A once-celebrated relationship between the rapper Kanye West and the retailer Gap is coming to an end. Gap had hoped the alliance would revitalize its brand.
Mr. West said that the company had broken the terms of the agreement by, among other things, refusing to allow his Yeezy clothing line to have independent outlets.
When the deal with Mr. West, also known as Ye, was announced in 2020, it was heralded as potentially revolutionary.
But there have been indications of stress.
The $200 (£173) puffa jacket that was the partnership’s debut product did not go on sale for a full year. The slow release of Yeezy products, including a basic hoodie priced at $90, reportedly irked Gap.
Meanwhile, Mr. West has regularly blasted the business on social media, claiming that it has imitated his designs, excluded him from meetings, and rejected his attempts to join the board.
Gap, which has had internal conflicts, including the firing of its chief executive this summer, declined to comment.
However, although Gap and Yeezy shared many beliefs, “how we work together to execute this ambition is not aligned,” its president and chief executive Mark Breitbard wrote in an email to colleagues that the BBC obtained.
Nicholas Gravante, Mr. West’s attorney, claimed that Mr. West had attempted to resolve the concerns with Gap but had failed. On behalf of Mr. West, he wrote to Gap to inform them that the arrangement would be terminated on Thursday. According to him, Gap gave him no other option but to end their contract. He continued that he will now quickly go forward to make up for the lost time by creating Yeezy retail stores.
Yeezy is known for its sell-out shoes, foam sliders, and boxy, oversized clothing in colors like beige and black. Mr. West, who first gained notoriety as a rapper in the 2000s before moving into fashion, has long had lofty goals for the brand.
When the 10-year agreement with Gap was announced in 2020, the business, which Mr. West owns, was valued at $2.9 billion.
Since then, the two businesses have partnered with high-end clothing brand Balenciaga. The most recent products of that collaboration—a collection of black t-shirts, hoodies, and anoraks—created news when they went on sale this summer out of what appeared to be substantial trash bags.
According to the letter addressed to Gap on Mr. West’s behalf, the partnership is regulated by a different contract.
Additionally, Mr. West has an agreement with Adidas that will end in 2026.
As sales decline, Gap will eliminate 500 office positions in the US and Asia
The clothing giant Gap will eliminate about 500 office and corporate positions to reduce expenses in the face of declining sales.
This change comes after the company’s chief executive left in the summer after her turnaround efforts failed.
Sales at the firm, which also owns Banana Republic and Old Navy, are down about 10% from a year ago.
Gap acknowledged layoffs in its locations in Asia, New York, and San Francisco but declined to speak to the BBC.
At the beginning of the year, the company employed around 97,000 individuals, of whom 9% had corporate roles. In that case, the workforce reductions would amount to around 5%.
It was stated that some of the workforce reductions would result from vacant positions.
It follows the unceremonious end of Gap’s once-celebrated collaboration with Kanye West.
Concerns about the state of the US economy, which has shrunk recently, are growing.
Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Abercrombie & Fitch are three additional retailers that have recently announced layoffs.
