Kanye's Best Fashion Quotes From 'Paper Mag' Essay

Whether it’s because he gave an opinionated shoutout to Beyoncé at the 2009 VMAs or if it’s because he tried selling plain white tees for $120, everyone often thinks negatively of Kanye West. But more recently, as West has been focusing more on his fashion career, we’re able to see glimpses of a more passionate and humble side in Kanye West's essay in Paper Mag . So in case you’re still wondering how and why West made it to the top of Time Magazine’s list of the Most Influential People, hopefully this post will help you see a different side to him.

You might’ve already seen highlights from the essay, but you probably haven’t seen the passionate fashionista coming through. To be honest, I was in the boat of haters who didn’t really take West’s fashion career seriously. I’m a hip hop head so I’ve always remembered Kanye as the emcee from his Slow Jamz days, so naturally, I never realized how driven West was in the fashion realm until I read the whole essay on Paper Mag. I really enjoyed seeing this transparent and less arrogant side to him. From touching up his mentality on life to his opinions about certain negative media coverage he’s received, West really opened up about everything. Here are 5 quotes from West's essay that proves his passion for fashion.

On Entering The Fashion World

"Bravery and courage is walking into pain and knowing that something better is on the other side."

On The Hate He Receives About His Fashion Career

"I saw this article that asked, "Should Kanye leave fashion to the professionals?" That question is really ignorant, in a way, because the second I sell my first T-shirt or my first shoe, doesn't that make me a professional?"

On The Societal Perspective Of Looking Hard

"You have paid your dues to be an insider. I paid my dues when I had to wear a kilt in Chicago, and friends would say, "What's your boy got on?" But there are warriors that have killed people in kilts in the past. Who gets to decide what's hard and what's not hard?"

On Not Giving A Crap About What Other People Say

"My goal is to be as close to a five-year-old, or a four-year-old, or a three-year-old, as possible. If a three-year-old says, "I like the color orange," he's not giving an explanation to an entire world that can give him a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down on whether or not he should like the color orange. I don't care about the thumbs-up or the thumbs-down."

On How He Sees His Fashion As Music And Art

"I chose to paint sonically. To chop samples in a Warhol-type way."

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