As talented as Kanye West is as a musician, a designer, and an all-around artist, it’s safe to say he’s been misunderstood throughout his career. The “Praise God” rapper has recently faced scrutiny for the way he chose to display his newest Yeezy Gap collection. Fans were confused as to why his clothing line was left in oversized trash bags instead of neatly hung up on hangers. Many felt as though it showed insensitivity to homeless people because he profited from placing large piles of clothes in bags for customers to dig through.
Today (Aug. 18), Ye gave an exclusive interview with Fox News to discuss his reasoning behind the unusual setup. The “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” artist says he intended to simply make his clothing more egalitarian and not pretentious. When asked if he could understand why some considered his display to be insensitive to those who are less fortunate, Ye stood firm in his beliefs. “Look, man. I’m an innovator, and I’m not here to sit up and apologize about my ideas. That’s exactly what the media tries to do. Make us apologize for any idea that doesn’t fall under exactly the way they want us to think,” he said.
Yeezy told the outlet that the garments weren’t placed in trash bags but construction bags. He wants consumers to be able to informally reach in and help themselves to the item of their choice. Just days ago, a tweet that’s been liked over 60,000 times said, “This is how they are selling Yeezy GAP. The sales associate said Ye got mad when he saw they had it on hangers and this is how he wanted it. They won’t help you find ur size too, you just have to just dig through everything.”
Today, comments on YouTube under Fox News’ interview with Ye have changed their tune. “When you go to some Thrift stores, you search through bags of clothes. So why is he getting [criticized]? He is also saving money on store designs and equipment,” one person wrote. Another said, “He has ideas out of the norm. He’s not making fun of the homeless. Aldi food stores [give] boxes. Is that an attack on the homeless that live in boxes? What about modern art made from trash?”
One applauded Fox for giving West a chance to explain: “I think Kanye is one of the most misunderstood artists. Everyone makes mistakes, but this dude has been treated really [badly], you can see what silencing him has done to him. Good on Fox for interviewing him.”