Kanye West Talks Call with Gap Chairman on Late Mom Donda’s Birthday, Success of Yeezy Collab
“Bob Martin was one of the most inspiring people I’ve heard speak in business,” Kanye West wrote of his call with the head of Gap on late mom Donda’s birthday
Kanye West is reflecting on a meaningful conversation — which happened on a meaningful day.
In a Thursday Instagram post, the 45-year-old rapper revealed that he “was able for the first time to sit in on a Gap call with Bob Martin, Bob Fisher and other leads of the company” on Tuesday, which happened to be the 73rd birthday of his late mother, Donda West.
“Bob Martin was one of the most inspiring people I’ve heard speak in business,” West wrote in the post, which featured a photo of Gap Executive Chairman Martin. “He kept saying go to the stores on the call.”
“I came to Gap to put good product directly in stores. We’ve had 2 of the biggest sales day in Gap history since I’ve been there,” the Yeezy mogul continued. “We sold 14 million dollars worth of the perfect black hoodie at 80 dollars a hoodie off of a television commercial that was ran one time.”
West went on to share that he was moved to collaborate with Gap “to bring good quality products to the people at all times,” concluding, “Bob I need to meet with you as soon as possible.”
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West announced his partnership with Gap in 2020. It marked a full-circle moment for the star, who actually worked in a Gap store as a teen as he was growing up in Chicago.
The highly anticipated collab dropped in June 2021, unveiling with a blue collared puffer made from recycled nylon.
Since then, West has gone on to launch a Yeezy Gap x Balenciaga collection, which includes a $240 black hoodie that sold out shortly after launching earlier this year.
The item features the classic Gap logo on the front and an illustration of a white dove in flight on the back. As of now, it is still sold out.
The “Praise God” rapper teamed up with Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia to design multiple products for Gap, which also includes a denim jacket and pair of jeans, multiple logo tees and a pair of black pants.
In a January interview with Vogue, Gvasalia said of his collaboration with West, “There’s a certain urban minimalism and poetry in our aesthetics, [and] also a desire to push boundaries.”
He added, “There are very few people that I know, especially of Ye’s caliber, who really understand my work so well. He makes me come out of my comfort zone and be a better designer. There’s no ego when we collaborate, just a mutual drive to evolve and do something great and new.”
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