Ye’s Yeezy Gap partnership has so far offered more hype than it has actual products, but now he has announced a new venture: Yeezy Gap is teaming up with Balenciaga for a new collection called Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga.
The endeavor is a collaboration between Ye and Balenciaga creative director Demna (who also had a Ye-like name change recently, as they were previously known as Demna Gvasalia). It’s not currently clear what sort of items the collection will include, but the first drop is expected this June, with another following later in the year.
Ye teased the announcement by sharing an image of a contract related to the collaboration this morning. Additionally, he told Vogue, “It is a vision come true to work with Gap and Demna, the creative director of Balenciaga, to make incredible product available to everyone at all times.”
Demna also said, “This is a very different challenge. I’ve always appreciated the utilitarianism and the accessibility of Gap. I share some of the same sensibilities in my creative language. This project allowed me to join forces [with Ye] to create utilitarian fashion for all. […] There’s a certain urban minimalism and poetry in our aesthetics, [and] also a desire to push boundaries.”
He was also effusive about the process of working with Ye, saying, “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.”