KANYE’S DREAM
"The Steve Jobs of Gap"
“OMG Gap is in trouble! Stores are closing left and right!”
“I know! How are they going to recover?”
Um…apparently the answer is Kanye West?
Just this past Friday, Gap announced that it had inked a 10-year partnership with West and his Yeezy brand, and the first collection is set to fully launch next year. To add to the excitement, a note handwritten by West was blown up and draped over the entire building. In the note, West says he’s “humbled by the opportunity to serve,” and he brings the story close to home by revealing that this was the same Gap store he shopped at while growing up in Chicago.
During his time at Gap, West and his Yeezy team will create a co-branded (you’ll see telltale signs of both brands on the apparel) collection for anyone and everyone. Men, women, kids…they’re doing it all, and you’ll have access to all of it both in-store and online. Who knows? This partnership just may save both Gap and Kanye West in equal measure, as both have been in somewhat of a freefall as of late.
Gap has clearly been suffering in sales for quite some time, being accused of everything from not keeping up with competitors to having an “anemic” range of clothing. And it’s true. What was once one of the coolest brands around (remember those iconic Gap commercials from the late ’90s?) now struggles to connect with the younger consumer. As long as Gap can effectively tap into the luxury streetwear attitude that Yeezy is known for, the younger consumer will undoubtedly respond.
But let’s not act like this is purely Gap’s salvation. West has been in his own form of freefall lately, with his look-at-me antics and wild outbursts becoming more and more frequent. A lot of people, namely in the fashion world, have started to distance themselves from the rapper, who only a few years ago would have been any collaboration’s golden ticket. This partnership with Gap could help him re-establish the credibility he so desperately needs right now, and making his creations available to a wider public will put his clothing on people who would normally never have access to his brand.
It will be interesting to see how this new collaboration plays out. Not only will Gap have to fully tap into the Yeezy world, but Yeezy will have to respect the Gap brand as well. This could be the best thing to happen to both Gap and Kanye West in ages, as long as it is executed effectively. If the partnership is able to reach a younger demographic, as well as market itself effectively (i.e. fully embracing newer social media platforms like TikTok), it could be the one thing that’s able to save two Goliaths from crumbling at once.
