Say it isn’t so! According to the Wall Street Journal, Kanye West (who goes by Ye) and The Gap Inc. are apparently terminating their much hyped, but apparently strained, partnership. The decision was supposedly cemented Thursday, when Ye’s lawyers sent a letter to Gap notifying the retailer of Yeezy LLC’s plans, alleging that Gap had breached their agreement.
The report comes after issues in the relationship between Ye and Gap became public via social media. As the WSJ article points out, in late August, West criticized the retailer on Instagram for allegedly stealing his designs while restricting his creative influence.
Bloomberg’s Kim Bhasin reports that, in response to the now-public feud, that Gap’s President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Breitbard released a memo to employees Thursday confirming that the retailer would terminate the partnership. “Simply put, while we share a vision of bringing high-quality, trend-forward, utilitarian design to all people through unique omni experiences with Yeezy Gap, how we work together to deliver this vision is not aligned,” the message read. “And we are deciding to wind down the partnership”
The collaboration dates back to 2020, when Gap and Ye agreed to design a clothing line under a joint Yeezy Gap brand. In the past two years, Gap has introduced hoodies, anoraks and T-shirts for a relatively affordable price. However, according to the letter Yesent Gap, the retail chain has not fulfilled its promise of releasing apparel and opening retail stores, leading to the artist’s decision to pull out.
“It was always a dream of mine to be at the Gap and to bring the best product possible,” Ye told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Thursday. “Obviously there’s always struggles and back-and-forth when you’re trying to build something new and integrate teams.” Ye said he wasn’t able to set the prices he wanted on his products and that he didn’t approve of color selections. “It was very frustrating. It was very disheartening, because I just put everything I had. I put all of my top relationships,” Ye said. “Our agenda, it wasn’t aligned.”
He also said he was dissatisfied with progress on launching physical Yeezy stores in partnership with the retailer. “Everyone knows that I’m the leader, I’m the king,” Ye added. “A king can’t live in someone else’s castle. A king has to make his own castle.”
Fortunately for those still hoping to get some of the merchanidse, the items won’t be immediately retracted from stores. Under the terms of agreement, Gap will be able to continue to sell existing Yeezy Gap products through the first half of 2023. That will include product releases this fall and even a holiday collection. Furthermore, pieces made in collaboration with Balenciaga will still be sold through Gap.
It also appears that there’s trouble in the Adidas x Yeezy paradise as well. Ye has fired similar claims at Adidas, including allegations about the sportswear company copying designs, yet not fulfilling contractual obligations. WSJ predicts that his agreements with both Gap and Adidas are likely be severed prematurely — Adidas’ contract was set to end 2026; Gap’s in 2030.
“I signed with both Gap and Adidas because it contractually stated they would build permanent stores, which neither company has done even though I saved both those companies,” the designer said in a now-deleted Instagram post. “It’s going to cost you billions to keep me. It’s going to cost you billions to let me go,” he added.
But don’t worry, Yeezy isn’t going anywhere. After multiple failed attempts to collaborate with corporate America, Ye plans on going solo. “It’s time for me to go it alone,” Ye said in a recent phone interview with Bloomberg. “Now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”
Ye also told Bloomberg he is now looking to open his own “Donda campuses,” communities that will comprise shops, farms and dorms. Products sold there will be designed uniquely by Yeezy. Yewill also keep operating his e-commerce shop, Yeezy Supply.
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