Is Kanye Quietly Dictating Justin Bieber's Closet?
Celebrities! They're just like us, except for when they swap out their luxury wardrobe at a whim. Soak in the new Justin Bieber, baggier than ever. His stylistic shift has me wondering: did he get a Kanye makeover?
Bear with me here, because it's not that Bieber's been flexing Schiaparelli denim or Birkin bags.
It all started with Bieber dipping deep into Balenciaga — like Kim, his entire wardrobe since about September 2021 has been entirely defined by Demna.
Bieber is, of course, a Balenciaga campaign star in his own right, swapping between shapeless suits and Kanye-like athleisure, only ever straying from Balenciaga for the occasional bit of Drew House (or YEEZY).
So that alone isn't enough to raise my eyebrows, really. Dude has always liked baggy clothes and as one of the world's preeminent pop stars, who better to rep the brand?
I don't know whether to credit Kanye or Karla Welch, Bieber's frequent stylist, with Bieber's Balenciaga glow-up — Welch is definitely the reason he's continued to wear the brand though it's not unlike that Kanye, ardent Balenciaga stan that he is, really turned Bieber onto Demna's work.
Plus, we all know how much Ye loves styling people ("Every girl's dream!) so I wouldn't be surprised if some kind of madcap styling session at Ye's place preceded Bieber's stylistic transformation.
Bieber and Ye go way back.
Recently, the singer joined Ye onstage at an October 2021 Sunday Service alongside alleged groomer and rapist Marilyn Manson and, a few months later, Kanye facetimed with Bieber to wish him a happy birthday.
That's a start but what's the point? A lot of people wear Balenciaga nowadays and it ain't just 'cuz of Kanye.
Here's the rub: before his surprise appearance at Coachella 2022, Bieber was spotted wearing one of the Spring/Summer 2022 jackets designed by Glenn Martens for Diesel (worn with his beloved Balenciaga Tire sneakers).
This is the stuff that Kanye was dressing Julia Fox in earlier this year (again, every girl's dream!).
And though Fox has swapped Diesel for DIY (and Supreme), her Diesel looks sent reverberations throughout the world, inspiring adoption from celebs like Rihanna and, presumably, Bieber.
It's interesting to see a dude like the Biebs, who's never really been much of a fashion guy (his most progressive looks included repurposed rock band merch), going all-out on relatively avant outfits.
Whether Kanye was directly involved or not — I'd guess he had at least a little to do with it, along with Bieber's stylist sensing shifting trends — the newly Balenciaga'd up Justin Bieber speaks to the immense impact of Ye's stylistic influence. If only he wasn't so hard to like.
