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Yeezy Gap
TypeClothing
InventorKanye West and Gap Inc.
Inception2021; 3 years ago (2021)[1]
ManufacturerGap
AvailableNo
Last production yearOctober 2022

Yeezy Gap (stylized as YEEZY GAP or YZY GAP) was a fashion collaboration between Kanye West's Yeezy and the American clothing company Gap announced in June 2020, with its first wave of clothing releasing a year later in June 2021. In January 2022, the brand announced its collaboration with luxury fashion house Balenciaga, with the first collection from that line releasing the following month. Yeezy Gap was terminated two years after its announcement in September 2022[a] after a series of disagreements between West and Gap executives.[3] West independently released products from the Yeezy Gap line in February 2024, without permission from Gap.

Yeezy Gap was characterized by minimalist and utilitarian design, echoing previous Yeezy collections designed by West.[6] It consisted of "elevated" basic clothing, including hoodies, tracksuits, and jackets. The line was met with generally positive critical and commercial reception, although some criticized the manner in which it was released.

History

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Inception

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West had held a deep interest in Gap for years, having worked there as a teen, and declared in a 2015 interview that he wanted to be "the Steve Jobs of the Gap." In 2009, West was set to collaborate with Gap, but the collaboration fell through. According to West, he "couldn't get past the politics."[7][8] In June 2020, West took to Twitter to announce the Yeezy Gap collaboration, with Gap stock rising 36% after the announcement.[9] In a statement, Gap said that the Yeezy Gap line will create "modern, elevated basics for men, women and kids at accessible price points." West and Gap agreed to a 10-year deal, with the option to renew after five years. The deal contained the ability for West to acquire up to 8.5 million common stock shares of Gap depending on sales performance, along with royalties for sales.[1][10]

Banner displayed over a Gap store building with the message (all caps): "Thank God. Hi Chicago it's me Ye. This is the Gap store I used to shop at when I would drive my Nissan from the southside. So blessed. I thank God and I am so humbled at the opportunity to serve. I put my heart into color palette and every detail I love from the original. Do you like stuff? I don't know what to do with my hands. Love, YZY/Yeezy.
Banner displayed over a Gap store building in promotion of Yeezy Gap

Later in June, a retail Gap store in Chicago had its exterior redesigned to promote the collaboration.[11] Mowalola Ogunlesi was announced to lead the design team in July.[1]

Release

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First Wave

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The first piece from the collaboration, a blue zipperless puffer jacket made from recycled nylon, was released on June 8, 2021, coinciding with West's birthday.[12] In September of that same year, the second item was released: a double-layered hoodie made from heavyweight cotton, dubbed the "Perfect Hoodie."[13] The music video for the song "Heaven and Hell" from West's 2021 album Donda doubled as a commercial for the hoodie.[1] Gap later reported that the Yeezy Gap hoodie set a record for the most online sales of a single item in a day in the company's history. They also stated that 70 percent of customers who purchased the item were new to the brand.[14]

Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga

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In January 2022, the "Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga" project was announced. It was set to be a collaboration between West and luxury fashion house Balenciaga.[15] Like other Yeezy Gap releases, the first previews of products from the collection were revealed alongside a studio album from West, Donda 2. In late February, the first pieces from the line were released, as well as a lookbook showcasing the full collection. The release included T-shirts, hoodies, jackets, and jeans.[16]

The second collection from the collaboration was set for release on May 25, however, it was postponed until May 27 due to the Robb Elementary School shooting.[17] It contained accessories such as bags and hats alongside regular clothing.[18]

Retail stores

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In July 2022, Yeezy Gap products were made available for purchase in a retail location for the first time in the Times Square Gap store, later coming to select Gap locations across the United States. The clothes were displayed in unsorted trash bags, forcing customers to dig through them to find what they wanted, causing large social media backlash. West stated in a post on Instagram that the homeless were one of his biggest inspirations in design, which also led to criticism for "fetishizing" homelessness. West later defended the clothing displays, stating that it was part of his artistic vision.[1][19]

