Kanye's Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga Is "Over" After Latest Restock, Per Demna

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| LAST UPDATE 08/02/2022

By Mahlik Campbell
Kanye
Paras Griffin via Getty Images

Kanye's Yeezy Gap venture is making waves among fans with its first physical store in Times Square and a restock of the "engineered by Balenciaga" collab.

But this groundbreaking partnership seems to be coming to a close after just a few months.

Balenciaga creative director Demna told The New York Times the "engineered by" campaign with Balenci is finished. "He needed a starting point, and that was my challenge: to give him the starting point. But he is still miles and miles away from where he wants this to go," Demna said.

He also explained Kanye's futuristic approach to design: "Ye's not really interested in fashion at all. He wants to know: 'How can we make a new version of the hoodie? What's next? What do we want to wear in 20 years?'"

At the same time, similar partnerships between Yeezy Gap and other brands could exist in the future. Ye's effort with Balenciaga is so significant because he was able to bring items with high "taste" and price points to more general audiences, an idea he's been pushing since 2015.

Just watch this insightful MTV News interview where he says, "Taste shouldn't be used to separate, it should be used to problem solve. I've been raising my taste level and educating myself and putting myself around people with way higher taste, and now we're using it to give something back to the people.

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"This is the very beginning. Mark this interview. Look back at this interview five years from now [and] see what happens from this."

While Demna said the Yeezy Gap x Balenciaga collab is over, Ye suggested more apparel is coming soon via an IG comment: "YGEBB is actually just beginning. God bless you."

The last "engineered by Balenciaga" release also features a fun game on the Yeezy Gap site. After choosing your character's fit, you're tasked with flying through the air and touching as many doves as you can to continue floating toward the heavens.

Will Ye disrupt video games next?