, a cameo from Jesus , and of course, a bajillion fashion Easter eggs (our favorite!)—and we're not just talking about MTV News' Rob Markman's first-hand account that Kanye's Red October Yeezy 2s have red glow-in-the-dark soles .

Kanye West wears four masks during Yeezus tour in Seattle.

Photo: Splash News/Instagram

Not only did Yeezy have multiple performance outfits (a relative rarity for male performers), those quick-changes included several different masks. That's right, folks. The jewel-encrusted Margiela and white feathered "Kanyeti" look were just the beginning. Yeezy spent roughly 90 percent of his Seattle set performing in full-face coverings embellished with gold bric-a-brac, opaque white gems, shiny black studs, and square mirror tiles. Below the neck, Ye stuck with dark neutrals, tunic-length tops, and his usual slim cut pants. Perhaps, too slim this time, though, as West managed to rip one pair of his onstage trousers right down the seam of his crotch.

Kanye West's Yeezus tour merchandise.

Photo: @virgilabloh's Instagram

Offstage, Ye's merch table appears to be just as stylish, judging from a small set of photos Instagrammed by Virgil Abloh . A turn from the the Internet-y Been Trill designs Abloh and Heron Preston teased in June, these are more akin to the skeletal Trippy Symphony A.P.C. x Kanye West x Been Trill collaborative tee and to the vintage band tees from the '60s and '70s, subverting classic Southern rock visuals. A closer look at Virgil's hashtags hints that these designs may be courtesy of Wes Lang , an artist and Grateful Dead fan best known for his meticulous drawings and propensity for loaded imagery —a perfect match for Yeezus' cold, explosive soundtrack.

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Beneath The Mask: The Designer Behind Kanye West’s ‘DONDA’ Balaclava

As kanye west continues to mystify with his intriguing and prolonged ‘donda’ rollout, all eyes are frequently on his iconic headwear..

Kanye West pictured wearing one of his trademark balaclavas from GG Denim.

GG Denim/Twitter

In a time when face masks are synonymous with everyday life, it seems fitting that no one should bat an eyelid at Kanye West wearing a balaclava to attend a Balenciaga fashion show in Paris. Or most recently, to simply work on his DONDA album.

But it’s not the pandemic that’s conditioned everyone to the ubiquity of mask-wearing in the case of West, it’s the fact that the rapper has long been a pro-balaclava wearer. And there’s a reason for it.

Looking back on the live shows of 2014’s YEEZUS tour, West rarely showed his face.

More often than not, he would take to the stage donning embellished and bedazzled face masks designed by French high fashion house, Maison Margiela (then known as Maison Martin Margiela ), a collaboration which married the label’s classic attributes with the perfect touch of Yeezy.

And it was during an appearance at the London Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park that he had decided to reveal why he was doing so.

Flicking the pages of the calendar back to July 4th, 2014, West was right in the middle of a nine-month long YEEZUS tour.

After he had treated the audience at Finsbury Park to a performance of “Runaway” from 2010’s Grammy-winning My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West took a familiar left turn. He began to unpack some of the frustrations he was dealing with at the time, along with shedding some light on the reason he chose to wear masks.

“That’s why I got this fucking mask on,” West exclaimed to the Wireless Festival during his exceedingly-long, auto-tune-enhanced speech. “Because I ain’t worried about saving face. Fuck my face! That sounded wrong.”

“But they finally got a headline,” West continued, laughing. “But fuck whatever my face is supposed to mean and fuck whatever the name Kanye is supposed to mean. It’s about my dreams! And it’s about anybody’s dreams. It’s about creating. It’s not about the idea about being a fucking celebrity, it’s not about the idea of being a black man trying to do fashion and shit.”

In 2021, West continues to explore the world of high fashion in only the boldest of ways, sitting front row at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year, as well as tapping Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia for the creative direction of his second DONDA listening party in Atlanta.

While he may have left those Maison Margiela masks in 2014, seven years on, West has undeniably ushered in a new era in his career; most effectively represented in his fashion choices.

