Kanye West hires Decarnin for fashion comeback?

Kanye West is reported to have hired former Balmain designer Christophe Decarnin to work on his comeback clothing collection. The rapper is rumoured to be eyeing up a grand return to the Paris catwalk with a new eponymous collection, and has hired the former Balmain creative director as his head designer.

The controversial ‘Black Skinhead’ star hasn’t presented his clothing on the runway since 2011, when he showcased his spring/summer 2012 and autumn/winter 2012 debut collections to lukewarm reviews.

Kanye has yet to comment on whether his label will continue, but reports have been circulating for months about his big return to the runway.

The outspoken star also recently teamed up with French clothing brand A.P.C. for a nine-piece capsule collection which sold out within hours and crashed their website because demand was so high.

This wouldn’t be the first time Kanye and Decarnin have collaborated, since the French designer created the hip-hop star’s last tour looks, comprising “seventies-centric pantsuits, cutaway coats, and gilded jeans”.

In April 2011, Decarnin was replaced at Balmain by current creative director Olivier Rousteing due to a period of ill health.

Earlier this month, a job ad on LinkedIn, a website used as a networking tool by professionals, claimed to be searching for the future Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the as yet unnamed “Kanye West clothing project”.

The post read: “The venture will be very high profile, and unlike those in which celebrities merely lend their name to a label, this venture will have the power of Mr. West’s creative genius at the heart and soul of it.”