Kanye West’s Life of Pablo Merch is Nominated for World’s Best Design Award

By JUICE Malaysia  •  in Design
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Bet you thought there was no possible way to add to Kanye’s confidence, right? Well, the London Design Museum sees your doubt and raises you a nomination for Mr. West’s Life of Pablo tour merchandise for the World’s Best Design award at its annual Beazley Designs of the Year.

If you’ve been connected to the internet for the past two years, there’s a solid chance that you already know what the merchandise look like (the apparels in neon hues with gothic fonts). So, instead of focusing on Kanye immediately, here’s a quick look at the creatives he’s up against:

1. Krista Suh, Jayna Zweiman, Kat Coyle, and Aurora Lady who founded the Pussyhat Project

The idea behind this brand was to encourage everyone to create hats with cat-shaped ears in response to Donald Trump’s infamous remark about grabbing women by the pussy. Soon after its launch, the two-person-founded project cultivated the biggest craft movement we’ve seen.

2. Aitor Throup‘s New Object Research‘s ‘The Rite of Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter’ runway show

The show was orchestrated in honour of the designer’s ‘New Object Research’ collection and the idea behind the performance was to use a team of London’s best puppeteers to physically express all that the designer went through during this creative process.

3. Ecoalf’s ‘Upcycling the Oceans’

The objective here was to decrease the amount of marine waste found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea and to transform the plastic debris found into threads for creating new apparel. Ecoalf have been on a mission to promote waste recycling since 2009 by creating complete collections using only recycled materials like plastic bottles, tyres, coffee waste, and fishing nets. Conscious fashion? Yes, please.

4. Levi’s and Google’s Commuter Trucker Jacket with Jacquard

On the surface, this looks like an ordinary jacket from Levi’s, but given that Google’s name is stated next to it, there’s no way this is something average. This trucker jacket was the two brands’ way of merging interactivity with fashion. The reimagined outerwear features functions that allow commuters to answer or make calls, control music, and more.

5. Nike Pro Hijab by Rachel Henry, Baron Brandt, and Megan Saalfeld

It was only a matter of time before sportswear brands realised what an exceptionally huge market there is for modest clothing – and obviously Nike just did it. Just a couple of days before International Women’s Day, the Apple of sports brands announced it had been working on a pro-hijab – after being inspired by Saudi Arabian Olympian, Sarah Attar, in 2012 – and created a single-layer hijab that will change the face of sports for Muslim women. It was about time.

6. … and finally, Mr. West’s Life of Pablo collection.

There is no denying that everything Kanye touches turns into someone’s opportunity to create a business for themselves. The resell value on his products range from crazy to insane; people queued for days (hours? Obviously child’s play) to get into his pop up stores – he only announced he had 21 stores just 24 hours before they opened, who does that? Kanye West. Some even went to the extent of hiring buyers for them! It’s phenomenal; much like everything Kanye does whether you want to agree with it or not

He ain’t trippin’ on shit, he’s just sippin’ on this. 

Do you dislike the current state of hip hop? Read our feature on rappers that would give Joe Budden a heart attack here.