Yikes, Ye! Designer Anne Bowen slammed Kanye West as unethical after he added his runway presentation to the New York Fashion Week schedule at the last minute, creating scheduling conflicts for those slated to present on the same day.
Bowen's streetwear line Nomad VII by Anne Bowen was already penciled in for Wednesday, Sept. 16, at noon, when West added his collection to the lineup. She wasn't the only designer who shared that same exact time slot: Indian-American designer Naeem Khan, whose intricate designs are beloved by many celebrities, was also set to present at that same exact time.
The grief for Bowen, more than Khan, is that her clothing line targets a similar market to West's adidas line.
"We have been prepping for a year for this at considerable financial, labor- and commitment-cost to our company," Bowen told Women's Wear Daily on Sunday, Sept. 13. "Our show date has been scheduled for months and has been on the Fashion Calendar for weeks. We went through all the proper channels to make this a reality. And just yesterday we learned that Kanye West is having a show at the same time on the same date as ours."
Bowen told WWD that the entire situation was skewed and unfair. "Kanye knows he is a media sensation and it is just not ethical to do this," she complained. "It’s like we are David and he is Goliath. We have put our heart and soul into our show, and should not be stepped on like this."
According to Bowen, she had to reschedule her presentation in order to accommodate his streetwear line's show in the already-tight NYFW schedule. She will now present at Thursday, Sept. 17, at 12:30 p.m. ET, at Tao Downtown in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. "In order for our show to have any significance, we now have to move our date and time which is a logistical nightmare," she concluded. "Three days out from our originally scheduled time."
Bowen's publicist also noted how difficult it's been for the designer and her team since the announcement was made. “We’re scrambling like crazy and it’s costing us a lot of money," her rep noted, calling attention to booking fees and sending out new invites to the press. “We sent out printed invites by hand, and they’re useless. We’re trying to contact everyone by e-mail."
While West has yet to address the grievances, the rapper took to his Twitter on Sunday to tease the sophomore season of his adidas Yeezy collection.
SEASON 2 http://t.co/8T1uPQewkc
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) September 14, 2015
