Kanye West and Gap announced Yeezy Gap in 2020, reported new customers from its early products and expanded into a Balenciaga collaboration. The partnership ended amid competing accounts of contractual performance in September 2022, followed by product withdrawal and an inventory-related charge.
Gap ended the partnership in 2022, announced removal of products from its stores and reported USD 53 million in impairment charges, primarily related to inventory. This chronology covers the announced partnership and its initial wind-down, not later third-party resale or a complete history of subsequent litigation.
15 events shown
Gap announced a Yeezy line under Kanye West's creative direction, with clothing planned for stores and online in 2021. It said Yeezy would receive royalties and potential equity linked to sales, while each company retained ownership of its own brand.
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Gap's Investor Day presentation placed the planned 2021 YZY Gap launch within its partnership strategy. The stated purpose was to attract new customers and increase the brand's relevance.
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The later WIPO decision records that Gap companies filed a complaint concerning gapyeezy.com and gapyzy.com. The proceeding concerned third-party domain registrations, not a contractual dispute between Gap and West.
A filing records a party's position. It is not by itself a finding.
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The panel ordered both disputed domains transferred to Gap. It considered a registrant's claim to be holding a domain for West but found the respondents had not established rights or legitimate interests in the domains. This administrative ruling did not decide ownership of Yeezy or the terms of West's partnership.
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On its earnings call, Gap management said work on Yeezy Gap was continuing. In the published transcript, chief executive Sonia Syngal did not commit to a launch in either the second or third quarter and described a multiyear opportunity.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
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Gap's second-quarter results confirmed completion of the first Yeezy Gap presale. The company said 75 percent of Round Jacket pre-order customers were new to Gap, a customer-acquisition measure rather than a disclosed sales total.
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Gap said the Yeezy Gap Hoodie launch generated more sales in a single day than any previous item on Gap.com. It also said 70 percent of customers were new to the brand. The release did not provide a standalone Yeezy Gap revenue figure.
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An announcement sent by Yeezy Gap to Retail Dive introduced Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga. It brought West and Balenciaga artistic director Demna together, with global availability planned during 2022 alongside other Yeezy Gap releases.
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In a press release sent to Retail Dive, Gap said the collection launch had been postponed from 25 May to 27 May following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The statement concerned the release schedule, not an end to the collaboration.
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Gap's announcement, reproduced by WebWire, said selected Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga styles would be offered at its Times Square flagship the next day. It also planned availability at other selected US Gap stores. This described the Balenciaga collaboration, a distinction relevant to the later distribution dispute.
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In an email to Retail Dive, West's legal representative said Gap's alleged failure to meet contractual obligations had left West no choice but to terminate the agreement. He said West had tried to resolve the issues and intended to open Yeezy stores. These were West's side's claims, not a judicial finding of breach.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
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In CNBC interview excerpts reproduced by The FADER, West said he wanted products priced at USD 20 and had not been able to set the collection's actual prices. He described his agenda as unaligned with Gap's. This records his account of the disagreement, not a finding about contractual pricing rights.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
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In an employee memo obtained by Retail Dive, Gap brand chief Mark Breitbard said the company had upheld its commitments. He said the partners' approach to delivering their shared vision was not aligned and announced a wind-down. The memo said product releases already in the pipeline would proceed.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
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Gap announced immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores and said YeezyGap.com had shut down. It referred to its former partner's recent remarks and behavior and stated that antisemitism, racism and hate were incompatible with its values. This changed the earlier plan to continue scheduled releases.
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Gap's quarterly results disclosed USD 53 million in impairment charges tied to discontinuing Yeezy Gap, primarily related to inventory. The company expense is not a measure of West's personal wealth or evidence of a payment by him.
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Public interviews and court filings trace Kanye West's engagement to Alexis Phifer, his past relationship with Amber Rose, marriage to Kim Kardashian and their...
Yeezy developed through footwear collaborations, brand registrations, licensed partnerships and direct retail. Follow the records that separate the name, the product...
Kanye West and Adidas developed Yeezy footwear before Adidas ended the partnership in October 2022. This timeline follows the collaboration, West's documented...
Published estimates of Kanye West's wealth rose with Yeezy's business and fell after Adidas ended their partnership. Follow the dated figures, West's disagreement...
Coverage through 17 November 2022. Editorial review: 2 November 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Copyright concerns: report an asset. Every event links to its sources. Source type does not establish whether a claim is true.