In T Magazine‘s cover story The Agony and the Ecstasy of Kanye West, the rapper opens up to writer Jon Caramanica and poses with fresh tats for photographer Juergen Teller. The article talks about the obstacles Kanye West has faced (and continues to face) in trying to crack the fashion world, and addresses the conflict between his personal taste for high-end luxury and his desire to create a new luxury for the everyman. But the highlight of the piece comes in the article’s conclusion, when West talks about the famous photo of Ralph Lauren caringly caressing his face, telling Caramanica the story behind the picture: “Do you know what he said when he did that? ‘This is my son. And I was thinking, ‘I knew it! I knew Ralph was my daddy!'”
We also learn that Kanye is considering using an image of a smashed up Chicago Saint Laurent store as a single cover (a dig at Hedi Slimane, who he’s had a feud with), that he bought a “preschool-size denim jumpsuit” as a design reference and that he sees himself as a “nouveau riche marble table” that he once unwillingly owned (“no matter what you put around it, under it, no matter who photographed it, the douchebaggery would always come through.”)
The accompanying, Teller-lensed photographs were shot in a London graveyard as well as a studio, and the two are seen sharing good times in a behind-the-scenes video. Soundtracked by Kanye’s All Day, the video’s only dialogue comes from Teller, who leaves the shoot in a long, hooded fur coat and teases West by saying, “My coat’s better. No?”
Read the full article here.
Credits
Photography Juergen Teller, courtesy T Magazine