Update 09/15/2022 5:38pm:

Kanye West has officially terminated his partnership with Gap after weeks of voicing his displeasure with the partnership, as well as his deal with Adidas.

On Thursday, the music artist posted a letter sent from his lawyers to Gap explaining that Ye's brand Yeezy would be terminating its deal with the clothing retailer. In the letter, Ye and his attorneys claimed Gap failed to meet its contractual obligations, including distributing products to store locations by the second half of 2021 and creating dedicated YZY Gap stores.

Kanye West later appeared on CNBC's "Closing Bell" to discuss his issues with Gap, where he said it was a dream of his to work with Gap, but ultimately, "our agenda, it wasn't aligned." He also confirmed that he grew frustrated with the lack of progress Gap made in making YZY Gap stores a reality.

"It was very frustrating. It was very disheartening because I just put everything I had," Ye said. "Everyone knows that I'm the leader, I'm the king. A king can't live in someone else's castle. A king has to make his own castle."

While one of Ye's lawyers, Nicholas Gravante, has said the rapper would move forward with opening Yeezy retail stores, Gap CEO Mark Breitbard sent a memo to employees informing them that the company would "wind down" its partnership.

"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," Breitbard shared in the memo.

Shares of Gap fell nearly 4% on Thursday. To view Kanye West's interview on "Closing Bell," check out the video above.

Source: CNBC

Original 09/12/2022 3:44pm:

Kanye West has been very vocal in the media, specifically focusing on social media. Recently, the rapper and designer called out Daniel Cherry of Adidas and has now called out GAP in a recent interview with Bloomberg. 

While speaking to Bloomberg, West made it clear he is looking to be out of his deal with GAP. The agreement is set to end in 2030, and the rapper said he wants to be on his own to get away from “companies standing in between me and the audience.”

West said, “It’s time for me to go it alone. It’s fine. I made the companies money. The companies made me money. We created ideas that will change apparel forever.” From there, West called Adidas and GAP his “baby mamas,” who he feels are holding him back. He continued, “I guess we’re just going to have to co-parent those 350s.” 

Because of that, West wants to create a brand and business that is solely his. West noted he is planning on opening Donda campuses across the country and is working with a former Adidas executive named Eric Liedtke to turn his vision into reality.

source: Bloomberg