Ye is staging his first Yeezy runway show in four years on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The rapper, 47, will present “Yeezy Season 01” at the brand’s new flagship store, marking its first permanent retail location and what the company frames as a fresh chapter for the label launched in 2015. Representatives for Yeezy did not immediately return requests for comment.
The last time Ye held a runway show, the fallout derailed his fashion empire. That October 2022 presentation, “Yeezy Season 9,” was staged as a surprise during Paris Fashion Week, outside the official calendar. Before models including Amelia Hamlin and Naomi Campbell walked, Ye appeared wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt that was incorporated into the collection.
Several fashion insiders walked out in protest, including Jaden Smith. Sources said at the time that Ye was “baffled” by the backlash. He defended the designs in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
The controversy snowballed as Ye made antisemitic comments in subsequent weeks. Major partners severed ties: Adidas, Vogue, Balenciaga and others cut connections. Ye had already ended his 10-year deal with Gap in September 2022, but no new retail partner emerged after the Paris show.
Ye apologized earlier this year for his offensive and racist rhetoric. He linked his behavior to his bipolar diagnosis and complications from a 2002 car crash. Diehard fans have continued supporting his music and designs through the years since.
The new Los Angeles flagship represents Ye’s first brick-and-mortar store, a significant shift for a brand that previously relied on partnerships and pop-ups. The “Season 01” title suggests a deliberate reset, dropping the numerical sequence that previously tracked Yeezy’s output from Season 1 through Season 9.
The 2022 Paris show was not Ye’s first brush with controversy in fashion. His Yeezy Season 4 presentation in 2016 drew criticism when models fainted and struggled in the heat on Roosevelt Island. But the “White Lives Matter” shirts represented a different magnitude of provocation, one that cost him billions in partnerships and mainstream credibility.
Ye’s attempted comeback has been gradual. Beyond the apology, he has released new music and teased various projects while operating largely outside the corporate fashion structure that once amplified his reach. The Los Angeles store opening signals a move toward vertical integration, controlling distribution without intermediary partners.
The Wednesday show’s location at the flagship store suggests an intimate presentation rather than the stadium-scale productions of earlier seasons. Whether fashion insiders who fled the 2022 show will attend remains unannounced.
Ye has not confirmed whether the collection will include womenswear, menswear, or both. His Yeezy Season 9 show featured ready-to-wear looks modeled by a diverse cast including established runway veterans.