Kanye West’s collaboration with Gap wouldn’t go as hoped, at least from the apparel company’s perspective. Two sources close to the company told the FinancialTimes that Gap was getting frustrated with the speed at which the Yeezy Gap collection was released.

When the partnership was first announced in 2020, the retailer said its first Yeezy Gap pieces would launch the same year, followed by a full collection of apparel and accessories in 2021. At present – 2022 – only the line’s round jacket and hoodies were released. . Each sold out within minutes, with the former raking in $7 million in profits “overnight,” but it doesn’t appear to have matched Gap’s expectations.

According to FinancialTimes, Yeezy Gap products released at a slower pace than expected, as West – who has the final say on the collection – struggled to maintain the quality he wants while keeping the products reasonably priced. Gap has also made changes to accommodate Ye’s busy schedule, including moving its support teams from Wyoming to Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Kanye “is not a legal person” — Last August, former Gap CEO Mickey Drexler said the brand shouldn’t have partnered with Yeezy, citing Ye’s erratic behavior and loyalty to Yeezy Adidas. West “is not a corporation,” Drexler said, “and Gap is a big business.” He added that working with a long-term brand “doesn’t work for someone like Kanye” – without specifying why – prompting some news readers to suggest that Drexler was jealous of the company’s success, or simply racist.

The lawsuits, however, gave some truth to what the former Gap CEO said. Last November, Kanye’s Yeezy brand owed nearly $1 million — $950,000, to be exact — to settle a recent civil lawsuit over shipping delays. The lawsuit claimed that West’s company violated sections of California’s state business code requiring products purchased online to be shipped within 30 days. It seems that even the items already produced by Ye are not progressing at the expected rate.

Delayed drops? — Still, as sales and the resale market demonstrated, Yeezy Gap made a big profit for Gap, along with widespread publicity. The brand recently announced that it will be releasing a Balenciaga collaboration, titled Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga, later this year – although this collection is unlikely to be as financially accessible as other Yeezy Gap offerings, and is apparently subject to delays. There’s no doubt Gap will get the money and squeeze he needs from Ye, only a matter of when.