Talented yet unpredictable, Kanye West is one of the most enigmatic figures of our time. The 44-year-old rapper, fashion designer and would-be politician certainly marches to his own beat. A bass-heavy 808 beat, specifically.
His latest move? Turning up to Balenciaga’s haute couture show during Paris Fashion Week wearing a full face mask that makes him look like a bank robber… Or a waterboarding victim.
According to E Online, West happily posed for pictures with the accessory on and even kept it on whilst chatting with VIP guests like Anna Wintour, James Harden and Lewis Hamilton.
It’s a bizarre look, but one he’s rocked before. During his 2014 tour for his sixth studio album, Yeezus, Kanye performed on stages across the globe wearing a series of bejewelled full face masks designed by Maison Margiela.
Well, it’s one way to wear a mask during COVID…
He contrasted the confronting headgear with a rather subdued outfit, consisting of a jacket from his collaborative capsule with Gap (in an as-of-yet unseen black colourway) and a pair of Yeezy Foam RNNRs from his long-running collaboration with Adidas. Controversially, he paired the clogs with some Nike socks – surprising, considering his long-running animus towards the brand.
RELATED: Justin Bieber Spotted Wearing The Only Shoes Worse Than Crocs
Fans are already lauding the mask as the must-have accessory of Paris Fashion Week, while others are simply revelling in its madness. As one commenter put it on Business of Fashion’s Instagram page, “he acting up again, and I’m here for it.”
“It would be pretty funny if Kanye pulled an MF Doom and just had random people go places dressed up as him,” another fan joked, referencing the late British-American rapper famous for performing with a metal supervillain mask.
Speaking of supervillains, check out Kanye acolyte and Louis Vuitton creative director Virgil Abloh’s similarly ridiculous and villainous fit he wore to LV’s show last week.