Kanye West signs 10-year deal with Gap for Yeezy Gap clothing line in 2021

Bounce Nation June 30, 2020
Kanye West, Gap and Yeezy
Kanye West has long been open about his desire to make clothing for the masses, and now it seems like he's getting a real chance to do just that. On Thursday, West inked a 10-year deal with Gap to produce a new clothing line called "Yeezy Gap," which will be introduced in stores in 2021.

Yeezy is best known for pricey sneakers that sell out online quickly, but Yeezy footwear, made with sneaker company Adidas, won’t be sold at Gap.

San Francisco-based Gap Inc., whose sales are dwindling, hopes the deal will keep it relevant with shoppers.

For Yeezy, being in Gap’s more than 1,100 stores worldwide could get the brand in front of more people.

West tweeted about the news on Friday, using the hashtag #WestDayEver.

“Yeezy and Gap form partnership #WestDayEver,” he tweeted.


The partnership looks like a win from both angles: West has been speaking about his desire to work with Gap for years, telling Style.com in 2015, "I'd like to be the Steve Jobs of the Gap... I'm not talking about a capsule. I'm talking about full Hedi Slimane creative control of the Gap." West also worked at a Gap store as a teenager in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Gap's slipping sales in recent years mean that it could use the infusion of hype that West has been able to bring to his sneaker parnerships with Adidas in the past. The retailer has shut over 3,300 stores and furloughed 80,000 employees due to the pandemic, reports Business of Fashion. It also canceled the collaboration it had announced with Telfar in January.

Kanye West, adidas and Yeezy
Kanye West maintains sole ownership of the YEEZY brand and was recently valued at $2.9 billion USD in April 2020, and Gap Inc. maintains sole ownership of Gap brand. This new apparel partnership furthers the size and scope of the YEEZY business, building on the ground-breaking success of YEEZY footwear.

West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, also tweeted about the news using the hashtag.

West has a history with Gap. He worked at one of its stores in Chicago as a teenager.

He also told Vanity Fair magazine back in 2015 that he wanted to be the creative director of the brand.

“I say things like I want to be creative director for the Gap, but I just got to give credit to the people who do creative direction at the Gap,” West said at the time. “I’ve got to give super-props to Mickey Drexler. I know he’s not at the Gap anymore. That’s a talent.”

As part of the deal announced Friday, Yeezy will receive royalties and possibly Gap stock if the line sells well.

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