The partnership between Gap andKanye West is over.
Mr. West wrote a letter to Gap on Thursday stating that he was ending his agreement with the company due to a contract dispute. Ye is going to open his own stores.
Gap hoped the partnership would generate more than $1 billion in sales over the course of 10 years. Ye would be given access to the mass market and the Gap would be turned around by giving it the veneer of cool.
The agreement was coming to an end in a message to employees.
The Gap brand president wrote that how they work together to deliver their vision is not aligned. We are going to end the partnership.
On August 16th, lawyers for Ye sent a notice to Gap. According to Ye's lawyer, Nicholas Gravante Jr., Gap left him no choice but to walk away from their agreement.
He argued that the retailer had left its contractual obligations. The New York Times saw a copy of the notice that said Gap didn't sell products in its namesake stores and didn't open stores to sell products. The YZY Gap stores were supposed to open in the last half of the year.
Both directly and through counsel, Ye had tried to work through the issues with Gap.
He said that Ye would open retail stores in order to make up for lost time.
Through the first half of next year, Gap will continue to sell new products, including a collection for the holiday season.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ye wanted to end the partnership.
Daily business updates The latest coverage of business, markets and the economy, sent by email each weekday.Two years ago, when the mall stalwart rolled out its splashy announcement about teaming up with Ye, the company's stock price had its biggest increase in 40 years. The partnership between a very corporate entity and a very uncorporate artist was surprising to industry insiders. Mickey Drexler is a former chief executive of Gap.
The retailer was excited to work with Ye and define a next level retail partnership.
Gap had an option to renew after five years, at which point they hoped that the store would make $1 billion in sales. The release date for the merchandise was pushed back, even though the company said it would be in stores in 2020. On calls with Gap executives, analysts ask for updates on the apparel line.
Only two products were released in the first 18 months of the agreement. They were not available in stores.
The full line of 36 styles was unveiled in May after Ye enlisted the help of Demna. In July, many of those products were at higher prices than usual for the Gap.
Shoppers lined up around a Gap store in Times Square, where the clothes were piled in garbage bags.
It was not clear if it would change the direction of the Gap. Gap brand sales were down in the most recent quarter.
Danielle said that Ye is not taking any action in regards to the contract at the moment.
As Gap searches for a permanent chief executive, the partnership with Ye is ending. The CEO of the chain left in July. Bob Martin is in charge of the company.
Ye has posted on social media that he is not happy with his relationship with Adidas. The partnership brought in over a billion dollars in revenue. It is due to end in 2026.
Staci Jennifer Trager is a partner at Nixon Peabody and leads the fashion law practice. It can be hard to work in a partnership.
"Kanye seems to have a very specific vision and a very strong desire to see things in a certain way." The level of control and desire to control things may not be compatible with collaborating with a brand.
She said that brand partnerships are like marriages. Even if one of them doesn't like the food, they have to compromise on which restaurant they go to. The dinner plans were ripped up by Ye.
He can eat pasta every night now that he can make all of the decisions.