Kanye West Closes the Gap

In a new attempt at saving their business, Gap has tapped Kanye West for a new collaboration venture. Kanye’s vision for Gap is nothing new. In 2015, he vocalized his desire to be the “Steve Jobs of the Gap,” developing full creative control, not just a capsule collection. And now it looks like that goal is coming true. Kanye had worked at Gap many years ago, and it’s safe to say that his current designs are perhaps influenced by the simplicity and utility of the kind of clothing we affiliate with Gap. The partnership is far beyond a celebrity endorsement- it is a true artistic collaboration as Kanye brings both his design knowledge and influence to the table.

Kanye’s effect on past business collaborations compared to how his eponymous label is doing are important to acknowledge in the context of what he’s long tried to achieve. It’s no secret that Kanye’s long desired the ability to produce fashion for the masses. With the struggles he’d long expressed about production capability and the ability to launch a fashion label with limited capital and resources, it makes sense that when partnered with large-scale corporations, his designs would do much better. Launching the high-fashion label Yeezy is not affordable to the grand majority, and is clearly not where Kanye has had his effect. Alternatively, his collaboration with Adidas has launched him into the billionaire's circle. In expanding from rare drops to a more forgiving selling technique, Adidas’ Yeezy sneaker sales have been made available to the masses due to their market price.

As Gap is quite similar to Adidas in that they produce goods that offer functionality (Adidas, of course, being sportswear and Gap being classic American clothing), this partnership couldn’t be more in line with Kanye’s grand plan. As Gap’s sales fell 43% in 2020’s first fiscal quarter, this partnership will hopefully be a saving grace. So far, it’s shown promise. Gap shares surged 40% after the news of the partnership, and, though have fluctuated a bit, have remained relatively high. The clothing line is set to debut in 2021 and will include “modern, elevated basics at accessible price points.” As this is a 10-year agreement, it will be interesting to see if initial hype for the collection is able to be sustained.

Will you be shopping this collection? Personally, I’m very intrigued to see how West breathes life into the expiring brand. It makes quite a bit of sense in terms of the way he’s discussed his long-term goals in fashion and overall product, and it’s always interesting to see those with strong visions finally get the opportunity to express them.