Kanye West's Gap Partnership Gets Unpredictable Rollout In Stores
Kanye "Ye" West is no stranger to controversy. Between his high-profile relationship drama and frequent social media rants, it's hard to predict what the rapper will make headlines for next. His clothing line, Yeezy, often receives flak for its trend-setting designs, which are frequently over-the-top and unlike other, more practical clothing items.
Although Yeezy's unique releases are easy to poke fun at, the brand has been undeniably influential. Forbes named Ye a billionaire, in large part due to the brand's success. An expert for Insider noted that the viral marketing campaigns for the streetwear have often served as "artistic expressions while his distribution strategies are mass."
Now, it seems that Ye is working his creativity in the distribution tactics as well ... but Twitter isn't pleased about his latest effort. Shortly before the roll-out of Yeezy's latest collaboration with Gap, Ye shared an Instagram post that said "the homeless" should be "the biggest inspiration for all design." Ye's application of this mindset has resulted in Yeezy displays that are impractical at best, and insensitive at worst.
Yeezy clothing is being displayed in trash bags
As Kanye "Ye" West's latest Yeezy drop made its way to Gap clothing stores, videos of the displays made their way to Twitter. The clothing pieces are seen piled in oversized trash bags. One shopper shared their experience, writing, "The sales associate said Ye got mad when he saw they had it on hangers and this is how he wanted it." They also noted that pieces were not organized by size, forcing customers to just dig.
If this was Ye's homage to "the homeless," many were unamused. "Balenciaga & Kanye's fetish with the homeless ... it's everything that is wrong with billionaires ... they don't see the humans that are suffering, they see opportunities to be 'edgy,'" wrote one user. A commenter on Ye's Instagram post also spotted some irony: "yes look to the homeless so we can sell middle class people $499 shoes."
Beyond the optics, many pointed out the hassle the atypical displays would create for workers. "Underpaid GAP employees get to clean up the customer mess every 15 minutes ... because a billionaire thought it would look cooler," wrote one. Others thought it had to be a social experiment. If Ye's hope was to generate buzz, he certainly has. One person pointed out the subtle genius of the plan: "... when its displayed, youll see that its literally just some baggy black sweats ... Rummaging through makes it seem like people are interested, which creates interest. Thats it."