Kanye West's Most Influential Fashion Move: The Sweatshirt
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It’s surprising that Kanye West—the king of fashion—was given a second opportunity to work as a fashion designer after his high-end women’s collection flopped at Paris Fashion Week in 2012. West now works with the French label A.P.C., designing a small, simple menswear collection each season. The sales have been staggering, with kids lining up to buy A.P.C x Kanye parkas for $1000, or $300 jeans.
In addition to his hit/miss contribution to Paris’ scene, the performer-turned-designer regularly shows off his wildly lavish, designer-filled wardrobe, one that’s become the envy of every impressionable street-wearer. His look has transformed from schoolboy-cool circa 2004 to an avant-garde twist on the basics, but his most influential move so far? The elongated sweatshirt, a far cry from the retro-tinged heritage sweatshirt that’s dominated menswear the past few years.
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West’s longline sweatshirt look, which reaches above the knee, has been appropriated by various online shops like ASOS, which sold over 300,000 oversized sweaters in November of 2014. Shops carrying similar proportions by high-end designers like Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester have also referred to this West-approved style as the “Kanye effect,” boosting sales of the peculiar uniform.
How funny, that after attempting to influence women’s fashion from the very top, with an exclusive runway collection in Paris, West’s greatest style influence is the sweatshirt (albeit one that could be mistaken for an ill-fitting dress). Do you think the “Kanye effect” will impact the styles of 2015, or is this the peak of West’s fashion legacy?
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