Checkout | 08. Jun 2021

Kanye Can - Or Can´t He?

There are tons of friends around me telling me about how they started to invest into the stock market during the past year - it actually became a thing to do that, leaving the rest of us behind as ignorant old farts. But as much and as often I bowed my head in respect for all those players that became milliionairs by buying bitcoins or any other new technology - I always thought: Not for me.

Until today.

Today I saw two of the designs Kanye West is doing for GAP - a capsule collection called YEEZY X GAP.

When I first went to New York there was a GAP store at every corner and I bought all my basics - wait: I actually learnt about the item basic just then and there - from T-shirts to Khakis to Sweatpants to PJ´s there. I still keep some pieces in my eternal collection of never-give-aways within my closet.

But at some point GAP lost it. Even though their campaings still remained tempting, the stores themselves looked more and more like cheap discounters, you would not stay longer than necessary, then stop altogether even going there. Because they tried to be something they weren´t?.

Almost ten years now all we heard about GAP sounded sad and depressing. A new CEO every now and then, some new design direction, another approach, a new camapign.

So I didn´t even listen when I heard about the brand´s new cooperation with Kanye West. The last collection of his label "Yeezy" was shown at Paris fashion week shortly before lockdown last year. And the only thing I really do remember is his daughter rapping on stage for the fashion crowd.

But now there is that first piece we can see online - and pre-order for that matter - and I have to say: BRAVO!

Even though I would personally rather buy a different piece (that cute T-shirt he will obvoiusly include into his kid´s collection, modelled on instagram by what looks like another daughter) that jacket is so basic and so cool at the same time for a very reasonable price, I assume that Kanye West might really put GAP back on the map.

Because West revived the most important quality instantly for the GAP: credibility. What Tom Ford or Allessandro Michele did for Gucci, what Phoebe Philo did for Céline might be working for GAP as well.

Now there will be many dedicated new customers storming flagships and websites blessing GAP with a new image. And eventually the company will be able to afford more talented designers to recreate the basic, classic easy-going-every-day-look I loved GAP for.

Maybe there will be stores again at every corner in New York or San Francisco where it all once started.

Maybe there will be must-haves and new classics and tons of cannot-live-withouts.

So the shares will continue to go through the ceiling.

And I will still be the only one who did not buy any.

All pictures taken from Instagram - Go check on @gap or @yeezyxgap for any details and the fun of following.