Kanye West’s Sunday Service Is The Surprise Pick-Me-Up Paris Fashion Week Never Knew It Needed

kanye West took his Sunday Service to Paris Fashion Week on Sunday morning. Staged at the intimate Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, the singer gathered members of the fashion industry including Haider Ackermann, Simon Porte and Olivier Rousteing for the ceremony. Also in attendance were Kim Kardashian West and Kourtney Kardashian, who watched from the balcony in their toffee-coloured Balmain Sunday best, along with daughters North West and Penelope Disick.

Dressed in beige choir uniforms and Yeezy trainers, Kanye and what appeared to be 100-plus singers performed a euphoric set of religious songs for more than an hour, opening with a take on the dramatic Carmina Burana. West was beaming throughout, joining in on synchronised choir formations that looked mind-blowing from the balcony. Rumour has it that the artist now employs his vast crew of church singers five days a week. They were all flown in for the Sunday Service, which presaged Monday evening’s Yeezy presentation.

The maestro who directed the choir briefly spoke about anti-materialism, reminding fashion week guests of the Christian values that underpinned the event. West didn’t speak but sang briefly and quietly, backed up by his extraordinary choir, who got the fashion pack – all in need of some loosening up after four weeks of shows – dancing and raising their arms in elation. In a week dominated by talk of the coronavirus, only one person in the audience seemed to be wearing a face mask, and neither the pastor nor Kanye mentioned it. It was a welcome moment of escapism, happiness and magnificent theatre from one of the fashion industry’s best-loved musicians.