Kanye West recently facilitated a meeting between his long-time collaborator, Vanessa Beecroft, and popular online streamer DJ Akademiks. This interaction occurred during a Rumble interview earlier this month, with the recorded session circulating widely on March 31, 2025. Vanessa accompanied West to this meeting, marking another significant moment in their collaborative journey.
During the conversation, the founder of Yeezy revealed to Akademiks that his artistic partnership with Beecroft included contributions to his acclaimed short film, Runaway. Additionally, he made an intriguing assertion by attributing the origin of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line, WeIMS, to Vanessa’s creative vision.
“That’s really where WeIMS came from, that’s her whole style,” Ye stated in the now-popular clip shared by Akademiks TV.
Vanessa Beecroft, a renowned American multimedia artist of Italian descent, has made significant contributions to the fashion landscape, recognized for her involvement in high-profile events like Yeezy fashion shows and collaborations with prestigious brands such as Louis Vuitton and Valentino. Following her introduction by Kanye, she greeted DJ Akademiks with a warm handshake.
Exploring the Artistic Legacy of Vanessa Beecroft
According to Famous Birthdays, Beecroft is a contemporary artist and feminist activist celebrated for her multifaceted performances, innovative sculptures, and live painting exhibits. A pioneer in the tableau vivant style, the 55-year-old has been a prominent figure in both fashion and conceptual art since the 1990s, showcasing her work in esteemed galleries and museums globally.
Her standout projects include a capsule collection for Valentino and a daring installation at the Paris Louis Vuitton store, where live models adorned the merchandise displays. Also notable is her socio-political initiative, “VB61, Still Death! Darfur Still Deaf?”, which garnered significant attention for its live nudity and challenging themes surrounding body politics.
In her extensive collaboration with Kanye West, Beecroft served as the art director for the 35-minute short film Runaway launched in October 2010, further enriching the Yeezy brand since 2008. The duo has worked together on various significant projects, including:
- The 808s and Heartbreak Listening Party in October 2008
- The Affordable Care Art Basel Opening in December 2013
- The YEEZUS Tour Stage Design and Choreography (2013-2014)
- The Kardashian-West wedding decorations in Italy in May 2014
- The Yeezy Boost Presentation Performances in February and September 2015
- The Album Listening and Yeezy Season 3 Presentation Performance at Madison Square Garden in February 2016
In January 2015, Beecroft was instrumental in directing the music video for Kanye’s “Only One,”where she assisted his daughter, North West, by providing her with toy wolves. Reflecting on this joyful moment, Kanye shared with Clique TV that it was one of the happiest occasions he had witnessed with his daughter.
“She’s like my eyes, she’s a piece of my brain. She bought my daughter these three wolves, knowing the whole collection, that it’d play with the song ‘Wolves,’ and based on this concept,” Kanye remarked during a 2016 lecture at Oxford University.
Despite their artistic successes, the partnership faced scrutiny when several live models fainted during a performance at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park in season four due to extreme conditions.
Vanessa has often discussed the duality of her identity in relation to her collaboration with Kanye. In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, she articulated her thoughts on her split personas:
“I have divided my personality. There is Vanessa Beecroft, as a European white female, and then there is Vanessa Beecroft as Kanye, an African-American male. I even did a DNA test thinking maybe I am black. I actually wasn’t but I want to do it again.”
Upon being approached by Kanye for his 808s & Heartbreak listening party in 2008, Vanessa admitted in a follow-up interview:
“One day I was approached by Kanye but I wasn’t too aware of who he was because I tend to only listen to classical music. He was extremely kind and asked me to choreograph a performance for his 808s & Heartbreak private listening party in 2008. I was going through a divorce and I started to think that maybe he was my black, male alter-ego.”
Kanye has consistently expressed admiration for Beecroft’s work. He told the LA Times in 2008 that he had always appreciated her artistic approach to nudity, finding an inherent irony within it.
Her artistic versatility is further evidenced by her collaborations with elite brands such as Prada, Tom Ford, Helmut Lang, and Dolce & Gabbana, to name a few. Notably, her work for Sisley’s spring-summer 2017 campaign revolved around the thematic evolution “From order to chaos, from unity to division.”
Born in Genoa, Italy, in April 1969, Vanessa Beecroft grew up in a multicultural household with an Italian mother and an English father. She completed her art education at the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti, going on to study set design at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, graduating in 1993. Married to sociologist Greg Durken, she embraces family life with their two sons.
As speculation arises about potential future collaborations between Kanye and Vanessa Beecroft, it is noteworthy that during his recent interview with DJ Akademiks, Kanye’s choice of attire — a controversial all-black robe inspired by KKK imagery — sparked widespread backlash. He also donned a Sean John t-shirt, navigating complex themes in a conversation that addressed the rap scene’s dynamics, including discussions about Diddy, Kendrick Lamar, and his ongoing rivalry with Playboi Carti.