It seems Ye has officially informed Gap that he wishes to dissolve their agreement after months of escalating complaints and rants on social media. Before 2022 comes to an end, more items from the lucrative collaboration were scheduled to come in stores but now, the YEEZY GAP SHDZ’s future is uncertain.
At the conclusion of New York Fashion Week, Ye hosted an unexpected YEEZY party where he let celebrities to try on his prized YEEZY GAP SHDZ spectacles. Although there hasn’t been any official confirmation of the YEEZY GAP sunglasses’ release date or price, the promotional blitz suggests that they will be on sale shortly. However, Kanye revealed that YEEZY would eventually leave GAP and adidas. Given the significant YEEZY GAP summer we all experienced, this NYFW activation might be one of the final significant YEEZY GAP events for a while.
In June 2021, Yeezy Gap introduced its debut product, an oversized jacket priced at $200. A branded hoodie, the second item, made its appearance in the fall of 2021 and cost $90. Both designs were only offered online. In 2022, the French luxury brand Balenciaga entered the scene, leading to the creation of Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga. A variety of hues of the well-known “Round Jacket,” a selection of slightly cropped hoodies were all products of the YEEZY and Gap collaboration.
Though things began to take a left turn when the rapper claimed that Gap had copied his designs, including their collaboration with Balenciaga, in August 2022. West has stated his intention to launch Yeezy retail locations.
Ye’s attorneys informed Gap that the collaboration was ending because Gap was delaying the release of products and the establishment of YEEZY retail locations. No new partnerships will be formed, but Gap will continue to be able to market its current YEEZY Gap products. The termination of the arrangement has no bearing on the merchandise that Gap has produced in conjunction with Balenciaga.
Ye told CNBC that although he had great expectations for the collaboration, mistakes made by Gap officials ultimately prevented him from realising his goals. Ye’s speech clarified the circumstances that resulted in the termination of the 10-year agreement that gave rise to YEEZY GAP. “It was always a dream of mine to be at the Gap and to bring the best product possible to the masses, going on to note how he understood the difficulty at first, “obviously there’s always struggles and back-and-forth when you’re trying to build something new and integrate teams.”
For more, watch Ye discuss the dissolution of his YEEZY GAP collaboration below.