Maison Martin Margiela will outfit Kanye West for his upcoming tour.
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It’s been a big week for Kanye West. First, he puts a 15-carat rock on the finger of that small-time fiancé, Kim Kardashian, of his. Next, he gets a giant wardrobe delivery courtesy of Maison Martin Margiela.
The French fashion house that has forever been shrouded in mystery has provided the singer with all of the outfits for his coming Yeezus tour. The extensive custom-made collection consists of 20 ready-to-wear pieces, 10 couture pieces, and a rumoured ‘exclusive’ pair of kicks — we’re intrigued.
The tour — the rapper’s first solo concert trail in five years, takes him on 30 dates around North America — has unsurprisingly already garnered much music media attention. Heck, it even has its own Wikipedia page. But now, with the news of Margiela’s involvement, it’s caught the eye of the fashion world, too. We spoke to Margiela’s team who answered the questions we were dying to know — except for the big one: will Margiela have any involvement in the wedding? For now, that one remains a mystery.
How involved has Kanye been in designing the collection?
The collection is a rework of Maison Martin Margiela’s haute couture archive pieces. They have been chosen both by Kanye and the Maison. The Maison then researched new fabrics and volumes to reinterpret the pieces and match contemporary artist Vanessa Beecroft’s scenography.
Can you guide us through some of the key pieces?
An elongated embroidered bomber jacket was remade from a 1900s lady’s dress; a coat was made out of military blankets; and military jackets were assembled together to create an oversized cape. As for the veils, some have been re-interpreted from our archives, while others were created specially for the Yeezus tour. Four different veils complete the set— one is composed of marble pieces and another one is made from CD-ROMs. All are embroidered on a silk chiffon base.
How long has it taken to pull the outfits together?
It took approximately five weeks from the first piece of research to the final fittings.
Are celebrity relations and outfits a direction Margiela is looking to take?
The Maison still has a very discreet policy in terms of celebrity dressing but we always choose to work with people we feel close to.
Will any of the pieces from the tour retail?
None of these pieces will be sold. Similar sneakers can be found in store as they are Margiela classics but this pair were reproduced in special colours for the Yeezus tour.
