nme.com
04.10.2022 / 04:33
Artists respond after Kanye West wears ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt at Paris Fashion Week
Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show over the weekend, Kanye West introduced his latest Yeezy line with his Yzy Season 9 event on Monday.During the live-streamed presentation, the rapper wore a longsleeve shirt with the words “White Lives Matter” emblazoned on the back. As Rolling Stone points out, the phrase – an appropriation of the Black Lives Matter slogan used to protest racial injustice, discrimination and police brutality – has been adopted by white supremacist organisations in recent years, and is categorised by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate slogan.While at the event, West was photographed standing next to conservative Black commentator Candace Owens – who has been vocally critical of the Black Lives Matter movement – who was also wearing a shirt with the words “White Lives Matter” on the back.Kanye West and Candace Owens wearing “White Lives Matter” shirts at his fashion show in Paris.