It looks like Kanye West is finally bringing his Yeezy brand to GAP. The designer gave us the first look at the new collaboration on Twitter. In the photo, captioned #WESTDAYEVER, the model is donning a bright red jacket with a royal blue hoodie underneath and khakis. They appear to be unzipping a bag with "developed by Yeezy and GAP" printed on it, as well as an address in Cody, Wyoming where Kanye has cooked up previous projects and where his ranch is located.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1276462079625445382
The multi-year deal is set to kick off in 2021. Kanye will be working with GAP to design apparel for men, women, and children "at accessible price points," which will be available for purchase at GAP's online and physical stores.
"We are excited to welcome Kanye back to the GAP family as a creative visionary, building on the aesthetic and success of his Yeezy brand and together defining a next-level retail partnership," Mark Breitbard, Global Head of GAP Brand, said in a statement.
This moment has actually been a long time coming. As you may know, Kanye actually used to work at the GAP in high school. He's mentioned his time working there in his music before, including on the song, "Spaceship" off his debut studio album, The College Dropout. "After I f*ck the manager up/Then, I'm gonna shorten the register up/Let's go back, back to the GAP/Look at my check—wasn't no scratch," he spits. "So if I stole, wasn't my fault/Yeah, I stole—never got caught."
His GAP affiliations continued when he shadowed the brand’s then-creative director Patrick Robinson in 2009, an experience he spoke about a few years later on 99.6 NOW! “I went to the GAP and I said ‘Lemme try to do something’ and I couldn’t get past the politics,” he explained during the interview. “And I’m like ‘I’m telling you, I got it. I know it. I can do it. Gimme a shot.’ Our first night [on the Yeezus Tour] we sold $83,000 in tour merch. Imagine if you take these thoughts and connect it with a corporation like the GAP.” It looks like he finally got his wish.
