Knocking Off A Knock Off

I never thought my love for archival fashion would intersect with my love for Kanye West on Super Bowl Sunday.

While the rest of the world was caught up with watching the Super Bowl, all the fashionistas were entangled in the controversy surrounding the 1996 Alexander McQueen "Dante" crucifix mask.

Alexander McQueen's Dante show, also known as "Dante's Inferno," marked a pivotal moment in his career and the fashion industry. Part of his Autumn/Winter 1996-1997 collection, the show took place in a former London church on March 1, 1996. McQueen's artistic vision drew heavily from Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy," particularly the inferno section, translating its themes into innovative fashion designs and the overall presentation of the show. These designs, characterized by unconventional materials and provocative themes, challenged traditional fashion norms, earning critical acclaim and solidifying McQueen's reputation as a daring designer. The show's impact extended beyond fashion, sparking discussions about the intersection of fashion, art, and literature, inspiring artists across disciplines. Its enduring legacy lies in McQueen's ability to merge storytelling, craftsmanship, and innovation, shaping the contemporary fashion landscape and influencing future generations of designers and creatives.

In an interview with WWD, McQueen stated that the show was about "war and peace through the years. I think religion has caused every war in the world, which is why I showed in a church."

On Sunday, February 11th, Kanye West posted a photo and captioned it: "Alexander McQueen Jesus Mask," and the internet and fashion fans were all over it. He had layered it over another full face covering. Relatively soon after it was posted, the mask's creator (for McQueen), Simon Costin, commented on Kanye’s post, saying, “This is NOT an original mask; I didn't make it.” Shortly after this comment, Byronesque Vintage made a post claiming the mask was not authentic and tagged Costin, to which he reposted it.

The Buronesque statement posted was:

“IN DEFENSE OF THE MAKERS Simon Costin is the original designer and maker of Alexander McQueen’s Christ masks from the Dante collection, 1996. Ye’s team contacted Byronesque in September 2023 to source an original McQueen Dante mask. We were able to quickly source this from Simon Costin himself, with full confidence of its authenticity. We shared detailed condition photographs with Ye’s team who confirmed the purchase and to offer significantly less than the value of such a rare and special collector’s item. Contrary to Ye’s Instagram posts and many news reports and based on differences in intricate design detail, Simon Costin has confirmed that the mask worn by Ye is a recreation, is not authentic and should not be credited as such.”

Simon Costin reposted the statement, which seemed to confirm that the mask was a replica. For a few hours, that’s where things stayed.

Then a new person entered the chat, “Taylor Auctions,” who had recently auctioned off two authentic “Dante Masks” from Simon Costin’s personal collection. They began responding to posts and comments that were claiming the mask as fake and indicated that the mask was, in fact, authentic, also claiming that they had facilitated the sale with Simon Costin and suggested people remove posts and comments indicating it was fake. Given the very few masks available, this would indicate Kanye is wearing the one that had been auctioned.

Later, both Kerry Taylor Auctions and Simon Costin jointly shared the same post where they both say the one worn by Ye is real and they know who owns it, and it’s not Kanye but he has borrowed it.

So what changed for Simon Costin

Who did Simon Costin Copy??

Simon Costin stated for Taylor Auctions that he copied a mask created by photographer Joel Peter Witkin, saying:

"Some years before the Dante show, I had shown some artworks in Milan at an exhibition, alongside an American photographer called Joel Peter Witkin. I was a huge fan of Witkin’s work and was totally in awe of him. Thinking Lee might find his work interesting too, I bought him the catalogue. In one of the images, 'Journeys of the Mask: Helena Fourment', Witkin had a model wearing a black party face mask with a figure of Christ attached to it, taken, I presume, from a crucifix. Lee asked me to make up half a dozen of them for the show. I have to say I felt uneasy about doing this at the time but seeing as Lee was busy lifting Don McCullin’s photographs to make into printed fabrics at the time, ‘homages’ seemed to be the order of the day…." 

The mask is a copy…of Witkin’s work. 

Kanye is wearing a real 1996 Dante mask that is borrowed from the buyer of one of the two that Taylor Auctions auctioned. Simon didn’t realize Kanye has a connection to one of the two mask owners and had assumed it was fake. I think Kanye’s team and the actual mask owner are behind ensuring that both Taylor Auctions and Simon Costin confirm the authenticity of this mask.

Byronesque has gone quiet about the issue so I'm assuming they were just squeezed out of the negotiations/sourcing of the mask by Ye’s team.