What went wrong in the first Yeezy x Gap drop

After weeks of rumors and interviews, the long-awaited collaboration between Yeezy and Gap has finally arrived. Or rather, the first drop has arrived. The date is not accidental and falls exactly on the day of Kanye West's forty-fourth birthday, thus resuming the West Day Ever tradition inaugurated last year, when Kanye announced the arrival of his collaboration with the American brand, upsetting everyone a bit. The one that went on stage today is actually a pre-drop, a way to keep the hype alive where someone is starting to lose patience in the face of the prolonged absence of a release date for the one that continues to have all the cards in rule to be the most important collabo of recent years.

As often happens in these cases, the launch of the first item, the Round Jacket already seen on Kanye and available in pre-order for $ 200, remained an exclusive for residents of the United States, thus fueling a certain discontent among those waiting for years the release of a new apparel collection that is now missing from the launch of Yeezy Season 6. The item, a jacket in recycled nylon in a bright blue, is certainly only the first of a long series of items that will see the light in the coming months, from the already announced perfect hoodies to accessories and other basic items to create a clothing line which will go alongside that of the American brand. As has already been said numerous times, for Gap this collaboration represents the last chance to escape the abyss that seems to be approaching the American fast-fashion brand for years. For this reason, if on the one hand the idea of ​​limiting a partnership of this kind to only the American territory seems a not just a misstep, on the other hand it is not the first time that Kanye surprises us with some releases dedicated only to his American fans (2020 Does Vision Hoodie tell you anything?). The hope (if we want to talk about hope) lies in the weight of the release and in the other clues that come from this first drop: from the delivery date in autumn that gives hope for a worldwide launch of the collection for that date, to the USA first method which is it has already been used in numerous Yeezy releases in recent years, Foam and Quantum first and foremost.

What must not happen, both for the fans and for the success of the operation, is to have the claim that a collaboration of this type can only be successful in the United States when it represents a step forward for the fashion system. It's not just because of Mowalola's involvement or Marc Jacobs' enthusiastic commentary, but because of the weight Yeezy x Gap may have for the entire streetwear movement as it moves from niche to crowd. Gap, however, seems to have wanted to use the collaboration with Kanye West and the related announcement as a lifesaver to attract attention to the brand well before the collection was ready. If on the one hand the design and creation of an entire line takes time, on the other hand the continuously growing Gap shares and the half-mouthed statements of the company's spokespersons seem to tell a brand in some ways struggling with something greater than its capabilities.