Who's the designer of Kanye West's masks?

If you've come across a photo of Kanye West over the last few weeks, you must have noticed the masks Ye wears on his public outings, from social walks to a dentist's appointment. If the references to the era of Yeezus are even too clear, behind the choice of Kanye lies the collaboration with Pierre-Louis Auvray, for years in the artistic orbit of Yeezy and already at work behind several collaborations with Kanye West. 

If the name tells you something you have probably followed the story that involved Gucci in 2017 and an accusation of plagiarism made by a young designer from Central Saint Martins in London. That designer, Pierre-Louis Auvray himself, at the time accused the brand led by Alessandro Michele of having used his works for the #gucciandbeyond campaign, earning headlines and ending up, most likely, on Kanye's radar thanks to that alien aesthetic that Gucci also liked so much.

Originally from Le Mans, Auvray presented his first collection only last year at New York Fashion Week after winning VFiles 11 with his idea of ​​upcycling and reusing old motorcycle and car parts as a tribute to his city to evoke aesthetics close to the world of sci-fi and robots. That collection halfway between Gundam and the world of sustainability had made Pierre-Louis Auvray a small case in the fashion system, attracting the attention of Kanye and his proverbial talent scout instinct. As it was with Heron Preston and Matthew Williams in the past, in the same way, Kanye took Auvray under his wing, giving life to a collaboration that began with two artworks for as many albums never released: God's Country first and Donda then. 

The last step in their collaboration seems to be the masks worn by Kanye, as confirmed by Auvray himself in an Instagram Story a few hours ago, establishing a further artistic bond that according to some will see his next step in the involvement of the French designer in the now-famous collaboration between Yeezy and Gap. And if you are wondering why the masks we can borrow the words of Ibn Jasper, a former barber and best friend of Ye: "He wears it because it looks dope".