Kanye West’s highly-anticipated collaboration with GAP, which rolled out online earlier this year in partnership with Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia, has finally hit stores. But there’s a catch: Yeezy GAP products will only be available for purchase at the GAP store in New York City’s Times Square.
Starting today from 10am until 10pm, a selection of Yeezy GAP Engineered by Balenciaga items will hit the GAP’s flagship store in Times Square. This marks the first time that Yeezy Gap products, which includes a collection of unisex hoodies and tees, are available for purchase in-store.
The store has also been redesigned to fit Kanye West’s vision. According to a press release, the GAP Times Square flagship store has been “reengineered and distilled to its most essential form in Yeezy GAP engineered by Balenciaga’s vision of utilitarian design.”
Clothing racks, shelving, and hangers have been eliminated from the space. Instead, images posted to social media show Yeezy GAP products stuffed in oversized bags. And it’s no surprise that a long line of fans waited outside the GAP store for the pop-up shop.
However, fashion lovers shouldn’t worry that they won’t get their hands on the merchandise. It seems that Kanye West’s collaboration with GAP will be available to purchase in select GAP stores throughout the United States very soon, per the press release. Until then, the Yeezy GAP Engineered by Balenciaga collection is also available online.
Last February, Kanye West – who legally changed his name to Ye – released the first collection from his GAP collaboration online. The collection consisted of just eight items, including a reimagined classic GAP logo sweatshirt in smoky grey as well as stonewashed denim, sweatpants, and logo T-shirts. The prices for the items currently available on the site range from $80 to $240.
Back in January, West announced he was partnering with longtime friend Demna Gvasalia, telling Vogue: “It is a vision come true to work with Gap and Demna to make incredible products available to everyone at all times.”
“This is a very different challenge,” Gvasalia added. “I’ve always appreciated the utilitarianism and the accessibility of Gap. I share some of the same sensibilities in my creative language. This project allowed me to join forces [with Ye] to create utilitarian fashion for all.”
