There’s a Fake Sisqó, and He Snuck Into Kanye’s Fashion Show
The name of the game during New York Fashion Week is access. Without it, there’s no getting into the week’s most exclusive fashion shows and parties, which means you’re not hobnobbing with celebrities, designers, models, or the media.
But getting into New York Fashion Week shows and parties without an invite isn’t easy. Security and public relations firms guard entryways meticulously, so the chances of sneaking into a show without credentials are pretty low. One fashion week crasher didn’t try to get into some of the week’s biggest shows without a ticket; instead, he assumed a different identity altogether. He pretended to be rapper Sisqó.
While the real Sisqó — the rapper of “Thong Song” and Dru Hill fame — was in Las Vegas, the man posing as Sisqó enjoyed front row access to some of the most exclusive runway shows and after-parties, including Philipp Plein, Vivienne Tam, and Kanye West’s Yeezy show.
This Yahoo Style writer met “Sisqó,” who introduced himself as Lucky Galimier, at the Baja East party at the Gilded Lily club in Manhattan. Galimier, whom the New York Post identifies as Gavin Barnes, said he’s an up-and-coming designer from Miami who also works on various real estate projects. Also with Galimier that night was Ramses Alexandre, a stylist for the Guardian, who thought he was networking with a potential business partner.
Alexandre did not know that Galimier posed as Sisqó throughout the week, only finding out when gossip site TMZ called Alexandre — thinking they’d reached Galimier. Soon, Alexandre learned about the entire ruse, including how Galimier pretended that Alexandre was “Sisqó’s” assistant.
Galimier (the alleged fake Sisqó) told Yahoo Style that he has nothing to hide and said via text: “None of this is true, I want to sue [the people saying this.] My friend works in media, which is how I got invited everywhere. Not one time did I say I was someone else. Just because I look like an entertainer doesn’t mean I am.”
When asked why he was identified as Sisqó in various social media posts from people who had attended the Vivienne Tam and Philipp Plein shows, Galimier said that people didn’t believe him when he tried to correct the mistaken celebrity sighting. According to Galimier, an industry insider said, “Why is everyone saying you are [Sisqó]?” the insider asked. “You are [Sisqó], aren’t you? You just want to remain low-key.”
Yahoo Style reached out to the fashion insider to ask about the exchange. The insider, who asked to remain anonymous for fear that the mixup would jeopardize his business relationships, said that Galimier identified himself as a musician and, when asked about his music, claimed Sisqó’s 1999 debut album Unleash the Dragon as his own.
The insider and a friend, who sat beside Galimier at the Philipp Plein show, said that they could get “Sisqó” front row access to the Vivienne Tam show if there were any cancellations.
Emails obtained by Yahoo Style show the exchange between Galimier, posing as Alexandre, and a team of people who had access to Vivienne Tam tickets. Sent to Galimier’s email:
“Hi, Ramsey. It was great to meet you at Philipp Plein last night! Sisqo gave me your email so we can coordinate him attending the Vivienne Tam show tomorrow,” the insider wrote. “[Assistant] in copy here will send you the invite and his seat assignment — will you need to attend with him?”
As expected, Galimier attended the Vivienne Tam show with an invite that was assigned to “Sisqó,” as seen below.
“Who would be so bold as to pass himself off as someone else?” the insider said to Yahoo Style. “[Galimier] knew we were posting pictures on social media, he saw us uploading them. Obviously, the real Sisqó was going to see our tag.”
As it turns out, the Vivienne Tam show wasn’t the last thing Galimier attempted to crash. Later that week, he attempted to board the private jet of the insiders he met throughout the week, using a passport with the name Gavin Barnes. The passport said that Galimier was born in 1986. Sisqó, née Mark Andrews, was born in 1978.
For Alexandre, working with Galimier was an opportunity to build his experience as a stylist. Alexandre said that Galimier asked for help with his eponymous clothing line, saying that he was already in stores well-known to fashion insiders like Intermix and Colette.
“I’m so embarrassed that I was seen with him, because I actually work in this industry,” Alexandre said.
Alexandra Mondalek is a writer for Yahoo Style and Beauty. Follow her on Twitter @amondalek.
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