Kanye West has accused Gap of banning him from meetings and stealing his Balenciaga designs while making grievances to the retail giant as part of its 10-year deal with the company
Kanye West has an ax to grind with Gap, claiming the retail giant is banning him from meetings and ripping off his Balenciaga designs.
West, 45, who launched his first product with the company last year, voiced his grievances towards the retail giant in a series of Instagram posts that suggested his relationship with the company had become rocky.
On Tuesday, Kanye claimed the company “held a meeting about me” without him being present as he shared a photo of clothes spread out on the floor and a pair of iridescent sunglasses.
‘Gap held a meeting about me without me?’ Kanye West has an ax to grind with Gap, claiming the retail giant is banning him from meetings and ripping off his Balenciaga designs; pictured May 2022
The allegations continued on Wednesday when Kanye accused the company of copying its Balenciaga-developed Yeezy Gap designs and using them on their regular t-shirts.
He shared a message exchange accusing the company of ripping off his work. The correspondence included a photograph of the allegedly stolen design.
“This is Gap copying YGEBB,” read one of the messages.
In the caption, West didn’t address the alleged copying, but claimed the company canceled a photoshoot of his children in Japan without his knowledge.
“This is Gap copying YGEBB”: Allegations continued on Wednesday when Kanye accused the company of copying its Balenciaga-developed Yeezy Gap designs and canceling a photoshoot with his children
Banned: West claimed he was banned from meetings that affected him on Instagram
“But they canceled the photo shoot with my kids in Japan without my knowledge,” he wrote.
West – who officially changed his name to Ye – signed a massive 10-year deal with Gap in 2020. The first product he launched in partnership with the retailer, a baggy blue jacket that cost $200, sold out within hours of its release last year.
West’s Yeezy Gap collection, developed by Balenciaga, was released earlier this year.
Earlier this month, West was toasted on social media after fans complained that his new Yeezy line for GAP had been displayed in trash bags at the rapper’s own request.
He means business: West – who has officially changed his name to Ye – signed a massive 10-year deal with Gap in 2020. The first product he launched in partnership with the retailer, a baggy blue jacket that cost $200, sold out within hours of its release last year
Reacting to photos of his clothes stuffed into large black bags rather than hangers or neatly folded piles, Twitter users expressed confusion over his bizarre vision.
The backlash was sparked by a tweet penned by Owen Langan, who shared a snap of the disheveled merchandise, as well as claiming that a sales rep said they got angry when they saw they had it on hangers and wanted to he it.’
He added: “They are not helping you with the search [your] Size too, you just have to rummage through everything.”
When the public saw pictures of his latest clothing line on Instagram last week, which he revealed was “inspired by the homeless,” the public was quick to joke, “Kanye got people saving in Gap.”
What on earth! Earlier this month, West was toasted on social media after fans complained that his new Yeezy line for GAP had been displayed in trash bags at the rapper’s own request
Others pointed out that “working at Yeezy Gap is going to be hell” and as a former Gap employee “he knows what he’s doing”.
“Kanye has a whole song about how much he hated working in the Gap. Why would he make life harder for Gap employees? The whole place looks like puked laundry baskets. You will have a cashier and everyone else will take care of recovery,” fired another.
Still, one Twitter user suggested that he’s trying to “eliminate the tiresome perpetual cycle of constantly folding and hanging clothes and displaying them to a corporate vision standard.”
“The things people let Kanye get away with are wild lol. Those Gap jackets and Yeezy boots are ugly, but because it bears his name, people will wear it,” one social media user quipped.