Termination

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In August 2022, West began taking to Instagram to share his issues with working with Gap. He frequently complained about the company holding meetings without him, copying his designs for Gap's own releases, and disagreements on how Yeezy Gap should be run.[1][20][21] On September 12, West stated in an interview that he intended to end his partnership with Gap, saying "It’s time for me to go it alone."[22] Three days later, on September 15, Yeezy notified Gap that it had violated its contract by failing to meet its obligations, specifically for not opening up dedicated Yeezy Gap retail stores. Gap CEO Mark Breitbard confirmed in a memo to employees that they would slow down the partnership, but that they still planned to work through their Yeezy product pipeline. However, on October 25, after a series of antisemitic remarks from West, Gap stated that it would stop selling Yeezy Gap products, forgoing its plan to offload remaining stock after the end of its contract.[5][2][4][3]

Independent release

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On February 22, 2024, West released several items from the collaboration on his yeezy.com website in Europe only, seemingly without permission from Gap. The items were sold for USD$20, lower than typical Yeezy Gap prices.[23] On the same day, he premiered a Super Bowl advertisement for the website, which was a low budget phone recording of West speaking in his car.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^ While the contract between West and Gap officially ended on September 15, 2022,[2][3] Gap continued to sell already produced stock of Yeezy Gap clothing until October 25, 2022.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Takanashi, Lei (September 22, 2022). "A Timeline of Yeezy Gap: Why Kanye West's Deal With Gap Fell Apart and What's Next". Complex. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Stebbins, Jack (September 15, 2022). "Kanye West's Yeezy terminates deal with Gap: 'A king can't live in someone else's castle'". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Holman, Jordyn; Friedman, Vanessa (September 15, 2022). "Hip-Hop Mogul and Gap Officially End Their Partnership". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Reid, Jenni; Golden, Jessica (October 25, 2022). "Adidas terminates Ye partnership, Gap removes Yeezy items over rapper's antisemitic remarks". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Silbert, Jake (October 25, 2022). "GAP Terminates YEEZY GAP, for Good This Time". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Inman, DeMicia (February 23, 2022). "Ye And Demna Officially Introduce Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga". Vibe. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Ilyashov, Alexandra (September 15, 2015). "Kanye Is Really, Really Obsessed With Gap, In Case You Didn't Know". Refinery29. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Sanchez, Karizza (July 10, 2018). "The Untold Story of Pastelle, Kanye West's First Clothing Line". Complex. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Effron, Oliver (June 26, 2020). "Gap will sell Kanye West's Yeezy line. Its stock is soaring 36%". CNN. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Maheshwari, Sapna (June 26, 2020). "Kanye West and Gap Strike 10-Year Deal for 'Yeezy Gap' Apparel Line". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Silbert, Jake (June 28, 2020). "Kanye West Redesigns Chicago Gap Store in Light of YEEZY Partnership". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  12. ^ DeStefano, Mike (June 8, 2021). "Kanye West's Yeezy Gap Has Arrived But Not How You May Have Expected". Complex. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  13. ^ Northman, Tora (September 29, 2021). "Finally, the YEEZY GAP Hoodie Is Here". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Gap Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results". Gap Inc. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (January 7, 2022). "The Tao of the Yeezy Gap x Balenciaga Project". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Silbert, Jake (May 9, 2022). "Everything to Know About YEEZY GAP, From Blue Jackets to Balenciaga". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Kavilanz, Parija (May 25, 2022). "Yeezy Gap postpones launch of Balenciaga collection after Texas school shooting". CNN. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  18. ^ Bennet, Alexis (May 27, 2022). "Part II of the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga Collection Is Available to Shop". Vogue. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  19. ^ Garcia, Thania (August 18, 2022). "Kanye West Defends Selling His New Clothing Line Out of Construction Bags: 'I'm Not Here to Apologize About My Ideas'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  20. ^ Callas, Brad (August 30, 2022). "Kanye West: 'Gap Held a Meeting About Me Without Me?'". Complex. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  21. ^ Kanye Speaks To The Gap Store In Atlanta, August 31, 2022, archived from the original on January 14, 2023, retrieved January 14, 2023
  22. ^ Bhasin, Kim (September 12, 2022). "Kanye West Is Done With Corporate America. He'll Go It Alone". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  23. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (February 22, 2024). "Kanye West Restocks YZY GAP Collab Items For $20 Each". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  24. ^ Moore, Sam (February 12, 2024). "Kanye West Stars In Low-Cost Yeezy Super Bowl Commercial After Blowing Budget On Ad Slot". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
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