Every Fashion Reference on Kanye West’s Donda

I have a slightly obsessive and admittedly odd ritual when a rapper I like drops a new album. In the wee hours of the night, I pour over page after page of Genius lyrics to find every fashion Easter egg tucked inside the album. All these designer name drops, watch flexes, and boasts about exclusive colorways are then carefully organized into an Excel sheet. I wish I were kidding when I tell you that this is the type of sh*t I do in my free time.

My goal: to understand exactly what designers and products the artist thinks are cool enough to mention. And by extension, the millions of people streaming their album will think they are cool enough to purchase.

Needless to say, Kanye West is one of the artists I look forward to over-analyzing the most. Look no further than Ye’s cut-throat commentary on the fashion industry throughout his Yeezus album for proof as to why.

I’ll admit that after the Demna merch and extravagant Balenciaga looks at the listening parties, I expected more fashion references on Donda than Ye delivered. Along with a lack of curse words and sexually explicit content, there were zero ruthless critiques and only a handful of extravagant flexes— made almost entirely by guest artists like Playboy Carti, Baby Keem, Westside Gunn, and Ty Dolla $ign.

While there’s still much to be determined about the meaning behind Kanye’s face masks, spiked Balenciaga jacket, and OTT vow renewal with Kim, I certainly have a few theories.

Here’s every fashion reference from Kanye' West’s Donda album.

Jail (Ft. Francis and the Lights & JAY-Z)

Told him, "Stop all of that red cap, we goin' home"

If you’ve been paying attention at all politically for the past few years, you’ll recognize this JAY-Z line is about Kanye’s MAGA hat. I find it interesting that this witty criticism made the cut on an album that will likely be remembered for its tedious revisions. Summarizing all of Kanye’s controversial relationship with Trump in so few words makes it one of the strongest lines on the album, IMHO.

Off the Grid (Ft. Fivio Foreign & Playboi Carti)

I just bought me some brand nеw clothes, Dover Street Market (Givenchy)

Donda’s first real fashion reference comes from Playboy Carti on Off the Grid. I love that instead of just telling us that he bought some new Givenchy at Dover Street Market, he does it in classic Carti fashion with whiny, out-of-0rder wording and a catchy interjection at the end.

The line is a clear shoutout to Playboy Carti’s close friend and frequent collaborator, Givenchy Creative Director Matthew Williams. The designer and rapper recently collabed for Givenchy’s Spring 2021 menswear campaign.

Remember when I was broke, wearin' cheap coats
Now it's diamonds and houses and C notes (Uh)

Boy, I got on my feet and I made a name
And I made it a necklace, huh

In the middle of what will undoubtedly go down as one of Fivio Foreign’s best verses of all time, he drops one of the few lines on the album about jewelry. But with a necklace like that, who can blame him?

First it go viral, then they get digital
Then they get critical, no, I'm not doin' no interview
Mask on my face, you can't see what I finna do

In Off the Grid, Kanye offers a simple explanation for his obscure hoods and face masks: privacy. In Ye’s mind, his presidential run, controversial political views, and current divorce proceedings with Kim have increased paparazzi surveillance to such an extreme point that he must physically cover his face to have any privacy in public. Leading up to the release of Donda, collaborators Travis Scott and Playboy Carti wore them too.

But we’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Drill rappers started wearing face masks and baklavas long before Ye adopted the trend. They’re often used to create alter-egos and provide a sense of anonymity when rapping about criminal activities.

I got this God power, that's my leverage
I got this Holy Water, that's my beverages
I gotta help myself out of selfishness
I just bought a floor out of Selfridges

Then, in tried-and-true Kanye fashion, he follows up a line on self-improvement with one about materialism and self-indulgence. Not to mention, rhyming selfishness and Selfridges is just f*cking insane.

Praise God (Ft. Baby Keem & Travis Scott)

I gotta, I gotta put on the Richard one time
I snort the powder with magic one time

It wouldn’t be a rap album without at least one shoutout (first name only, of course) to a luxury watch designer. Baby Keem gives us Donda’s first true watch reference with this Richard Millie line on the album’s sixth track, Praise God.

Junya (Ft. Playboy Carti)

Junya Watanabe on my wri'
Junya Watanabe on my wri'
Tell 'em this, did he miss? (Wri')
Junya Watanabe on my, mmh
I can't really see, where did I miss? (Mmh)
Junya Watanabe on my wri' (Mmh, mmh)
Junya Watanabe on my—

Kanye gave the hypebeasts (myself very much included) the streetwear anthem they didn’t know they needed with Donda’s ninth track, Junya. It’s a clear tribute to Japanese fashion legend Junya Watanabe, and by far the most fashion-focused song on the album.

Perhaps I’m overanalyzing, but the distressed baklavas from Junya Watanabe’s Fall 2006 collection have a distinctly Donda feel to them.

