Kanye West

Kanye West to Bring Yeezy Clothing Brand to Gap

The deal does not include Yeezy footwear, which is made with sneaker company Adidas and won't be sold at Gap stores

Kanye West poses before Christian Dior 2015-2016 fall/winter ready-to-wear collection fashion show in Paris.
Patrick Kovarick/AFP via Getty Images

Kanye West is bringing his Yeezy brand to Gap.

The rap superstar will design adult and kids' clothing that will be sold at the chain's stores next year. Yeezy is best known for pricey sneakers that sell out online quickly. But Yeezy footwear, made with sneaker company Adidas, won't be sold at Gap stores.

San Francisco-based Gap Inc., whose sales are dwindling, hopes the deal will keep it relevant with shoppers. For Yeezy, being in more than 1,100 stores worldwide could get the brand in front of more people.

On Friday, West tweeted a photo of what the collaboration might look like: bright colored hoodies, jackets and T-shirts.

West has a history with Gap. He worked at one of its stores in Chicago as a teenager and referenced it in the lyrics of “Spaceship” on his 2004 album "College Dropout." And he told Vanity Fair magazine back in 2015 that he wanted to be creative director of the brand.

“We are excited to welcome Kanye back to the Gap family as a creative visionary, building on the aesthetic and success of his YEEZY brand and together defining a next-level retail partnership,” said Mark Breitbard, Global Head of Gap Brand.

As part of the deal announced Friday, Yeezy will receive royalties and possibly Gap stock if the line sells well.

Shares of the retailer were up by as much as 31% Friday morning, adding more than $500 million to Gap's market cap of $3.8 billion, CNBC reported.

The Associated Press/NBC
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