Fashion followers have applauded Kanye West for casting debut model Halima Aden in his Yeezy Season 5 show in New York.

Fans lauded him as a "visionary" and an "artist" for using the 19-year-old Somali-American at the toned down New York Fashion Week event on Wednesday.

Aden, who was reportedly born in a Kenyan refugee camp, graced the catwalk in an enormous beige fur coat, as well as her signature black hijab.

Commenting on Twitter, @DeLaTorreSophia posted: "Halima Aden. So beautiful and so inspiring! @IMGmodels, thank you."

@Aziza_Fasion wrote: "Finally it's here I couldn't be more happy for her inshallah many more to come #HalimaAden #Yeezyseason5 #Hijabi #Somali #Family."

@zijabi added: "Just came across Halima Aden; a Muslim woman who is featured in CR fashion book and is walking for Yeezy soon!"

The low-key display proved a dramatic contrast to West's carefully choreographed outdoor Season 4 show in September, which got off to a late start.

This time models walked briskly down the Pier 59 catwalk to a version of J. Holiday's romantic track, Bed, wearing pieces in his trademark dusty shades of charcoal, grey, camel and denims.

They paraded in front of guests, including West's wife, Kim Kardashian West, who wore an almost see-through purple top with matching trousers.

The restrained event follows a series of media headlines about West's mental health and controversial comments in support of Donald Trump.

Last week he deleted tweets about a December meeting with the US president, where he said the pair discussed "multicultural issues," including violence in the rapper's home city, Chicago.

West was also absent from the long list of stars who attended the Grammy Awards on Sunday.