Any true Kanye West fan knows that what’s happening off stage for the artist is equally as important as what’s happening on-stage – particularly in terms of both fashion and music. And this of course includes the fact that in recent times, we’ve rarely seen his face.

Whether it was the force of necessity brought on by the pandemic that saw the return of West’s face masks, preferring to not face the cameras following a very public divorce from Kim Kardashian, or being in the midst of working on his tenth studio album, West once again decided to cover up, this time with a velvet balaclava.

Just hours before West took to Merdedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia to reveal the first version of DONDA to the world in late-July, West was pictured by his close collaborator Justin LaBoy, wearing a peculiarly luxurious balaclava.

Yeezy Season. 🥷🏾 pic.twitter.com/8H6KJoNrP3 — GG The Label (@ggthelabel) July 22, 2021

It was unlike anything West had been seen wearing earlier in the year at Paris Fashion Week or at Ice Cube’s Big3 basketball game in Las Vegas.

It was eye-catching, it was embellished and it fit West’s head like a glove.

Since its debut, the iconic image of Kanye – pictured in the midst of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium – has become globally-recognised, much like the artist himself. The design and its associated inspiration and meaning has become a source of much debate for fans around the world.

While some have speculated it’s simply a throwback to West’s YEEZUS era, others have searched for deeper meaning, with numerous theories positing it’s to do with the artist’s own ego, and others claiming it’s reference to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1836 short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil”.

Courtesy of GG Denim

With a longstanding shroud of mystery surrounding this new era of West face masks, we discovered the piece was an original design by Toronto-based fashion label, GG Denim , crafted from vintage floral velvet adorned with Russian Matryoshka dolls.

GG Denim first launched in May 2017, having started out by crafting customised pairs of jeans and other garments. It wasn’t until January of this year that they decided to expand their sartorial horizons, seeing the brand creating 100% handmade, unisex, one-size-fits-all balaclavas.

GG Denim’s founder Zamuel Herdsman says that for him, his business was born from his love for art, with his purpose being to “create art for art’s sake.”

“I just started off making garments for myself,” he explains. “And I’m very much a person who likes to experiment.”

After trialling different designs with a wide variety of fabrics, the GG Denim balaclavas caught the eyes of many, both in real life and online. And all of the curiosity had culminated in the same question: could they get one too?

With the pandemic seeing mandatory mask-wearing enforced in many parts of the world, GG Denim said that this factor played a role in opting to make balaclavas, however, it wasn’t the main reason.

“[Mask-wearing] is definitely something we took into consideration, but it wasn’t the main intention,” GG Denim’s team explains.

Whether it’s the West influence that’s seen the balaclavas’ stocks shoot right through the roof or not, one thing’s for sure: you won’t be able to get balaclavas like these anywhere else.

The reason for that is that they deliberately use fabrics that they know are unique.

“We have custom fabrics that are imported from Europe. So these fabrics are very intentional, you know,” Herdsman tells Rolling Stone Australia , “They represent family and unity. And that’s what we’re all about: togetherness.”

And the fabric used to create the limited edition Russian Doll balaclava worn by West speaks to the brand’s values, as they believe that the Russian and Ukrainian Matryoshka dolls seen on the fabric represent deep generational bonds between elders, ancestors and the children of today.

They don’t reveal exactly the intriguing origin story of just how the balaclava fell into the hands of West, but they did reveal that “the piece was worn by specific people in the insider group. And [West] wanted it.”

GG Denim founder Zamuel Herdsman. (Photo courtesy of GG Denim)

When asked how it feels for such an influential yet enigmatic artist like West to wear their designs, they explain that their goal was never to specifically target artists and celebrities. As they see it, they’re just “friends”.

“That was never the goal,” they explain. “A lot of these artists and people you see wearing our clothing are friends. So I wouldn’t put them on a pedestal. We have industry connections. And our community is built with people from industry connections, to chefs, to teachers at schools and kids.”

“We go back to schools that we used to learn from and we tell those kids that anything in life is possible, and they have the ability to achieve the goals that they always dreamed of.”