Remote Control (Ft. Young Thug)

Hoppin' out the brand new Rolls (Skrrt, skrrt)
Jesus sent me brand new clothes (Skrrt, skrrt)
Wrist still thirty-two below (Yeah)

While Young Thug’s line about his God-gifted new clothes could simply be another one of Donda’s cringy Christian rap lyrics (see for reference: Devil my opp), it may also be a nod to Ye’s metaphorical line about baptism on JESUS IS KING’s Selah:

Everybody wanted Yandhi
Then Jesus Christ did the laundry

Heaven and Hell

Know the Lord my bulletproof vest (Is on Earth)
When we survive, know that we blessed

It’s not a stretch to say that Ye’s Heaven and Hell line has some correlation with the Balenciaga ‘DONDA’ bulletproof vests worn during his live stream and listening event.

Keep My Spirit Alive (Ft. Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn & KayCyy)

I was facin' fifteen and I beat it (And I beat it)
Just spent about twenty up at Neiman’s (Up at Neiman’s)

Amidst a growing number of bankrupt department stores (#RIPBarneys), I’m sure Neiman Marcus greatly appreciated this shoutout from Westside Gunn in Keep My Spirit Alive. Perhaps it’s just another coincidence, but Neiman Marcus Group Ltd.’s stock is up almost 4% since Donda dropped.

Jesus Lord (Ft. Jay Electronica)

My rugged cross and thorny crowns squeeze out Christ tears
Thirty pieces of silver clout, my Pierre price tier

In this well-crafted line in Donda’s seventeenth track Jesus Lord, Jay Electronica is likely referring to an expensive watch from one of two French watchmakers: Pierre Lannier or Pierre Cardin. TBD.

New Again (Ft. Chris Brown)

Should I really have bought the Burberry last Thursday?
Wear a different color jersey every Thursday

Burberry designer Riccardo Tisci is known to be good friends with Kanye and the Kardashian clan. Most notably, he’s responsible for the album art and tour merch for Kanye and JAY-Z’s Watch The Throne album. Tisci also designed a number of Kimye’s most iconic couple outfits during his tenure at Givenchy, including Kim’s wedding dress and her infamous Met Gala “couch dress.”

Lord I Need You

You know you'll always be my favorite prom queen
Even when we in dad shoes or mom jeans

Undoubtedly one of the worst parts of Kim and Kanye’s divorce is that it marks the end of a street style era. It’s impossible to ignore the impact that the couple’s fearless personal style and collective clout have had on the fashion industry, especially when it comes to streetwear and sneakers.

Pure Souls (Ft. Shenseea & Roddy Rich)

I was one of them weirdos of the pure soul
That would go to the flea market to buy fake clothes
Every color Girbauds, every Cutlass is cold

Kanye’s fashion reference in Pure Souls pays homage to his days as a broke art school kid. Before his fashion career took off, he was scouring flea markets for fake designer duds like the rest of us.

The next line is a call-back to Marithé + François Girbaud jeans, a brand whose rainbow-colored jeans were an It-Item during the short-lived super baggy pants trend of the late 90s and early 2000s. B.G.’s 2003 track The Hottest of Hot describes the fad perfectly.

Teeth platinum or gold, everyday dress code: T-shirt, Reeboks, bandanas, and Girbauds.

Come to Life

Brought a gift to Northie, all she want was Nikes
This is not about me, God is still alive, so I'm free

In Come to Life, Kanye puts his personal feelings and Adidas contracts aside to make his daughter happy. But as other lyrics throughout this poignant reflection on his marriage prove, money can’t buy a happy home life.

Junya Pt. 2 (Ft. Playboy Carti & Ty Dolla $ign)

In comparison to Junya Pt. 1, Junya Pt. 2 features a shorter verse from Ye, a longer verse from Carti, and a new verse from Ty Dolla $ign with what is undoubtedly my favorite fashion reference on Donda.

Yeah, I'm all about fashion, yeah (Mmh, mmh)
And she all about fashion, hold up (Mmh, mmh)
She rock YEEZY, hold up (Mmh, mmh)
So we always matchin', hold up, uh (Mmh, mmh)

In Carti’s extended verse, he alludes to a mutual love of fashion and matching YEEZYs, two things Kimye was notorious for during its peak years.

Jun Takahashi, ayy (Ayy, ayy)
Undercover, ayy (Ayy, ayy)

In this nearly-cut verse, Ty Dolla $ign references another Japanese fashion legend, Jun Takahashi, and his streetwear brand Undercover.

Eat up like hibachi, yeah, yeah (Ayy)
These Bottega, ayy
Slime green like wasabi, yeah, yeah (Ayy, ayy)

Then, instead of giving us another overused line about Gucci or Louis Vuitton, Ty Dolla $ign delivers one of my favorite Bottega Veneta references in rap to date. Comparing the color of Bottega boots to wasabi is just f*cking absurd.