by Artina Dozier-Gage

I came away from watching Yeezy’s Season 8 show utterly inspired. I love when a concept is completely committed to it’s self. The show had a finished feel from the very beginning, with the element of surprise in presenting a show in the first place, to the performance element of the invitation with it’s beautiful and very minimalist and streamlined textual design. I also felt that North and the very touching and tender moment between Father and daughter brought a wonderful lightness and sense of humanity. Even the color that she adorned seemed to breathe life and some warmth into what was by many accounts a cold place.

With that being said, the collection felt quite void; it had a hollow or empty quality to it, which may have been the point. I understand that the design brief was to create a line that was geared towards workwear, which seemed odd considering the garments didn’t evoke a sense of power or otherwise come across as having much of a protective or functional quality to them. The models seemed a bit befogged and dazed; like a league of bots utterly controlled by…something—perhaps the unyielding sound of blowing horns that seemed to speak to the hollowed space in which the show took place.

The collection lacked feeling, that thing that gives clothing the ability to communicate, often referred to as style. However, not in the way of a particular style, but any style at all. Or, spirit. Or, even life. It felt at times as though the apocalypse had finally come or was very near.

“Could Kanye have foreseen the Corona virus pandemic?” I sarcastically pondered. Did he assume that all that is left at such a time would be mere scraps of cloth that could be use to cover ourselves? I suppose, if that was in fact the mindset, who would care about style? Or, the essence of a garment? Or, what one’s clothing is “communicating”?

“No one.” I hear (in my head) Kanye’s Yeezy Season 8 emphatically answer in a monotone, oh so minimalist, and matter‑of‑fact kind of way.

Now, based on my impressions one might wonder how is it that I found inspiration. Simply stated, things don’t have to be “beautiful” or even stylish for that matter to be inspirational. I found the production itself to be inspirational. Beyond that, if you believe in humankind and in her/his/their potential inspiration is sure to follow.