Fashion is not without its share of controversy (seriously, did you see these pants on Kris Jenner?) but one French designer seemed to be going out of his way to court it this week, when he presented his fall/winter collection for A.P.C. — and labeled one concept “Last N—-s in Paris.”
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You may remember Jean Touitou, the brand’s founder, from his 2013 collaboration with friend Kanye West. The two put out a 10-piece collection of T-shirts and jeans, starting at $120, that sold out instantly. But when he cribbed from West’s song of the same name, including holding up a sign that spelled it out, it was less of a hit.
According to Style.com, Touitou said, “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.” (The quote goes on from there.)
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Style.com reached out to him for clarification, and he used his friendship with West to try to explain. “I am friends with Kanye, and he and I presented a joint collection at the same place, one year ago, and that this thing is only a homage to our friendship. As a matter of fact, when I came up with this idea, I wrote to him, with the picture of the look and the name I was giving to it, and he wrote back immediately saying something like, ‘I love this vibe.’”
It’s not the first time a star has accidentally stepped in it by referring to the song title — then using friendship with the artist as a defense. In 2012, Gwyneth Paltrow tweeted a photo of herself onstage with West and Jay Z with the caption “N—-s in Paris for real!” Once the backlash started, she wrote, “Hold Up. It’s the title of the song!” but at that point, the internet had already gone crazy.
Thoughts on this? Super-inappropriate or does getting West’s blessing somehow excuse it?
–Alex Apatoff
