Kendall Jenner, pack it up because Kanye West is the new model in the family.
The rapper and fashion icon, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, made his runway debut during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday with a catwalk brace that has already caught the internet’s attention.
West opened Balenciaga’s apocalyptic Summer 2023 show, which featured a mud-soaked catwalk surrounded by piles of mud, surprising everyone in the audience including daughter North West, who sat in the front row at the event alongside aunts Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner.
The Yeezy designer ditched his much-discussed glitzy flip-flops and sported a black oversized military-inspired jacket adorned with a “security” patch and leather pants. He wore a hoodie over a beanie that hid part of his face – West’s favorite way of appearing in public lately.
The musician came to the show with his younger children Saint West, 6; Chicago West, 4; and Psalm West, 3, according to Entertainment Tonight, while her mother Kim Kardashian was reportedly absent.
The Grammy winner’s unexpected appearance on the catwalk naturally caused a lot of conversation around the internet.
Kanye’s runway walk makes me feel kind of sorry
— Cocolo Minaj (@evilrashida) October 2, 2022
The hip-hop legend has a long history with the Spanish fashion house, with whom he collaborated on a capsule collection as part of his now-defunct partnership with Gap. Kardashian has also found huge success with the luxury brand, which she recently featured in a lively new campaign.
Earlier this week, West performed at the Givenchy show in the French capital wearing a Balenciaga surgical mask.
Kanye West attends the Givenchy Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week.Stéphane Cardinale-Corbis via Getty Images
Creative director Demna Gvasalia explained why models were tasked with slogging through high-fashion filth, saying the set was a “metaphor for digging for the truth and being down-to-earth.”
“I hate boxes and I hate labels. … Individualism in fashion is relegated to pseudo-trends dictated by a contribution to Stories from a Celebrity of the Moment,” he wrote in the show’s notes. “I’ve decided to stop explaining my collections and verbalising my designs, and expressing a mindset instead.”
It’s unclear why Kardashian wasn’t at the event, as she has made a habit of still publicly supporting West since their split, while the former couple continues to work out the details of their somewhat controversial divorce.
West was absent from the show she curated for Dolce & Gabbana, titled Ciao Kim, during Milan Fashion Week days ago, which was a full-fledged KarJenner family affair.
The back-to-back fashion extravaganzas follow West’s public apology to Kardashian for “any stress I’ve caused” after previously attacking the reality star and her family on social media.
“This is my children’s mother and I apologize for any stress I have caused, even in my frustration because God is calling me to be stronger,” he said during a Good Morning America appearance. “But it won’t cause any stress to anyone else either. I need that person who is the least stressed, has the best mind, and is as calm as possible to raise these kids.”
Check out the full Summer 23 collection from Balenciaga below.