Gap Sues Kanye West Following Contract Termination
May
Once again, the controversy surrounding the collaboration between Gap and Kanye West shows no signs of abating.
Recently, the Gap brand has sued Kanye West for damages to leased property after terminating the contract, seeking compensation in the amount of $2 million. The incident occurred following the termination of their YEEZY Gap collaboration due to Ye’s controversial behavior.
According to the New York Post, Gap stated that the artist “made unauthorized changes to leased property in Los Angeles that the landlord is seeking to recover.” The property in question belongs to Art City Center leased by Gap, which has sued Gap. Gap is now seeking compensation from the rapper, citing the addition of an external connector road and a tunnel on the plot of land, as well as the construction of a wall along with the removal of three bathrooms and ceiling lights.
Gap filed a lawsuit against Ye and his YEEZY line last month, stating that “by making and failing to repair/restore the above-described changes to the premises that [West] made without Gap’s participation or approval, [West] breached the lease agreement and directly/almost entirely caused Gap to incur repair and restoration costs.”
Ye has yet to provide an official response, but it is likely that the rapper will be held accountable for this matter.
The collaboration between Yeezy and Gap was announced in 2020, touted as a 10-year partnership deal. At that time, the American retail chain was facing financial difficulties, with losses amounting to $1 billion in the second quarter amid the COVID-19 pandemic from Gap’s parent company. West was already highly successful in building the Yeezy brand, produced and distributed by Adidas.
Gap had hoped that this partnership would revive the struggling brand. Unfortunately, it did not go smoothly in terms of product releases, with only two items—a puffer coat and a hoodie—being released after a year and a half since its launch. In September 2022, Kanye West’s lawyers announced the proposal to end the collaboration between the rapper and Gap.
Collaborating with Kanye West had previously brought benefits to many brands—until things took a turn for the worse when the rapper began spewing racially discriminatory remarks, targeting Jewish people at the end of 2022. Balenciaga, Adidas, and Gap all terminated their collaborations with the rapper, and even in 2023, many controversies continue to arise following the termination of this contract.
