Kanye West puts hijab-wearing model on catwalk

NEW YORK - For rapper Kanye West's Yeezy fashion show on Wednesday, Somali-American model Halima Aden strutted the catwalk wearing a floor-length fur coat and a hijab.

Halima Aden, 19, who competed for Miss Minnesota wearing a burkini and recently scored a major modelling contract with talent agency IMG, made her runway debut on day seven of New York Fashion Week at one of the hottest tickets in town.

She walked in front of West's wife Kim Kardashian and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, not long after West was slammed by fans for meeting then president-elect Donald Trump in December.

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Making his first major public appearance three months after being hospitalised for exhaustion, West debuted the fifth season of his high-end athleisure wear collection for Adidas. The show was not live-streamed on the music streaming website Tidal as some of West's shows have been in the past.

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Many social media users expressed their frustrations when they learnt they would not be able to watch online, but critics were positive about the singer's latest show, saying the emphasis was on his new collection, rather than him.

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"To me, it felt like the most traditional fashion show that he's done," said Ms Rickie De Sole, W Magazine's fashion market and accessories director, who was at the show. "It had a polish to it. It felt like a serious fashion show. It felt substantial and there was less hoopla. It really was all about the fashion."

The collection was dominated by denim, high-waisted jeans, hoodie sweatshirts, baseball caps, cargo pants, knee-high boots and, of course, sneakers

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