Top Fashion Publicist: “Kanye West Is Nothing In Fashion”
He certainly seems to think he’s the world’s top tastemaker.
But Kanye West’s bubble has been pricked by Kelly Cutrone, a high-profile fashion publicist, who told the New York Daily News that she doesn’t think the fashion world cares about what Kanye does – at all.
It’s not the first time high fashion and Kanye have come to blows. His first foray into designing clothes himself led to some truly disastrous reviews, and he published a huge rant about front row exclusivity at last year’s Fashion Week.
And now Cutrone has come out blazing. “I don’t think there’s one person who really works in the fashion industry who really gives a flying f*** about Kanye West,” she said.
“I think they have no influence in the fashion world whatsoever,” she added of Kanye and wife Kim. “I mean, most people who watch the Kardashians can’t afford Givenchy.”
So who is Kelly Cutrone, and is she right?
Cutrone is a judge on America’s Next Top Model alongside Tyra Banks, but she’s done PR for the cream of the top fashion brands. From Valentino to Vivienne Westwood, she’s done the publicity and run the runways.
We’re not talking about a minor player here – and she’s intent on pricking the Wests’ balloon. “Have Kim and Kanye had an impact on pop culture? Absolutely,” she said. “Do I think that Hamish Bowles wakes up in the morning, calls Andre Leon Talley and says “Did you see those pants that Kanye was rocking on SNL?’ No.”
We can’t wait to hear what Kanye has to say about this. Considering his last rant included dinosaurs and blowfish, maybe he’ll compare Cutrone to a crab.
Do you agree with Cutrone?
Image: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
Rihanna Trademarks Her Surname For Fashion Lines
Make way for the Rihanna fashion revolution.
Not satisfied with doing collaborations with Topshop and other brands, Rihanna has trademarked her last name, Fenty, for a host of fashion-related lines, including Fenty Clothing, Fenty Lingerie and Fenty Swimwear.
It looks like the songstress’s next move is a fashion empire. But will it work, and is it really going to be a vast collection of Rihanna couture?
Crossovers from music into fashion are notoriously problematic. Unless they have a respected label backing them up – see Rita Ora and Adidas, for instance – they can crash and burn.
Beyonce’s mother’s line House of Dereon was slammed repeatedly for its poor design, for instance. Most musicians stick sensibly where the money is – in tour t-shirts and souvenirs.
But Rihanna appears to be taking herself seriously in fashion – or is she?
The funny thing about trademarks is that they can be preventative. You can just sit on the name without using it – what you’re doing is preventing anybody else from trying the same thing.
So Fenty Clothing may just be Rihanna’s legal ploy to stop anybody else trading off her name, even if she doesn’t want to become Valentino herself.
W Magazine certainly seems to think Rihanna’s fashion future is in modelling: they’ve just published a shoot of her beside iconic models Naomi Campbell and Iman, posing as the ‘heir’ to a modelling dynasty.
If Rihanna is going for gold in fashion, we can expect a lot of risque streetwear, urban-inspired casuals and edgy design – it might actually shake things up. But is she more model or mogul? What do you think?
Image: Rihanna with Iman and Naomi Campbell for W Magazine.
New York Attorney General: Barneys ‘Did Commit Racial Profiling’
High-end New York department store Barney’s has had to settle a case against it for racial profiling – to the tune of half a million US dollars.
And the NYC Attorney General, who was investigating, was pretty sure that there was some dirty work going down.
The lawsuit was filed in 2013 after several African-American and Latino men complained about being unfairly targeted by store security. It caused a furore online, partially because Jay-Z had just announced a collaboration with Barney’s on a men’s accessories line.
Jay-Z refused to comment and the accessories line went ahead, despite public pressure on him to pull out.
Now it looks as if the lawsuit were justified, with the Attorney General saying that the investigation showed “a disproportionate number of African-American and Latino customers being detained for alleged shoplifting or credit card fraud” by store security.
The discrimination suit alleged that the men were targeted because their race made the security staff believe they ‘couldn’t afford’ to shop in a store as expensive as Barney’s, which is one of the most luxury-based in the US.
To make the lawsuit go away, Barney’s had to pay $525,000 and implement a series of new rules in-store for training employees.
Image: Barneys New York.