Kanye West Defends His Panned Collection: ‘Sweatshirts Are F–king Important’

What bad reviews? Kanye West’s Yeezy 2 collection may have been a flop with the critics, but he isn’t hearing any of it! Despite the not-so-great reviews, the rapper actually defended his controversial sportswear in a new interview, claiming ‘sweatshirt are f**king important!’

Kanye West, 38, may have gotten A-listers and even Anna Wintour, 65, to attend his Yeezy 2 collection at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 16, but that didn’t stop the critics from trashing it in their reviews. Everything from the baggy sweatshirts to the skin-tight bodysuits seemed to be a point of contention with the fashion industry, but say what you will because Kanye isn’t hearing any of it! Despite the less than favorable responses, the rapper-turned-designer has only continued to defend his controversial sportswear collection. Why?  Because “sweatshirts are f**king important.”

Speaking candidly about his collection in an interview with Vanity Fair, Kanye opened up about his creative process and why he decided to show a range of baggy sweatshirts — pieces that drew intense criticize from fashion veterans. “I was so happy to just show so many sweatshirts. It’s as simple as that. I think sweatshirts are the way of the future. . . Sweatshirts are fucking important. That might sound like the funniest quote ever. How can you say all this stuff about running for president in 2020 and then say sweatshirts are important? But they are. Just mark my words. Mark my words like Mark Twain.”

Unfortunately for Kanye, not everyone felt the same way. Among them, the rapper’s ex Amber Rose, 31. “Amber feels bad for everyone who attended what she thinks is a disaster of a show,” an insider told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “She especially feels awful for the models that had to wear that nonsense. They looked sad and very uncomfortable, as if the fabrics were itching them. Amber saw most of the outfits and would absolutely not wear them.” Even Ice-T, 57, took to Twitter to blast Yeezy, referring to the clothes as “future slave gear.” Yikes!

Regardless of Amber and Ice-T’s thoughts, though, Kanye definitely has a lot of support. Kylie Jenner, 18, modeled in his show, and Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Kendall were all cheering from the crowd. Even Givenchy’s own Riccardo Tisci was sitting front row to show encouragement for the rapper-turned-designer. Not a bad crew to have on your side, right?!

— Alyssa Montemurro