Kanye West is caught up in yet another one-sided internet feud. This time, he’s attacking fashion journalist and stylist, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.
On Oct, 3, West held a surprise fashion show to debut his Yeezy brand’s Season 9 collection in Paris. However, the rapper/fashion designer caused quite a stir when he addressed the crowd donning a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt from the line. Also in attendance was friend and right-wing talking head, Candace Owens.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) October 3, 2022
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson was also in attendance at the show and was a witness to several models wearing the controversial “White Lives Matter” shirts — including one of Selah Marley, daughter of Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley.
Karefa-Johnson shared her thoughts on the T-shirt on Instagram Stories. Spoiler alert: she wasn’t a fan.
“Here come the bull*****…” she wrote along with a video of a Black model wearing the T-shirt down the runway. The fashion editor added that she was “fuming,” and urged viewers to send her a direct message for her “working thesis” on Yeezy’s looks.
Later, she shared screenshots of several text messages that she wrote to a friend about the show, where she dived deeper into her thoughts on the “White Lives Matter” shirt.
“He neglected to realize the importance of the object when he tried to extend that kind of subversion to the BLM slogan,” she wrote. “One is object. One is ethos.”
In a follow-up post to her Instagram Story, Karefa-Johnson shared that she somewhat understood “what [West] tried to do,” but she ultimately believe it didn’t land.
“It was deeply offensive, violent, and dangerous.”
She went on to explain that the T-shirt perpetuates dangerous stereotypes and a belief that Blackness will “supercede whiteness in power and influence if given the chance.” That “false” mentality is a threat to the Black communities safety and prosperity.
“There is no excuse, there is no art here,” she said to conclude her thoughts. “I do think if you asked Kanye, he’d say there was art, and revolution, and all of the things in that T-shirt. There isn’t.”
In typical Ye fashion, he did not take Karefa-Johnson’s critique well. He proceeded to attack her on Instagram in several posts, appearing to make fun of her outfit and question her authority to speak on fashion.
“Broke the processor When the computer can’t read the code This is a droid,” he captioned the first post he curated against her.
View this post on Instagram
In another, he shared a picture of one of her outfits and said, “this is not a fashion person You speak on Ye Ima speak on you Ask Trevor Noah.”
View this post on Instagram
His final post included a close up on Karefa-Johnson footwear in the aforementioned post.
“I KNOOOOOOW ANNA HAAAATES THESE BOOTS,” he wrote in the caption.
But who is Gabriella Karefa-Johnson and is she qualified to speak on fashion?
Who is Gabriella Karefa-Johnson?
Though Ye claims Karefa-Johnson is not a “fashion person,” she has made incredible strides in the industry, particularly in diversifying high fashion spaces.
While attending Barnard College and working on her BA in History of Art, Karefa-Johnson interned in the editorial departments at Allure Magazine, Vogue, Elle Magazine, WWD, Moda Operandi, Teen Vogue and was the First Assistant to Julia Sarr-Jamois at Wonderland Magazine.
Upon graduating college, Karefa-Johnson spent four years at Vogue Magazine where she became Associate Fashion Director.
Although she left the publication to become Fashion Director at GARAGE Magazine in 2017, in January 2021, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson briefly returned to her old stomping grounds to style Vogue’s Paloma Elsesser’s cover, making her the first Black woman to style a Vogue cover in the publication’s history. She would go on to style the next four covers after that one, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Amanda Gorman, Gigi Hadid, and Selena Gomez.
Honored to be the first poet EVER on the cover of @voguemagazine , & what a joy to do so while wearing a Black designer, @virgilabloh . This is called the Rise of Amanda Gorman, but it's truly for all of you, both named & unseen, who lift me up 🕊🦋
Love,
Amanda https://t.co/PFkEzv1kta— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) April 7, 2021
Karefa-Johnson has continuously helped to highlight up-and-coming talent, like Ethan James Green, Nadine Ijewere and Campbell Addy. Her work in the digital space has also earned her a Webby nomination and landed her a spot on the 2022 Business of Fashion 500 list.
We’d say she’s more than qualified to speak on fashion.
