Okay, rapper Kanye West got a pass a few years ago, even though he merchandized the Confederate flag on t-shirts (designed by West) for his album “Yeezus” 2013 tour. It was bombastic “re-appropriation”–yadda, yadda, yadda. Al Sharpton merely slapped Kanye on the wrist for this cultural and historical faux pas. It was all good, and it made a sort of Kanye West sense.
But nowadays, West is lending his image to a French designer and models with urban-fashionable Timberlands on–presenting a new collection with signs that say, “Last Niggas in Paris.” Fashion company A.P.C.’s founder Jean Touitou explained his choice like this: “I call this one look Last N****s in Paris. Why? Because it’s the sweet spot when the hood—the ’hood—meets Bertolucci’s movie Last Tango in Paris. So that’s ‘N****s in Paris’ and Last N****s in Paris.” Timberland swiftly cut its ties with the French designer. But Touitou claims Kanye told him “I love this vibe” when the designer told him how the new collection would be presented. Will Kanye get a pass on this too?
