The upcoming Yeezy Gap Engineered by Gap collection is certainly still high fashion-focused. Whilst there are of course, staple styles like t-shirts and sweatshirts – the things you could pick up at the merch stall, the look book hints that the more avant-garde items are yet to come. Amongst them, there is a longer version of the original Yeezy Gap Round Jacket, as well as shiny parkers, windbreakers and leather and denim looks. All the models within the look book are masked – the significance relating to Kanye’s many mask-wearing appearances, and Demna’s too at the Met Gala. However, the dark, gothic vibes signify a new era for Ye, one that could be considered slightly more problematic. Whilst Demna played with dark symbolism back in his Vetements days, Ye’s rekindled love for masks calls back his YEEZUS era, where the mask was meant to separate the art from the artist. Given his recent outbursts and subsequent criticism, as well as his ongoing relationships with disgraced Marylin Manson and Da Baby, it seems that this could be a sentiment he would be trying to push once more.
Separating the art from the artist, and indeed the performance from the personal does seem to be an avenue both Ye and Demna are exploring. Shortly after Kanye filed to legally change his name to Ye, Balenciaga’s Fall Winter 22 show notes ended “From now on, Demna uses only his first name, distinguishing an artist title from a birth name and therefore separating creative work from personal life.” It could be that both designers are using this collaboration as a vehicle to try and to reconnect with themselves, what makes them human and therefore just like everyone else, but in reality, few people feel that they can relate to Ye – it's why his friendship with Demna works so well. The more likely alternative is that it could all be part of a bigger performance – with both artists acting as each other’s muse – just as Ye's ex, Julia Fox, claimed to be Josh Safdies’ muse when he wrote “Uhncut Jamms.”
Ultimately, the collection, and indeed everything leading up to it, explores human emotions at their rawest. Love, hate, jealousy, and darkness all play a part here, as do the concepts of religion and ego. Demna and Ye (their artist names are significant here) are building something that transcends fashion, but at the same time uses clothes as a vehicle to talk about much, much more. Ye once said that he wanted shopping to be art, and with the performance elements that have gone into this collaboration, he may be well on to a winner.
