Kanye West Looks to Strip Away Elitism in Fashion, Went Into Debt for 2012 Line

In an in-depth, fashion focused profile in The New York Times, West spoke about his critically panned 2012 clothing line, saying that the effort that he made actually put him in to debt.

"I gained because I had the privilege to be educated," West said. "I had enough of a value to be able to go into debt, and that was a blessing. Some people don't even have the opportunity to be able to go into debt."

Despite his struggles in the fashion world, including high profile criticisms from New York Fashion Week creator Fern Willis, The New York Times emphasizes that West is an on-hands designer, who has always had dreams of breaking into the industry.

"I dreamed, since I was a little kid, of having my own store where I could curate every shoe, sweatshirt and color," he said. "I have sketches of it. I cried over the idea of having my own store."

(Theo Wargo, Getty Images)

And despite his own high fashion tastes and clothing choices, West aims to strip away pretension in clothing, making his ADIDAS line affordable. He likened his desire to strip away elitism in fashion to activism (which West has also employed about his celebrity status).

"I'm not a celebrity, I'm an activist," West declared. "The fact that when I see truth it's really hard for me to sit back and just allow it to happen in front of me on my clock makes me, a lot of times, a bad celebrity."

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Kanye West