Kanye West made his runway debut during the Balenciaga show over the weekend.
The “Stronger” rapper opened the apocalypse-themed presentation staged at the Parc des Expositions as part of Paris Fashion Week on Saturday.
Kanye wore a military-style jacket and black leather trousers, with the look accessorized with gloves and boots, as he walked down the muddy set designed by conceptual artist Santiago Sierra.
While the star has not yet directly discussed his modeling gig, he took to his Instagram Stories shortly after to share a message sent to him by fashion icon Betsey Johnson.
“I felt a little bit emotional when you walked. It felt really special,” she wrote, to which he replied, “After all the battles. Even this year. Pretty amazing. I’m emotional too. We have more battles ahead of us. But we’re going to win God is on our side.”
Kanye’s four children, North, nine, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, three, whom he shares with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, were reportedly in the audience, as were Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat, and Alexa Demie.
And as for the bold theme, Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia explained that the backdrop was “a metaphor for digging for truth and being down to earth.”
“I’ve decided to no longer explain my collections and verbalize my designs, but to express a state of mind,” he mused in the press notes. “Fashion is a visual art and all we need is for it to be seen through someone’s eyes.”