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Now that they’ve broken the internet with “YEEZY GAP Engineered By Balenciaga,” 2022 is Ye and Demna‘s year. They each run the hottest brands on the planet and they’re best buds: the future looks bright.
News of the “creative exploration” (Balenciaga doesn’t do mere collabs) heralded a new era for high-low luxury tie-ups.
“YEEZY GAP Engineered By Balenciaga,” as it’s called, is a step beyond even YEEZY GAP, which is itself leagues more impactful than previous fast-fashion-meets-luxury events.
Though H&M and UNIQLO‘s many designer collabs essentially paved the way for YEEZY GAP, they don’t quite stack up to Ye’s efforts.
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Most past efforts of this stripe simply deliver a complete collection of designer-branded goods at fast-fashion quality and prices. YEEZY GAP, meanwhile, delivers infrequent shock drops of Round Jackets and “Perfect” hoodies, standout products made distinct not by branding but by inimitable shapes, colors, and cuts.
YEEZY GAP also isn’t priced like typical diffusion fare — the line retails for more than typical GAP goods ($200 jackets, $90 hoodies) — which only helps to further distinguish it from other fast-fashion collaborations by making the line feel more premium.
But we’re not just talking YEEZY GAP here — we’re talking “YEEZY GAP Engineered By Balenciaga,” a totally different animal.
Having three different partners involved with a single high-low project like this is pretty special but this “creative exchange” is really marked by its significance in the brief (yet potent) legacy of Ye x Demna.
Ye’s long been on top of progressive fashion, keeping on top of brands like Daniel Lee‘s Bottega Veneta and Maison Margiela. But his relationship with Balenciaga creative director Demna is special.
Beginning with last summer’s YEEZY x Balenciaga DMX T-shirt, Ye and Demna have been inseparable. Ye attended Demna’s debut couture show, for instance, eventually bringing Demna on board to oversee the aesthetic of his DONDA listening parties, from the set design to the merch.
In fact, Ye and Demna dropped merch several times, most recently for the Larry Hoover Benefit Concert.
That’s to say nothing of how often Ye began wearing Balenciaga — it’s basically his uniform nowadays.
Ye and Demna are so tight that after Ye was Matt Groening-ified in Balenciaga’s Summer ’22 Simpson video, Demna took a page out of Ye’s book and dropped his last name (not legally, just professionally.
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Point is, YEEZY GAP x Balenciaga — which doesn’t have an official release date beyond simply “2022” — is less of a clothing collection and more a celebration of Ye and Demna’s friendship.
What will the actual drops deliver? No one knows besides the two BFFs at the center of it all but it’s safe to expect slouchy layering pieces (think oversized, puffy jackets and drop-shoulder shirts) free from ostentatious logos.
Some dudes talk sports when they hang out; Ye and Demna apparently prefer to plot fashion industry domination, one perfectly cropped bomber jacket at a time.
