Supermodel Gigi Hadid has branded Kanye West a “bully and a joke” after he publicly insulted a critic of his controversial White Lives Matter top.
The rapper sparked backlash on Monday after debuting the item during his Yzy Season 9 collection event at Paris Fashion Week.
The 45-year-old has since doubled down on his claims and dismissed Black Lives Matter, a movement created to protest social and racial injustices, on Instagram.
In a series of posts, the Grammy winner lashed out stylist and global Vogue contributing editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson for describing his top “indefensible behaviour.”
West then went on to insult the creative’s style and claimed, “this is not a fashion person”, before sharing an ominous text that read “this means war”.
After sharing a text exchange with a friend named Mowalola, who had asked him “not to insult” the writer, Hadid then commented under the post: “You wish u had a percentage of her intellect [sic].”
“You have no idea haha…,” she continued. “If there’s actually a point to any of your s**t she might be the only person that could save u.
“As if the ‘honor’ of being invited to your show should keep someone from giving their opinion ..? Lol. You’re a bully and a joke.”
The Stronger rapper - who last year legally changed his name to “Ye” - is not one to shy away from controversy, however this time fans felt that he had overstepped the mark.
Earlier on Tuesday, he fanned the flames further by taking to Instagram Stories and writing: “Everyone knows that Black Lives Matters was a scam now its over you’re welcome (sic).”
As highlighted by Rolling Stone, the “White Lives Matter” phrase – an appropriation of the Black Lives Matter slogan used to protest racial injustice, discrimination and police brutality – has been adopted by white supremacist organisations in recent years, and is categorised by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate slogan.
While at the event, West was photographed standing next to conservative Black commentator Candace Owens – who has been a vocal critic of the Black Lives Matter movement – who was also wearing the same shirt in white.
The front of the top featured Pope John Paul II and the words “Seguiremos Tu Ejemplo,” meaning “We Will Follow Your Example.”
Jaden Smith took to social media to reveal that he had been at the event, but left in protest.
“I had to dip lol,” the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith wrote on the micro blogging site.
Adding in follow-up tweets: “True leaders lead. I don’t care who it is, if I don’t feel the message I’m out.”
Meanwhile, American rapper Boosie Badazz had some choice words for the Stronger hit-maker, calling him out as “disrespectful”.
“After all we been through as a race you put this disrespectful s*** omu gives no f**** about how blacks have died n suffered to the hands of the white man n u say Bush don’t like black people.. really ‘n****’” he fumed.
“So many folks are trying to excuse Kanye wearing a white lives matter t-shirt as just a troll move or marketing,” put in journalist Jemele Hill.
“Maybe it is. But it’s a dangerously dumb message to send for someone with his massive platform. I been off dude. But y’all go ahead labeling his foolishness as genius.”
Addressing the audience at the beginning of the event, West wore the shirt as he touched on classism in fashion, ex-wife Kim Kardashian‘s Paris robbery, former manager Scooter Braun telling him he needed to “make more money” by continuing his 2016 Saint Pablo Tour, and the fact that the tour’s cancellation is a moment that he feels will be brought up “for the rest of my life.”
“It’s the ultimate stigma,” he said. “People feel like they have the right to come to my face and call me crazy.
“Like it doesn’t hurt my feelings. Or like, you don’t have to be crazy in order to change the world.”
The Evening Standard have contacted Kanye West and Gigi Hadid’s reps for comment.
