adminKanye West wants to be the “Steve Jobs of the Gap”. The rapper revealed in an interview with Style.com for New York Fashion Week that he once dreamed of being the head creative director of the clothing chain. “Perhaps this is a bit of a demo tape,” he joked in the interview as he leaned to speak directly into the tape recorder. “When I say Steve Jobs of the Gap, as I talk to the people at the Gap right now I’m not talking about a capsule. I’m talking about full Hedi Slimane creative control of the Gap is what I would like to do.”
Slimane is the head creative director for Yves Saint Laurent, who while West respects his work, he also said in the interview their prices are “unfair’”.
Throughout the one-on-one, the musician name checked the late Jobs’ company
Apple, as well as Pixar, a number of times, clearly keen to position himself as clear head of his fashion field yet while remaining accessible to the masses.
He insisted the graduates of the great design schools dreamed of one day designing for Paris runways, and were afraid to create for the mass market because it was frowned upon – but now he has broken down the barrier between the two.
“Now we have a place where you not only can create in an environment that’s comparable to creating at a fashion house or creating at Apple or at Pixar, but also you can connect with people the way that H&M or Zara or, of course, Adidas can connect with people,” he said.
Ironically, 10 years ago Kanye released the song “Spaceship” on his iconic album “The College Dropout”, on which he raps about working at the Gap where he stole from the store and was paraded as the token black member of staff.
In his Style interview, the 35-year-old revealed that his fashion epiphany moment came at his grandfather’s funeral, when he realised the mourners were dressed just as well as any so-called high fashion catwalk.
“I realised that it had all been a scam, that it had all been smoke and mirrors to present this concept that a straight black guy out of Chicago that’s a rapper, that’s married to a reality star, could somehow not design a coat, that can’t design a T-shirt, that can’t have enough of an opinion.
“Now we have a place where you not only can create in an environment that’s comparable to creating at a fashion house or creating at Apple or at Pixar, but also you can connect with people the way that H&M or Zara or, of course, Adidas can connect with people,” he said.
“You know, it’s like voting,” he added. “Fashion is merely an opinion. And I’ve got a lot of opinions.”
Despite having lots, the 37-year-old unsurprisingly said he wasn’t interested in negative ones on him or his work.
“I don’t need to read that because it’s not going to inspire me in any way. I don’t need any more negativity in my life to make me work harder,’ he said. ‘I can’t possibly physically work harder. I have to tell myself to go to sleep.”
The designer – who in a rare flash of modesty insisted he wasn’t a designer in fear of disrespecting other designers – said all criticism should be constructive. – Dailymail.
Online Reporter