2014 – The Year Of Kanye

In some ways, you could say 2014 was a commercially slow one for Kanye. The only major, albeit successful, release for the rapper was another instalment of his collaboration with Parisian brand A.P.C. His forthcoming studio album and adidas collaboration, on the other hand – while often promised and much hyped – never made it to the public before the year was out. 2014 was nevertheless the year of ‘Ye. His marriage to reality TV star turned global celebrity Kim Kardashian ‘broke’ Instagram, setting the record for the most liked picture in the photo-sharing app’s history. Together, the pair graced the cover of American Vogue and recently fronted a campaign for luxury label Balmain. Solo, Kanye secured his second American GQ cover, while Nike‘s release of the third and final Air Yeezy 2 Red October was met with ferocious enthusiasm, selling out instantly and now available for thousands of dollars from resellers flogging the trainers online. In short, you’d have to have been living under a sizeable rock not to have heard of the rapper’s exploits last year – and all without so much as one solo music endeavour. So, why do we really care? Because along with West’s critically acclaimed and commercially well-received music, his much-watched model wife and at times controversial public conduct, this guy really does have style.

Style Evolution: From College Dropout To Style Icon

When Kanye first burst onto the scene in 2004 with the release of College Dropout, his style consisted largely of preppy basics from the likes of Ralph Lauren, with a few clichéd gold chains thrown in for good measure. Strong pops of colour were a big part of his wardrobe, as were bold jumpers, teddy bear motifs, Louis Vuitton backpacks and popped collars. The overall effect was loud, garish and deserving of little more than maybe a three out of ten. As Kanye says of his early noughties sartorial endeavours: “Kill self. That’s all I have to say. Kill self.”