“And that’s a big mission for us here at GG denim – to let the people know that anything in life is possible,” they conclude. “And you know, togetherness is key, unity is key, and we’re here for the community.”

Unlike West, GG Denim are just getting started. But just like West, GG Denim are here to make waves through innovation, by “changing the fashion game”. So maybe it’s no wonder that West is team GG Denim… it seems that they’re cut from the same cloth after all.

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Why Margiela Teamed Up With Kanye

By Ella Alexander

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA didn't consider Kanye West 's outspoken nature when it came to designing the rapper's Yeezus tour wardrobe. The French fashion house provided him with a string of outfits to be worn during his latest concerts, including an embroidered bomber jacket, a blanket coat and printed trousers - and says that his opinionated reputation was never an influential factor. "We didn't pay attention to what is being said about him in the press, we just focused on what could be done with him," Maison Martin Margiela told us. "We have wanted to work with Kanye West for a very long time, ever since he became a close friend of the Maison; supporting us a lot and coming to our shows. We like his music and the vision he had for the tour." The brand was given no set brief - only to create a wardrobe that was in keeping with artist Vanessa Beecroft's artistic direction for the tour. West worked closely with Margiela on the final designs. "Everything went very smoothly since our first meetings with Kanye at the beginning of the year," said the Maison. "We firstly went through the Maison's archives, finding iconic pieces to be reinterpreted. We then had a few fittings, bouncing ideas back and forth about how to adapt the garments, the fabrics, textures, colours and details, to transform them into a stage wardrobe. Making the pieces in our Parisian atelier allowed us to create pieces without any limits." One of the bolder pieces that West wears on the tour is a reinterpreted version of the label's signature mask, which appear in every couture show , created using crystals and mirrored detailing. The brand maintains that the accessory is more practical than you might think. "Kanye already performed in a crystal veil from our autumn/winter 2012 couture collection during a show in Paris last year, so it was an obvious decision to integrate some of them into the wardrobe," continued the Maison. "It is very easy to see when wearing the veils as the black silk chiffon base is embroidered in a way that allows one to see through the fabric."

Maison Martin Margiela For Kanye West

By Daniel Rodgers

By Hannah Coates

By Ellie Pithers

By Kara Nesvig

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Kanye west opens yeezus tour with incredible visuals; talks to jesus.

By Charley Rogulewski

Charley Rogulewski

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Kanye West opened up the tour behind his intense sixth LP in Seattle, Washington on Saturday (Oct. 19). Following a 40-minute set from Kendrick Lamar, West kicked things off by letting those in attendance know they were in his church. A phalanx of 12 masked, white-robed female disciples walked on stage as angelic chants echoed through Seattle’s KeyArena. During the rest of the show Yeezus would perform “Power” from a mountaintop, bring his “ Black Skinhead ” music video to life, and make it snow during his performance of “Coldest Winter.” Yeezus also talked to Jesus.

“White Jesus, is that you?” Kanye West asked His Holiness before breaking into “Jesus Walks.” West would eventually bow down to Jesus on the mountaintop erected in the middle of the arena.

The night would also mark the live debut of Yeezus tracks “Hold My Liquor,” “Guilt Trip,” “I’m In It” and “Street Lights,” the latter off his 808s & Heartbreaks . Altogether West performed some 27-songs over the course of two hours.

If you don’t have a ticket for Kanye West’s Yeezus tour, you will want to buy one after catching a preview of the visual spectacle that each night will bring. Check out video footage from opening night of West’s Yeezus tour below.

Intro //www.youtube.com/embed/Nc0wcxqdKTc

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INTERIORS: The Yeezus Tour

• Written by INTERIORS Journal
• Published on December 23, 2013

Interiors is an online film and architecture journal, published by Mehruss Jon Ahi and Armen Karaoghlanian . Interiors runs an exclusive column for ArchDaily that analyzes and diagrams films in terms of space. Their Official Store will carry exclusive prints from these posts.

