If you’ve followed any of the Kardashians’ or Jenners’ social media accounts since January 2019, you know about Kanye West’s “Sunday Service.” Photos and videos of big crowds that include several singers circling West or other well-known guest singers like Sia and Justin Bieber are common. They usually dress in similar, if not matching outfits of the same color, inspired by Kanye’s fashion line. What happens at Sunday Service appears to be transformative for attendees who listen to gospel-inspired music by exceptionally talented singers. But what is West’s end goal here, and why did he take Sunday Service with him to the 2020 Paris Fashion Week?

I do not think I am the only one who has mixed feelings about West’s Sunday Service. Yes, I watch the videos that attendees post, in awe of the beautiful sounds created, but I am always left with an eerie feeling. My main worry is as follows: Is West trying to start a church? The truth is that no one can really be sure. ABC claims that the artist attempted to apply for the construction of a meditation structure on his Wyoming ranch. Though his application did not lead anywhere, if it had, things would be very different. There is no doubt a church founded and run by West would spark an obscene amount of controversy. The biggest concern is for kids who look up to West as musical inspiration and, therefore, are more likely to follow whatever their role model does – even his own religion. However, West’s Sunday Service does not appear to be putting pressure on attendees to believe or think in a certain way — from the outside, it looks like a gathering of people using revamped popular music to spread love and positivity, through whatever religion they believe in. And from comments from people who have actually attended a service, this seems to be the case. But it is all about love and positivity or is money another major motivator?

What Los Angeles deemed strange about the Sunday Service’s presence in Paris Fashion Week was that West’s lack of merchandise for attendees after the performance, unlike what he offered for the service’s show at Coachella. If West’s Sunday Service was only up-and-running to increase what appears to be an unthinkable amount of wealth for the Kardashian-West family, I would not be the only one to be extremely upset. But after some thought, a financial scheme like this does not make sense for someone as wealthy as West. It appears like he does not really need more money, which put West lovers at ease, knowing that he really could have created the Sunday Service to better his faith and spread love. 

West’s presence at Fashion Week was not all about the music or money. Los Angeles Times explains he has scheduled a show to reveal his latest collaboration with Adidas with his Yeezy brand. The multi-faceted artist’s Yeezy shoe line has been thriving since its start in 2009. And West was a household name well before then with his successful music career, especially in 2004 with his  ‘The College Dropout” album release. Fans are on the edge of their seats to see what other artistic masterpieces he has in store for them, whether in music, fashion or other artistic industries alike.