When she received her invite to Kanye West's YZYSZN9 runway at Paris Fashion Week, it's unlikely that Gabriella Karefa-Johnson thought that she would wind up on the "Stronger" rapper's Instagram feed, and even less likely that she expected to be the subject of his most recent social media attack.
The global Vogue contributing editor was not the only one left feeling some type of way after seeing Ye and others wearing "White Lives Matter" shirts at his fashion show, but she certainly was one of the most vocal in expressing her upset, resulting in the father of four lashing out at her and her personal style.
While Ye's outlandish antics are often defended by those closest to him, this time around, he shared a screenshot of a text advising him against poking fun at Karefa-Johnson, and other celebrities have come to the renowned stylist's defense amid the Yeezy founder's tantrum.
It stands to reason that the 31-year-old creative's voice is an important one in the fashion industry – despite what West has to say about her boots – as she made history in early 2021, becoming the first Black woman to ever style a Vogue cover shoot, this one modeled by Paloma Elsesser. Her star has only gone on to rise since then.
Finding Her Passion for Fashion
During an interview with Teen Vogue last year, Karefa-Johnson shared that she found her love for fashion at a young age, mostly due to the influence of her aunt who had worked as a model in the '70s and '80s. "As a kid, I used to go through her book of the images that she took in those years and would have her tell me stories about Paris," she said.
At the time, the young girl herself was interested in following in her family member's footsteps, but as she began to go through puberty, she realized it might not be a great fit for her. Despite her struggles, the creative remained determined to find her place within the fashion industry.
First, she attempted designing, but "realized [she] didn't really have the talent to do that." Afterward, she moved on to fashion journalism, where Karefa-Johnson unexpectedly, but very happily, fell into the world of styling.
"I’m very much a fashion historian in that I love research and seeing the way the visual evolution of the industry reflects culture and society and politics. But then I also love the tactility of clothing, looking at the construction of a piece, and putting things together," she explained.
A Star on the Rise
"When I started working in magazines, I got to see that styling totally has that anchor and the history and language of fashion, and also happens to be really practical and fun, allow[ing] you to use your hands to create sculptures on humans out of pieces of clothing on hangers."
As she's worked her way up over the years, Karefa-Johnson has had opportunities to collaborate with names like Serena Williams, Hailey Bieber, and Olivia Wilde. After earning her first Vogue cover credit, she went on to style five more back-to-back, and that doesn't even begin to touch on the various projects she's done for other publications in recent months.
After taking five months to rest amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fashionista found herself ready to get back to work, nabbing Mary J. Blige as her Garage cover star, working with Lakeith Stanfield for Interview, and styling singer Billie Eilish for Vanity Fair – all while balancing planning for countless other shoots.
Karefa-Johnson also played a huge moment in Gigi Hadid's Vogue career, beautifully dressing the mother of one for her first solo cover on the prestigious magazine. Their past working relationship likely explains why the 27-year-old felt so compelled to speak out in defence of her friend amid Ye's posts.
"You wish [you] had a percentage of her intellect," Hadid wrote in the rapper's comment section on Tuesday (October 4). "You have no idea haha… If there’s actually a point to any of your shit, she might be the only person that could save [you]. As if the ‘honour’ of being invited to your show should keep someone from giving their opinion? Lol. You’re a bully and a joke."
Looking Forward to the Future
Even Karefa-Johnson herself, whose work is described as "energetic and opulent, communicating the vast possibility of styling with disparate colors, materials, silhouettes, and textures to tell a common story," has expressed her desire for the fashion industry to move forward with less judgment and more acceptance and inclusivity.
"What I'm hoping is that it's less of an ‘Okay, there's room at the table for everyone,’ and more a ‘We're done with that old kind of table and we're building a new table that is designed to support and benefit the communities that we have historically not been interested in benefiting,'" she told Teen Vogue.
"I never saw anyone who looked like me working in the fashion industry. In my mind — I think in a lot of people's minds — fashion is still a predominantly wealthy, white, and thin industry, and I am very committed to existing in it long enough to change [it], or be one of the change agents in rethinking what fashion looks like."
Read more about Kanye West's beef with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson here, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.