![]() ![]() ![]() Through this collection, a key theme of Kanye’s merch was born: the garments swapped explicit markers, like tour dates or even an album name, for lyrical snippets or aesthetic themes of the project. The graphic design was somewhat minimal compared to Yeezus: lyrics from “No More Parties in LA” and “Ultralight Beam” covered the backs of Gildan T-shirts or bomber jackets. Fans in attendance were the first to purchase “I Feel Like Pablo” T-shirts, which would go on to dominate an entire year of street style - an unprecedented feat for concert merch. Kanye’s entire trajectory changed with The Life of Pablo’s 2016 release, which combined a listening party and Yeezy Season 3 presentation at Madison Square Garden. Kanye named Raf Simons, Helmut Lang, and Katharine Hamnett as his references - proving, beyond his lyrics, he carried the encyclopedic knowledge of a fully baked fashion designer. While rappers launching streetwear lines was nothing new (Tyler, the Creator’s Golf Wang, Drake’s OVO, and Pharrell’s Billionaire Boys Club were already on the market at this point), Yeezy was immediately and unquestionably positioned in the luxury echelon of fashion, as was the rapper-turned-designer himself. The clothing resembled dystopian loungewear, pushing the oversized silhouettes and neutral hues now synonymous with Kanye West. Two years later, Kanye’s Yeezy label launched and set the tone for his creative fingerprint moving forward. Despite this controversy, the tour collection was so popular it spurred a more accessible line at Pacsun, where Kanye’s concert tees hung next to streetwear brands like Obey. Several pieces depicted the Confederate Flag - Kanye’s attempt to subvert the racist tropes he tackled throughout Yeezus lyrics, but a huge aesthetic misstep regardless. Under Metallica-esque “Yeezus” type, the tees featured skeletons wearing Native American headdresses or Grim Reaper robes. He created his tour line with graphic designer Wes Lang, who’s known for his recognizable work on Metallica merchandise. Through his 2013 album Yeezus, Kanye set himself apart from cookie-cutter merch. He boasts, “My chick in that new Phoebe Philo” in “Dark Fantasy,” and somehow rhymes “Balmain” and “Hedi Slimane” in the 2010 single “Looking for Trouble.” His lyrical infatuation with luxury fashion wasn’t common among fellow ’00s rappers, but it hinted at his genuine investment in the fashion world. ![]() Aside from dubbing himself the “Louis Vuitton Don” just seconds into his debut album College Dropout, he name-dropped more niche luxury figures throughout later verses. Kanye’s obsession with fashion was well-documented from the start of his career his lyrics practically manifested a life within the industry’s upper echelon. This album is updating the playbook Kanye wrote with 2013’s Yeezy, piggybacking his fashion endeavors with his musical milestones as the two become increasingly intertwined. $7 million is also how much Kanye’s Yeezy GAP puffer, the inaugural item in a ten-year collaboration, hit in sales after he wore it on stage at his first Donda event. The Donda listening session long sleeves, designed by Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia and priced at $100, clocked a whopping $7 million from the stadium merch booth alone. Kanye’s obsession with fashion was well-documented from the start of his career Our current stop is in Donda: an unreleased album that’s already spawned the highest-grossing tour of all time, solely from a single night of merch sales. Kanye West at the first DONDA listening party in Atlanta. To Kanye, making merch isn’t printing tour dates on a shirt and calling it a day - it’s crafting a wearable rest stop in his creative timeline. Concert merchandise used to be sold as a memento and nothing more - not something you’d style into an outfit, or buy with any intention to resell. Over the course of his 17-year music career, Kanye West fundamentally shifted how people and the entire fashion industry would perceive music merch: he was the first to consciously turn concert T-shirts into viable streetwear grails. Was it on the artist himself, bouncing around Madison Square Garden at The Life of Pablo listening party in 2016? Was it in any of the global merch pop-up shops that followed? Was it one of its countless fast fashion knockoffs? For a full year of street style, it was nearly impossible to escape that gothic-printed Gildan T-shirt - yet it was only the beginning of Kanye West’s merchandise reign. Where did you first see Kanye West’s “I Feel Like Pablo” T-shirt? ![]()
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