Kanye: Vogue Defends Fashion Editor ‘Targeted & Bullied’ By Rapper
Vogue is defending its global fashion editor at large, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, amid Kanye West’s online attacks. “Vogue stands with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, our global fashion editor at large and longtime contributor. She was personally targeted and bullied. It is unacceptable,” the magazine wrote in a Tuesday Instagram post.
“Now more than ever, voices like hers are needed and in a private meeting with Ye today she once again spoke her truth in a way she felt best, on her terms.”
On Tuesday (Oct. 4) in a since-deleted post, Ye commented on a photo Karefa-Johnson’s outfit which was “brown boots, a striped knit skirt, a yellow graphic T-shirt and a corduroy trench coat,” Page Six describes adding that the journalist, “accessorized her look with a blue Balenciaga bag, large shades and a statement necklace.”
“This is not a fashion person,” West captioned a photo on Instagram per the outlet. “You speak on Ye Ima speak on you Ask Trevor Noah,” he said referencing his prior feud with the comedian.
In another post, the rapper wrote of the editor’s outfit, “I KNOOOOOW ANNA HAAAATES THESE BOOTS,” referring to Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour.
Supermodel model GiGi Hadid defended Karefa-Johnson and commented on the post, “You wish u had a percentage of her intellect. You have no idea haha…If there’s actually a point to any of your s— she might be the only person that could save u.”
West decided to attack the fashion journalist after she critiqued his YZY SZN 9 collection that debuted at Paris Fashion Week as Black models were seen wearing “White Lives Matter” t-shirts.
Ye defended his “White Lives Matter” shirts on Instagram Tuesday writing, “Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam now it’s over you’re welcome.”
“I’m fuming… collecting my thoughts …,” Karefa-Johnson wrote via her Instagram Story and called the rapper’s design “indefensible behavior.”
“I guess I get what he tried to do– he thought it was duchampian. It wasn’t,” she wrote in another IG Story per the outlet. “It didn’t land and it was deeply offensive, violent and dangerous.”
Later that evening, Ye took to Instagram to apologize to Karefa-Johnson.
“GABBY IS MY SISTER,” he wrote on Instagram and sharing a photo of the journalist.
“IM NOT LETTING PEOPLE GO TO BED THINKING I DIDN’T MEET WITH GABRIELLE AT 5 PM TODAY FOR 2 HOURS THEN WE WENT TO DINNER AT FERDIE [a popular Italian restaurant in New York City].”
Ye claimed that their meeting was filmed by Baz Luhrmann, the director of the movie Elvis at the request of Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour.
The rapper also claimed they posed for pictures afterward, but he was “instructed to not post them.”
“WE APOLOGIZED TO EACH OTHER FOR THE WAY WE MADE EACH OTHER FEEL WE ACTUALLY GOT ALONG AND HAVE BOTH EXPERIENCED THE FIGHT FOR ACCEPTANCE IN A WORLD THAT’S NOT OUR OWN,” he wrote.
The rapper concluded the message by saying, “SHE DISAGREED I DISAGREED WE DISAGREED. AT LEAST WE BOTH LOVE FERDIE AND FASHION.”
Hadid commented on the post correcting the rapper, “It’s Gabriella*.”
Ye later called the supermodel out in an Instagram post: “I wonder what GiGi and Venus’s perspectives were when I didn’t know where my child was on her birthday,” he wrote. Ye did not specify who “Venus” was in his post.
“Gabby told me that she disagreed with that (and that’s me putting it in a nice way). She said it was on her group chats so why did everyone feel so free to attack me on my t-shirt but Candace Owens was the only public figure to say it was wrong for the Kardashians to keep me away from seeing my daughter,” he wrote.
He added: “Or are we just going to chime in when we want to bring a Black man down for actually having a political opinion.”
“And for all audience so outraged about my t-shirt, where was you when I couldn’t see my kids. I went public in hope of public support at that time.”
