Kanye West to end partnership with clothing company Gap

Kanye West is ending his long-term fashion partnership with Gap.

Lawyers for the rapper have written to the clothing chain to say he is terminating his partnership with the company.

It is claimed that Gap breached its agreement with West by not opening retail outlets and releasing apparel as promised, according to reports, which added that the company would still be able to sell existing Yeezy Gap products before ceasing to use the brand name.

“Gap left Ye no choice but to terminate their collaboration agreement because of Gap’s substantial noncompliance,” the rapper’s lawyer Nicholas Gravante said. “Ye had diligently tried to work through these issues with Gap both directly and through counsel. He has gotten nowhere.”

Mr Gravante said that Gap’s failure to comply with the terms of the contract has been costly. He said West plans to begin opening Yeezy retail stores.

Gap confirmed that the pact was ending in a memo to its employees.

“Simply put … while we share a vision of bringing high-quality, trend-forward, utilitarian design to all people through unique omni experiences with Yeezy Gap, how we work together to deliver this vision is not aligned,” Mark Breitbard, president and CEO of Gap Brand told employees in the memo. “And we are deciding to wind down the partnership.”

Ties between the rapper and the US clothing company had become increasingly strained, with West threatening to walk away from the brand in recent weeks.

West and Gap signed a 10-year deal in 2020 to create a line of clothing under the Yeezy Gap brand.

The rapper has a colourful history with Gap. He worked at one of its stores in Chicago as a teenager and he told Vanity Fair magazine in 2015 that he wanted to be creative director for the brand.

West’s 10-year deal with the sportswear group Adidas, which runs until 2026, may also be fraying, according to reports.