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The Designer Who Made Kim Kardashian's Punk Jacket Wants to "Rape and Pillage" Punk

Enfants Riches Déprimés' Henry Levy got into an ugly Instagram spat with Kill Your Idols—not a good look, pal.

Photo via Black Anvil's IG

As we reported last week, Noisey's favorite Kardashian rustled some conservative punk jimmies by stepping out in an exorbitantly expensive Enfants Riches Déprimés spikey jacket plastered with Disclose and Kill Your Idols patches. I whipped up a defense of the reality TV maven's punk cred, got shouted at by angry commentors, and went about my day, assuming this would be the last time I'd pay attention to a Kardashian until Kris Jenner eventually becomes President. Then I got an Instagram message from one of the dudes in NYC hardcore punk legends Kill Your Idols, and shit got weird.

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Black Anvil (a killer NYC black metal band with whom KYI shares members) had posted a photo of Kardashian's jacket, tagging the clothing brand and calling them "wack"—about as innocuous an insult as ever pulsated through an internet cable. The designer behind Enfants Riches Déprimés, Henry Levy (or "Henri Alexander," depending on how pretentious he's feeling on any given day) got miffed, and proceeded to dive headlong into an Instagram fight that showed his in ugly, garish true colors.

"Ur such a pussy. Look how much I control your emotions that u made a whole post about my work. Little Bitch ass Punk police. I will rape and exploit and pillage whatever I want and I will sell it for thousands while u sit here and just feed me more attention. Know your place u stupid fuck," the privileged, Paris-dwelling designer wrote to a man who has been playing in punk bands since Levy was in Egyptian cotton diapers.

We as a society are used to rich kids behaving badly, but this particular instance is just gross. Watching an interloper (who claims to love punk whilst shitting on literally everything it stands for) stride in and embarass himself by insulting someone who represents decades of blood, sweat, stitches, and hard fucking work is cringeworthy at best, and a damning example of why it's been so shitty watching high-end fashion brands (and even fast fashion emporiums like H&M) co-opt underground subcultures. As Levy says (in, one imagines, a froth of capitalist hubris), he plans to "rape and exploit and pillage whatever" he wants to make a buck.

There's an ethical way to access this imagery and culture, and then there's the Enfants Riches Déprimés way. On one hand, metalheads hated seeing Justin Bieber's metal-themed tour merch, but he (or at least his team) made the decision to work with iconic artist Mark Riddick, someone who actually understands and respects the imagery Bieber wanted to borrow. On the other, Enfants Riches Déprimés has made it quite clear that they're more than happy to profit off of punk's aesthetic, but hold zero respect whatsoever for the music or the culture itself. Also, that habit of slapping swastikas on your designs is not cute—Nazi punks fuck off.

Levy seems to genuinely like punk music, but clearly his affluenza and ego stymied any chance he has of actually understanding it. The lesson here: Stay in your lane, and if you feel the need to swerve, be respectful about it, make sure know your place—and if you want to rock a Disclose logo without lining the pockets of some rich, vampiric prick, just buy it from the band.