The Yeezus Tour, Kanye West ’s solo tour, which coincides with his sixth studio album, Yeezus , kicked off in Seattle, Washington on October 19, 2013 and ends in Toronto, Canada on December 23, 2013.

The show is theatrical, cinematic and operatic in its structure. It merges together all of Kanye West ’s interests in the the visual and performance arts, creating a powerful experience that transcends the concert format.

Kanye West is known for collaborating with artists from various mediums, including fashion designers, artists and architects. In 2007, he collaborated with contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who designed the album artwork for his third studio album, Graduation . In 2008, the special edition vinyl of his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak, was designed by New York artist KAWS. In 2010, contemporary visual artist George Condo designed the album artwork for his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . In 2011, fashion designer Riccardo Tisci designed the album artwork for his collaborative album with rapper Jay Z, Watch the Throne .

Kanye West first experimented with architecture and set design in 2008 with his critically acclaimed world tour, The Glow in the Dark Tour. In 2011, he collaborated with Es Devlin, award-winning stage and costume designer, on the stunning visual display and stage design for the Watch the Throne Tour. Kanye West and Es Devlin joined forces again in 2012 for three shows in Atlantic City.

In the summer of 2012, Kanye West launched his own design company, DONDA , which is focused on “content, product and experience.” Virgil Abloh, who currently serves as the creative director of DONDA, has a background in architecture and has been the leader of its design. In May of 2012, DONDA produced a seven-screen pyramid-shaped pavilion at the Festival de Cannes, where his film, Cruel Summer, premiered. The project was designed by the New York branch of OMA , with project architect Oana Stanescu, in collaboration with DONDA and 2x4, Inc. Cruel Summer was filmed with a custom seven-camera rig in Qatar and was designed as a project that would immerse its audience in a cinematic space. In addition to this unique experience, Kanye West has recently been linked to architect David Benjamin, co-founder of the design and research studio, The Living, on a project that reimagines the movie theatre experience.

In his career, Kanye West has referenced architects including Le Corbusier, Antoni Gaudí and Rem Koolhaas – each of whom were accused during their careers for not following the conventional norms of architecture and design. These architects were revolutionary in the ways in which they were able to combine architecture with the fields of industrial design, sculpture and fashion, respectively. In an interview with The New York Times , he stated that the sound of his sixth studio album, Yeezus, was inspired by architecture. “You know, this one Corbusier lamp was like, my greatest inspiration”. Le Corbusier, known for completely rejecting style in favor of minimalistic design, is today respected as one of the founders of modern architecture.

Kanye West’s efforts in film and architecture have been faced with criticism due to his assumed lack of knowledge and experience. There have also been those who have applauded his efforts and have celebrated him for taking these fields in new directions within today’s social consciousness. In the same way he was able to bring the worlds of high fashion into popular culture, he has been able to do the same for architecture and design. Kanye West has stated in many interviews that DONDA ’s ten-year plan includes designing amusement parks, churches and films that go along with the idea of intelligent design and creative experiences for the masses.

Kanye has said that the initial vision for The Yeezus Tour came from imagining the end of the world. The visuals of explosions, fire, mountains, masked beings, creatures and God all make their way into the experience of the show.

Vanessa Beecroft, known for her incredible performance art involving the female body, designed the scenography for the tour. West and Beecroft previously collaborated for an art installation for 808’s & Heartbreak . Vanessa Beecroft was also the art director of Kanye West ’s 35-minute film, Runaway , in 2010.

In addition to the dance and film elements, The Yeezus Tour effectively combines elements of fashion. Fashion house Maison Martin Margiela and Kanye West worked together to curate the fashion pieces and outfits associated with The Yeezus Tour. Kanye West and Margiela went into their archives to obtain the spirit of the iconic fashion house. The wardrobe for The Yeezus Tour is composed of 10 couture pieces, 20 ready-to-wear pieces and an exclusive pair of sneakers, as well as several head-encasing masks. KANYE WEST also wore his Nike Air Yeezy 2 shoes, also known as the “Red Octobers”, that he helped design, for the majority of his tour.Even the stage’s catwalk, which Kanye West uses when he walks his Maison Martin Margiela pieces, resembles that of a fashion show.

