Yeezy’s latest venture and partnership may be the best one yet! Of course, you already know that we’re talking about the Yeezy GAP 2021 partnership! This is very unprecedented that Kanye West went for collaboration without someone other than himself. Kanye loves Kanye. Especially not with a giant clothing retail company like GAP.
Kanye already has his very own line of highly-coveted and controversial fashion under the YEEZY brand. But, the last time Yeezy took to the runway was in March of 2020 with the YEEZY Season 8 collection. So, 2021 has not featured a new YEEZY collection, but more collaborations?
Is Kanye trying to test the waters outside the Three Stripes? Experimenting more in the game of up-and-coming streetwear brands meets retail giants? Let’s dive into the reasoning behind the Yeezy GAP collaboration that might very well change the game once more!
Partnerships Changing History
YEEZY GAP
The Yeezy GAP story begins with Kanye sharing a picture on his favorite platform – Twitter. It featured Ye wearing a full-n Yeezy GAP outfit looking into the insides of a duffel bag. The duffel bag itself had the words “Developed by Yeezy and Gap” printed on it. He also shared what would be the logo for the partnership that featured “YZY” in GAP’s white typography. It sat atop GAP’s go-to navy backdrop paired with the hashtag #WestDayEver!
Mowalola Ogunlesi is the lead design director of the Yeezy GAP partnership. The inspiration and main theme were workwear-heavy like carpenter courts and heavy-duty denim jackets. But, sadly, no footwear – so disappointing. But, why GAP?
Kanye West has always expressed his desire to collaborate with GAP for literally YEARS. This is because he, himself, worked as a sales assistant at one of the Chicago stores as a teenager. So, he definitely has a soft spot for the casualwear giant!Â
STEVE JOBS OF GAP
In February of 2015, during an interview with Vanity Fair, Kanye West gave a bold statement! Apparently, he wanted to be the STEVE JOBs of the Gap! To be more specific, this is what he said:
“When I say Steve Jobs of the Gap…I’m not talking about a capsule. I’m talking about full Hedi Slimane creative control of the Gap is what I would like to do”.Â
Later that same year, the GAP removed their creative director – cutting the position out entirely. But, nevertheless, Kanye still found a way to bring this position back to life with the Yeezy GAP partnership. Kanye even goes to lengths rapping about it in his song “Spaceship”.Â
“Let’s go back, back to the Gap!”
THE CAPSULE
The Yeezy GAP capsule includes a very interesting – to say the least – array of round jackets and hoodies. But, it’s the hoodies – AKA the “perfect hoodies” – that we care about the most. Here’s the verdict on the hoodies:
- The Yeezy GAP hoodies retailed for $90 which some deemed expensive. BUT, keep in mind that the Yeezy hoodies from Season 5 retailed for $275
- Thick and double-layeredÂ
- Heavy-weight and oversized cropped fit
- Solid quality although mass-produced
- Comes in both adult and kids sizing
- Comes in 6 different colorways: black, blue, red, purple, brown, and a tan beige
- Average Resale Price: around $135 on StockX
Could the new Yeezy GAP partnership be the absolute latest “Supreme apparel” kinda situation? The hoodies did go out of stock hours after their launch, so they’ve got the Supreme potential.Â
YZY D ROSE
Apart from the Yeezy GAP collaboration, Kanye West has not partnered with anyone in the past. This makes his collaboration with NBA basketball player, Derrick Rose, a once in a lifetime occurrence. It is yet another collaboration leaked and teased back in 2020 alongside the Yeezy 1050s. But, at least the YZY 1050 got itself a release date.
Also, unlike the Yeezy GAP, this collaboration is all about footwear featuring a basketball performance slip-on sneaker. Although it looks nothing like a slip-on Yeezy at all. Looking back at the Foamies and the Slides, you’d think it would have any resemblance. Nope. You can read all about it and more right here!
So, when it comes to Yeezy partnerships, this is it. In a nutshell, it seems that our man Ye is about to test the waters. Make some friends. Getting kinda lonely here, right Ye? Either way, we might be flexing a Yeezy GAP red hoodie this holiday. Maybe even pair it with some epic Christmas sneakers.