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Kanye West and Irina Shayk have become the focus of an avalanche of headlines this week, amid claims they've embarked on a romantic relationship.
Photographs published by the Daily Mail showed rapper-turned-designer West and supermodel Shayk strolling through the grounds of a hotel in Provence, France, with a small group on Tuesday—which also happened to be West's birthday.
The following day, West, 44, and Shayk, 35, were photographed disembarking a private jet together, after touching down at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport.
And while the stars have yet to comment on the current nature of their relationship, they have been familiar with one another for more than a decade.
Back in 2010, Shayk was seen sporting CGI angel wings in the video for West's hit single "Power"—and was even name-checked in his fashion-themed track "Christian Dior Denim Flow" that same year.
They would reunite professionally in 2012, when Russian runway favorite Shayk hit the catwalk at West's Fall/Winter 2012 presentation at Paris Fashion Week.
The headline-making show, which pre-dated the 2015 debut of his first Yeezy collection, was presented under his Kanye West label and attended by his then-girlfriend and future wife Kim Kardashian.
Shayk praised West's "eye for fashion," telling PopSugar at the time: "When I got a request to participate in the show, I was very thrilled and agreed immediately.
"I consider Kanye West to be one of those rare people that bring new ideas into the world. He brought art into music, and now he is releasing his passion for fashion and I think that it's absolutely amazing.
"It does not happen to many musicians. He has a good eye for fashion and he is not scared to try new things."
Her support for West's fashion endeavours saw her pay tribute to late rapper DMX in April, when she stepped out in a $200 Yeezy x Balenciaga tribute T-shirt, the proceeds of which were used to help raise $1 million for the musician's family.
They also have a number of friends in common from the fashion world, including esteemed designer Riccardo Tisci, who has worked with both stars in the past.
As West celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, his estranged wife Kardashian took to Instagram to share a throwback snapshot of herself with him and their children, adding the caption: "Happy Birthday... Love U for Life!"
West exchanged nuptials with Kardashian in a lavish ceremony in Florence, Italy, on May 24, 2014. A representative for Kardashian confirmed to Newsweek in February that the star, who shares four children with West, filed for divorce.
Shayk shares four-year-old daughter Lea De Seine with former partner Bradley Cooper, from whom she split in 2019.
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Kanye West and Irina Shayk for comment.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more