The show features 12 female dancers, or “disciples," as many have called them, who play an integral role in the show. They wear skin-tight, see-through outfits made of nylon as well as masks that obscure their faces. They not only provide choreographed routines, but they physically interact with Kanye West during certain songs.

During his performance at the Barclay's Center In Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 2013, Kanye West expressed that Alejandro Jodorowsky’s film The Holy Mountain (1973) was an important touchstone for the design of the tour. The Holy Mountain is about a Christ-like figure who wanders through bizarre scenarios filled with religious imagery. The man meets a guide, as well as seven influential people, and all nine embark on a journey seeking “The Holy Mountain.” There are various aspects of the show that are influenced from the film, including the stage, which includes a mountain, the choreographed installation of nude women, masks and inclusion of a holy figure. In the opening minutes of the film, a thief’s face is covered in black flies, a visual reference for one of Maison Martin Margiela’s masks, designed for the show.

The influence from The Holy Mountain , however, is more thematic than visual. The film, much like the show, is an experience and asserts its focus on a biblical redemption story; similarly, Kanye West ’s show is focused on a similar journey, one of self-realization and self-discovery, as evidenced through the five chapters of the show: Fighting, Rising, Falling, Searching and Finding. These chapters are used to separate the set list and also as a slight break for wardrobe changes.

The stage design for The Yeezus Tour features a mountain, which many have labeled Mount Yeezus, which is approximately 50-feet high. The mountain is connected to a catwalk, which is about 30-feet long. The catwalk extends from the center of the mountain onto a secondary sage or lower stage, which is approximately 35-feet long and in the shape of a triangle.

There is a circular LED screen, about 60-feet tall, above the mountain that is angled (about 30 degrees), providing fans a closer look of the show, along with two additional circular screens, about 10-15 feet wide, that are placed above the mountain and parallel with the stage. The large LED screen, along with the entire sound system, is held up with custom metalwork. The screen provides information about the chapter breaks, as well as stunning visuals and atmospheric displays of nature for certain songs, such as “Heartless”, “Coldest Winter" and "Blood on the Leaves." There is a camera that is directly above the lower stage, which syncs to the circular screen to provide an overhead view of the choreography during certain songs. 

The mountain and lower stage also include areas for small pyrotechnics and fire displays during some songs, such as “Blood on the Leaves” and “All of the Lights.” The explosions take palce along the ramps in the front of the mountain. In some instances, images are projected onto the mountain from above as a way of changing its texture. In one particular instance, the mountain changes its appearance into a volcano. “Blood on the Leaves” transforms the stage into a pyrotechnic show. The fire bursts come from the mountain and explosions erupt from the lower stage. The mountain also splits in half in the middle of the show to allow a religious procession through and Jesus, himself.

The lower stage is capable of bouncing up and down as it’s being jumped on. In addition, this lower stage was lifted above the ground (about 30 degrees) during “Can’t Tell Me Nothing" and "Coldest Winter". The stage also houses a Microsoft Xbox Kinect sensor on the south corner. This sensor is used during the performance of “Black Skinhead,” as motion capture is used on the screen behind him. In addition, spotlights directly above him and strategically placed around the arena direct more light onto him. In addition, his mirrored mask for “Stronger,” complement the unique light effects because of the spotlight above him.

The majority of the show is performed on the lower stage. The fact that the stage can be bounced up and down and lifted adds a new dimension to the performance because the entire arena feels engaged. Kanye West further connected to the audience during “Runaway,” one of his most heartfelt performances.

Kanye West performs only one song from behind the mountain (“Power”) on an electronic lift that carries him up. Jesus also stands there at the end of the show before Kanye West walks off stage.

The Yeezus Tour was postponed for 18 days when one of the trucks holding part of the 60-foot LED screen was in a car wreck. The LED screen and metalwork were damaged beyond repair. The equipment had to be reconstructed in a short amount of time; as a result, several shows were postponed or completely cancelled because of routing logistics. The show, however, carried on and retained its artistic sensibilities, despite its challenges.

