Kanye West's Yeezy Season 4 show may have been critically panned, but according to the Daily Mail, the rapper-turned-designer insists his fashion collaboration with Adidas is one of the "top four trendsetting brands".
The 39-year-old, who covers W magazine's first-ever his-and-hers fashion issue, spoke candidly with the publication about his frustrations with the fashion industry, explaining that people don't take his designs seriously because he is a musician.
"Think of how it is now - [Yeezy] is one of the leading trendsetting brands now; like top four trendsetting brands," he said. "And, and that's with little to no support on the apparel side. Meaning, I went and did a deal with Adidas and I basically still had to do the apparel in LA and build my own atelier and get consultants and build a team."
Last week, Kanye caused fashion mayhem when he bused editors and other guests to his Yeezy Season 4 show at the abandoned Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island.
Not only was the designer slammed for his show, which started late and saw models fainting in the heat, but his latest collection received some of his worst reviews to date.
Kanye noted that it is difficult for people to understand how difficult his foray into fashion has been, recalling how he tweeted bout being in $53 million in personal debt in February.
"The people who know what the f**k I'm talking about know what the f**k I'm talking about," he said of the tweet. "So I refuse people who write me off as some rich kid taking a hobby, fashion as a f*****g hobby or a fashion plate."
Kanye explained that his critics accuse him of putting himself on the "same level" as other designers when they know very little about him as an artist.
"No one, um - very few people even knew that I have a f****g Ph.D. in art, you know?" he said. "And not that that would even make the difference, but me saying that makes the difference to the exact people I'm talking to it's, like, shut the f**k up.
"I will f*****g laser you with alien f*****g eyes and explode your f*****g head. Shut the f**k up - try to write a rap. Okay then. I made this f*****g T-shirt, now shut up. And it cost me everything I had and I gave everything I had."
A model walks the runway as others look on at the YEEZY Season 4 fashion show. Photo / Getty Images
Kanye compared himself to Will Ferrell's character in Elf, explaining that he wants to "bring joy to the world" with his creations.
"I'm the elf that's Will Ferrell, that's too big for his hands to make the toys," he said.
The designer is clearly a fan of the film as he gushed that Ferrell is "royalty" to him.
"He is one of my personal gods," he said of the actor. "I would like Will Ferrell to play me in The Kanye West Story. Can you make that happen?"
According to Kanye, he's the fashion industry's version of one of Santa Claus' devoted elves.
"Play this s**t back in 10 years - I build things that mean things to people," he said. "I make the Christmas presents; number one requested Christmas present of 2015 Christmas, going into 2016, the f****g Yeezy."
However, despite his claims of creating the "number one Christmas present", Kanye doesn't believe he has "won" - and he has yet to feel validated in the fashion world.
"Do I have 80 people working for me like Demna has at Balenciaga?" he asked, referencing the luxury brand's designer Demna Gvasalia.
Kanye went on to insist that he doesn't believe there is anyone in the fashion industry who is on his side.
Kanye West on the cover of W magazine. Photo / W magazine
"I'm saying that to this date they do not understand who I am," he explained. "They will not understand until after I'm gone. I am misunderstood and there is no one in fashion that's on my side."
Kanye, who hails Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Howerd Hughes, and Calvin Klein among his many inspirations, said his love of fashion started when he was young, recalling how he liked to pick out his outfits for kindergarten.
He noted that North West, his three-year-old daughter with Kim Kardashian, has inherited his love passion because she not only picks out her own outfits, but she will try to tell him what to wear.
When choosing her own outfits, Kanye said North will lay it down and look at it and say, 'This is not great.'
Kanye, who also has a baby boy named Saint, said money is not his definition of success, he believes it is really about inspiring people.
"You know what's my definition of success?" Kanye added. "Being able to be 39 years old, a black male, and articulate myself in this way and back it up.
"My definition of success is dropping a Charlie Sheen-level tweet and being like, 'I am in debt and f**k you.' Now what?"
