Kanye West Talks On His Journey In Fashion With His ‘Daddy’ Ralph Lauren As Inspiration

For years, Kanye West has been trying to step out of the “just music” mindset and become a trailblazer in the fashion industry. Everything has finally come together this year as Kanye West has unveiled his new line with Adidas. Since every person needs a hero, Kanye West has always shown extreme praise for the work of Ralph Lauren. This appreciation was evident in his music before West had ever made any efforts in the fashion scene.

In his latest New York Time profile, West goes a trip down memory lane to his childhood. His explanation of his dreams made it evident that they were all to do with fashion and little to do with music.

“I dreamed, since I was a little kid, of having my own store where I could curate every shoe, sweatshirt and color. I have sketches of it. I cried over the idea of having my own store.”

But the fashion world was not as easy to break into as Kanye expected, so after dropping out of college where he was studying fashion, he began producing music. From the beginning of Kanye’s music career, he made it clear to the public that fashion was his main focus. He was well known for wearing fluorescent-colored Ralph Lauren Polo shirts all while rapping out cultural issues in America. In his profile, Kanye West speaks about the snobbiness of the fashion industry and how he plans to change it.

“Before the Internet, music was really expensive. People would use a rack of CDs to show class, to show they had made it. Right now, people use clothes to telegraph that. I want to destroy that. The very thing that supposedly made me special — the jacket that no one could get, the direct communications with the designers — I want to give that to the world.”

After years of Kanye-isms, Mr. West has finally gotten the fashion industry to pay attention. The result of all eyes being on West was the recent fashion show in which Kanye unveiled his new Addidas collaboration, but according to Style it was only after a voice-over sounded on stage. It was voice-over of another Kanye-ism, adding to the excitement of the event.

“I’m here to crack the pavement. I want to create something better for you.”

The line received great reviews in fashion and comments that Kanye West was pursuing “perfectionism,” with his styling. The music world was confused about the line, as they were expecting something a little more urban.

Even with the obvious presence of raw talent, Kanye West gives all the credit to his ego. He explains a recent situation in decorating his new home which gave him a new perception of himself.

“I have this table in my new house. They put this table in without asking. It was some weird nouveau riche marble table, and I hated it. But it was literally so heavy that it took a crane to move it. We would try to set up different things around it, but it never really worked. I realized that table was my ego. No matter what you put around it, under it, no matter who photographed it, the douchebaggery would always come through.”

Whether or not Kanye realized that that statement was an egotistic one in itself is unknown. But his new line is causing concerned chatter in pop-culture. Is Kanye West a good designer? Or did he just create a line for astronauts? While many fashion insiders consider Kanye’s line fresh and stylish, many music insiders feel that Kanye West’s joked “daddy,” Ralph Lauren should be offended.

Check out Kanye’s collection by viewing this slideshow.

[Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for adidas]