By Lily Raine
Kanye West, also known as Yeezy, is an unlikely force in the world of fashion. The rapper has been involved in the fashion world for over five years now after launching his brand, Yeezy. He has become a sought-after designer, even though his clothing lines of very expensive basics in a nude palette has received mixed reviews. (But, we do need to give props where props are due. He is largely responsible for wife Kim Kardashian West’s sartorial glow up, from wearing tawdry Bebe clothing to more sophisticated labels like Givenchy and Balmain. Kanye was a very outspoken force for Kim to change her entire image).
While Yeezy clothing is almost always monochrome and is highly sought after by models for streetwear, one of the best sellers of Yeezy is their sneaker collaboration with Adidas. The “Yeezy Boost” sneakers were worn by almost every celebrity right after their launch, proving that Kanye is a driving force to make people buy clothing and accessories. These sneakers sell out almost immediately after each launch and have a resale value in the thousands. It also doesn’t hurt that he is directly involved with the Kardashians-Jenner family, some of the biggest influencers on the planet. He is the designer that can sell even the craziest, most expensive, and most unlikely pieces.
Perhaps this is why Gap (yes, the struggling mall brand) is collaborating with Kanye West in a new collection. Once an “it” brand backed by the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, the retailer is trying anything to make themselves appeal to the younger generation, as they are consistently losing millions of dollars each quarter and being forced to close stores across the country. The coronavirus is certainly not helping the brand, either.
While this seems like an unlikely collaboration for the Gap to pursue, especially in times like these, it makes a lot of sense. Kanye worked for Gap as a teenager and even mentions it in his music, which is most likely why he was interested in collaborating with the brand. He has spoken highly of the brand in the past and even once said he would like to be their head creative director or more specifically, “the Steve Jobs of Gap”. The timing also comes as people of color are calling for more recognition and a seat at the table.
Kanye announced the collaboration on Twitter with the Gap logo, but instead of the traditional “GAP”, in the logo was “YZY”. Days after his announcement of the collaboration, he left a giant message on the Chicago Gap building about how grateful he was for the collaboration, while also redesigning the whole outside of the store making it look like a more trendy store to attract a younger customer. The collaboration certainly has Gap investors excited and is expected to bring in $1 billion in annual sales, which will tremendously help the struggling clothing store. In fact, shares for Gap soared over 18.8% after news released of the collaboration.
The first collection of this ten-year deal will be launching online and in-stores during the first half of 2021. The collection will include men’s, women’s, and children’s pieces. The collection will not include footwear, specifically not to cause any competition with Kanye’s Yeezy line with Adidas. Kanye tweeted a picture that hinted at bright-colored hoodies, jackets, and tee shirts all being in the collection. It is expected that the collection will focus on basics that Yeezy and Gap are both known for, but perhaps making them in brighter colors than the original Yeezy collections. The collection is expected to be affordable at typical Gap prices, rather than the high dollar that Yeezy typically sells at.
We are super excited to see the clothing and accessories that come out of this collection and how it affects Gap in the eyes of “trendsetters”, as Kanye West is one of the trendiest designers of our generation. Kanye West may be the one to turn the struggling mall brand and, as some websites are saying, “ailing khaki brand”, into a one of the trendiest stores to shop at.
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