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Discussions about the fashion industry thread

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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Interesting. I am extrapolating from all these collabs with popular rappers like Travis Scott x McDonalds, which got people to buy McDonalds-branded clothing. People seem to go nuts for these things.

But I guess whether or not the YZY stuff sells out (it almost certainly will) is a different question than whether or not it is going to have a halo effect over Gap as a whole. When Gap did those #menswear collaborations several years back, it didn't really make much of a difference at all. I think this is going to be different, but maybe I am overestimating Kanye's cultural importance.

I mean, it'll definitely have more of an impact than those #menswear collabs because Kanye is clearly a bigger figure than Ovadia & Sons. I just don't think he's going to revive Gap like he revived Adidas.
 

London

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A lot of unisex garments are just garments not made to fit anyone particularly well tbh. Dunno about this one. In before someone comments it reminds them of female "bits" (sf censored me when I used a very respectful word so I'm using kidspeak).


I make no claim to being knowledgeable about pop culture but isn't Kanye dadrap at this point?
He still holds pull and influences a lot of youth culture as he has for the last 20+ years. Kanye, Heron, Matthew Williams, Jerry Lorenzo, and many more are saplings from his tree.
 

London

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He will put a battery in the back of Gap like he did Adidas
 

Peter1

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The fascination with Kanye crosses a lot of cultural and even political lines. His tie-in to the Kardashian tabloid clicks machine is a good example, as is his flirting with Trump. Then you've got pop music, core hip hop, pro sports, sneaker flippers...on the Gap side, it's a brand everyone knows but are generally lukewarm about, so connecting with Kanye will be at worst a nice image... Boost, as it were...and from what I've seen of the collection it's actually pretty good.

Edit to add: To be clear, Kanye's unique talent is to create a "what will he do next" buzz that's pretty much unparalleled right now. I don't think he has a lot of "fans," per se (except for the aforementioned sneaker flippers), but he's incredibly compelling. And I do like his personal style, even if I find his music kinda anodyne.
 
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BlakeRVA

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I'll just drop this in here:

Kanye, Sept 2013, drops an iconic BBC interview after getting the cold shoulder from High Fashion houses and Nike @ 13:30


Fast forward, April 2020, Forbes declares Kanye a billionaire after 2019 Yeezy sales hit $1.5B:

?‍♂️
 

Peter1

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I'll just drop this in here:

Kanye, Sept 2013, drops an iconic BBC interview after getting the cold shoulder from High Fashion houses and Nike @ 13:30


Fast forward, April 2020, Forbes declares Kanye a billionaire after 2019 Yeezy sales hit $1.5B:

?‍♂️


"me and Virgil are in Rome pushing our designs at Fendi..."

But he (and Abloh) were right in the end...the old school fashion houses deserve their comeuppance for sure...and he was also right about rap being a living, breathing culture while Slimane was rehashing Lou Reed and Iggy Pop circa 1969...
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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I guess we'll see.

Kanye signed with Adidas in 2013. Adidas relaunched Stan Smiths the following year. By 2015, Adidas was a real fashion player given the success of Yeezy and the Stan Smiths relaunch.

I would be surprised if Gap became a serious part of the fashion discussion in 2023 beyond this specific subline.
 

Peter1

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I guess we'll see.

Kanye signed with Adidas in 2013. Adidas relaunched Stan Smiths the following year. By 2015, Adidas was a real fashion player given the success of Yeezy and the Stan Smiths relaunch.

I would be surprised if Gap became a serious part of the fashion discussion in 2023 beyond this specific subline.
I would, too. Gap is incredibly uncool right now. But then again, crocs and cowboy boots...
 

breakaway01

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According to NYT:
“Mr. West, who worked at a Gap in his teens, has expressed deep interest in the brand for years, declaring in a 2015 interview that he would “like to be the Steve Jobs of the Gap,” and once dreamed of being its head creative director.”
sounds like a win-win to me. Kanye wants the Gap collaboration to succeed. Gap apparently is only paying him in royalties and potential equity if YeezyXGap hits sales targets. I agree that I’m not sure how much this will boost Gap’s core clothing sales but this line will do well.
 

cchen

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I agree with all the sentiment. Don't believe YZY will give Gap the halo effect they want.

What I really respect about Kanye's vision is the aspect of making everything available, eventually, to the masses, and not watering it down. Yeezy 350's are now ubiquitous; you can see normal moms and grandmas wearing them. YZY Gap will bring a lot of his designs and concepts to the general public at a more democratic price
 

cb200

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On the GAP front... Mickey Drexler is on the newest (and back from a bit of a lay off) podcast "the cutting room floor" from Recho Omandi. I've always liked hearing him interviewed and I like the interviewer. Some good history and perspective on the industry. Kanye and the GAP working together comes up. Referring to what impact he might have Drexler's non committal, but
says "You can't depend on an outsider".

 

Treble

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In the late 90's Run-D.M.C. (and others) made GAP cool with teens for a while just wearing their basics.
 

cb200

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Has there ever been an online banner ad this good? Different freaking world & era. I forget how much mainstream advertising and campaigns were a thing.
 

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