Candis R. McLean
Usually an artist, after creating one of the most successful albums of the year, would dive right into touring. After releasing his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, Kanye West made social media waves. Headlines surged from his relentless tweets about financial strain, his public spouts with Taylor Swift, and even the concept of the record being a Tidal exclusive became an item of intrigue. Lost in the chaotic shuffle of the “Pablo era” was West’s massive clothing undertaking that was thematically centered around the album.
Pieces from the exclusive The Life of Pablo merchandise collection have been feverishly sought after by the masses for months. Earlier in the year, West held TLOP pop-up shows in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris. Each location had fans settled outside of the make shift stores in tents overnight, waiting for several hours, to purchase the pricey and coveted Kanye patented attire. Fans who missed out or had the misfortune of not living near any of the three cities have been living in dismay for quite some time. West recently announced via Twitter that he would open 21 pop-up stores worldwide this weekend:
21 PABLO STORES WORLDWIDE THIS WEEKEND LOCATIONS HEREhttps://t.co/tYuzqs7kJW
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) August 18, 2016
Philadelphia was among the several choice cities selected to host one of the temporary Pablo stores. This weekend, the King of Prussia Mall becomes the center for the Kanye faithful and the TLOP merchandise starved.
Here are the hours and dates for the event:
Several fans began to lining up in a frenzy late last night and early this morning with the hopes of making, what they would consider to be, one of the greatest purchases of their lives.
the type of people who show up for the @kanyewest pop-up shop at @KoP_Mall (from my cuz who is in line) pic.twitter.com/dgeUB6sJ8X
— Andrew Do (@andrewdoDC) August 19, 2016
West is prepping for his Saint Pablo Tour which will begin soon. He will also be presenting his Yeezy Season 4 clothing line at New York Fashion Week this September. Persistent local fans who endure the lines this weekend will assuredly have their wardrobe for the tour’s stop at the Wells Fargo Center on October 8th. Many of the faces leaving the store with excitement, emit the lyrics of TLOP’s single “Lowlights”. Their joy says, “You want me to give you a testimony about my life and how good he’s been to me?” In other words, they’re living the dream.
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