The Yeezy Season 9 collection exhibition at Paris Fashion Week on October 3, 2022, caused quite a stir for proudly showcasing a statement t-shirt with the saying “White Lives Matter” printed in big letters across its back. Kanye West deflected from his disastrous runaway show by dragging Gabriella Karefa-Johnson through the mud. So what is the drama between Kanye West and Gabriella Karefa-Johnson?
Kanye West held a last-minute Yeezy fashion show on Monday evening during Paris Fashion Week, and he donned a black long-sleeve shirt with the words “White Lives Matter” on it. The garment, which appeared to be a part of the YZY season nine collection, was worn by model Selah Marley, who is the granddaughter of Bob Marley and the daughter of Lauryn Hill.
This display ruffled the feathers of critics and community alike, and many came forward with their criticism. Gabriella Karefa-Johnson was among the ones who were critical of the stunt. The Vogue fashion editor and stylist described the highly criticized moment as “indefensible behavior” on her Instagram.
She shared screenshots of a private chat she had with a friend in an effort to understand the aesthetic viewpoint that West was seeking to present in the collection, but she ultimately concluded was the stunt was deeply offensive and dangerous to the Black community. She strongly condemned the rapper’s actions and described the usage of the t-shirts as “pure violence”.
The comments didn’t sit well with West, who went on a social media rampage against Karefa-Johnson by posting a picture of the stylist with the caption, “This is not a fashion person”. The post was shared on his Instagram account with over 18 million followers. He also mocked her shoes and posted a screenshot of her personal Instagram account. He publicly mocked her appearance and style. The said posts have since been deleted.
Who is Gabriella Karefa-Johnson?
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson has been an active figure in the fashion industry since 2009. She graduated from Barnard College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History of Art. She also studied at Columbia University before her career in the fashion industry. She worked as an Associate Fashion Director at Vogue for four years, after which she became the Fashion Director of Garage Magazine in 2017.
She boasts an impressive portfolio with experience working at Vogue, Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, and Garage. Her Instagram account has amassed 311K followers as of today. Karefa-Johnson became the first Black woman to style a Vogue cover when she styled Paloma Elsesser. She then went on to style U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and worked on many more impressive covers.
How Did Others React?
The majority of Instagram users came together to support the young fashion editor, including many influential figures like Supreme creative director Tremaine Emory, Hailey Bieber, and Gigi Hadid. Gigi Hadid publicly called out the rapper for bullying Karefa-Johnson and called him immature and bullying for his behavior.
Hailey Bieber didn’t call West out, but she commented on Instagram about the respect she holds for Karefa-Johnson and showered praises on the fashion editor. Vogue released a statement on October 4 extending their support to their longtime contributor. They also revealed West and Karefa-Johnson met privately, where she reasserted what she said and stood her ground.
Did Kanye West and Gabriella Karefa-Johnson Reconcile?
West came forward to defend himself on October 4 through an Instagram post that’s now deleted, where the rapper said he met up with Gabriella after the fashion show fiasco and went for dinner together. He referred to her as “my sister” beneath a picture of her and stated that the encounter was taped by Director Baz Luhrmann.
He said both parties apologized to each other and moved on. Karefa-Johnson hasn’t confirmed or denied meeting with West after the fashion show yet, but she issued a statement on her Instagram story where she thanked the community for the love and support they showed her.