Interiors attended two shows of The Yeezus Tour , his second show (San Jose, California) on October 22, and his 24 th show (Anaheim, California) on December 13, 2013. The set list and visual displays changed slightly, but the main framework stayed consistent.

The three main parts of the stage (mountain, catwalk, and lower stage) were all used during the concert and all were given the same amount of attention and focus. The drawings and graphical data were done by analyzing photographs and tour information, as well as using Kanye West ’s height of 5’8” as a scale factor.

The diagrams we designed for The Yeezus Tour emphasize specific moments of Kanye performing various songs. The mountain elevation diagram depicts his performance of “Power.” The lower stage elevation diagram depicts his performance of “I Am a God.” The full stage diagram depicts his performance of “Bound 2.” These specific moments and songs are significant to the show itself. The Yeezus Tour will be remembered for its seamless balancing of all elements of the arts, while Kanye West himself will be known as the architect of this creative endeavor.

These diagrams, along with others, are available for purchase in our Official Store .

Architectural Drawings and Graphics were created by INTERIORS ( www.INTJournal.com )

Outline Silhouettes of Kanye West were created by artist, MBROIDERED ( www.mbroidered.com )

Interiors is an online journal, published on the 15th of each month, in which films are analyzed and diagrammed in terms of space. It is run by Mehruss Jon Ahi and Armen Karaoghlanian . Check out their Website , Issuu Site and Official Store and follow them on Facebook and Twitter .

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Kanye West Wears Full Face Mask Again, Does Not Wish To Be Perceived

West fashioned an old Harley Davidson shirt into a full face covering at the Balenciaga couture show.

If there’s one advantage to wearing a face mask , it’s that we can go about our business in public with a greater degree of relative peace and anonymity. That is, of course, unless you are Kanye West, who made a splash when he wore a mask covering his entire face at today’s Balenciaga couture show. Call it a version of the Streisand Effect: the more West tries to stop us from perceiving him, the more attention he draws to himself — and his new Yeezy Gap line, coming this fall.

At the runway show, West was seated with Formula 1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton, Bella Hadid, and Brooklyn Nets shooting guard James Harden, who is apparently healed from his recent grade 2 hamstring strain . West’s full mask is a customized vintage Harley Davidson shirt, and features a print of the brand’s legendary roaring black cat; he was previously photographed wearing the mask earlier in March. In WWD’s video below, an array of small holes are visible on the mask, allowing West to breathe and see Demna Gvasalia’s triumphant couture return.

West was also wearing a jacket from his Yeezy Gap line, reported the New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman. The jacket was previously released for pre-order in cobalt blue, and sold out within hours; this black jacket is a new colorway that has not yet been announced, and it is unknown when eager customers can get their hands on the cozy puffer piece.

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Meanwhile, he also wore his white foam H.R. Giger-esque Yeezy Foam Runner sneakers, affectionately known as the “Yeezy Crocs,” from his longtime collaboration with Adidas. Puzzlingly, West is also sporting black Nike socks, which are clearly contrasted against the white sci-fi shoe. Is this a form of shade being directed at Adidas, or did the famously fashion-obsessed West simply get dressed while wearing the mask that morning? Whatever the answer, he did allow his children to embellish them with colored drawings. Somewhere, a sneaker collector is crying at the thought of West’s besmirched shoes.

This isn’t the first time that West has covered his entire face. He wore Maison Martin Margiela’s crystal-encrusted masks during his Yeezus tour in 2013, and was recently seen wearing a Jesus-themed mask similar to his Harley Davidson situation above; it also has unobtrusive holes poked in the center. As mask mandates are lifted, it’s a sure bet that West, who famously hates smiling in public (one of his more relatable quality, to be sure) will continue to mask up. Wonder if he was inspired by French harsh noise musician Vomir , who’s been performing wearing a black plastic bag over his head since the early 2000s.