The artist, music producer and fashion designer, now renamed Ye, has told Gap that he is unilaterally ending his partnership with the ready-to-wear brand.He accuses him in particular of delays in the marketing of the products he has created.After the music industry, it is the fashion industry that Kanye West continues to shake up.The artist, music producer and fashion designer, renamed Ye, told Gap on Thursday that he was unilaterally ending his partnership with the ready-to-wear brand.The information was confirmed in stride by the general manager of the brand, Mark Breitbard.In a letter to company employees on Thursday, he says management has "decided to end this partnership" due to differences over what strategy to follow: "If we share the vision of high-quality design , practical and trendy for the greatest number, we are not aligned on how to achieve this, ”explained the leader.He announced that several products, which were already in development before the breakup, would be released in the coming months.Wall Street reacted badly to this divorce and the Gap title lost 3.64% in Thursday's New York session alone.According to several American media, Kanye West notably criticizes Gap for delays in the marketing of products from the Yeezy range that he created for the brand.Expected in the second half of 2021, according to him, they were finally put on the shelves in July 2022. A few unique pieces had been offered previously since 2021. Ye also assures that Gap has not respected its commitment to open dedicated points of sale. Yeezy Gap."A king cannot live in someone else's castle, a king must make his own castle," Ye said in an interview with CNBC.US media also claim that the breach of contract letter was preceded by another, sent by Kanye West's teams in August, which gave Gap 30 days to meet its contractual obligations."Ye will go ahead to make up for lost time, opening Yeezy stores" warns his lawyer in the letter sent to the brand.Announced with great fanfare in June 2020, this partnership was well received and seen as one of the ways for Gap, a brand with an aging image, to revive itself.According to the "New York Times", Gap was counting on an annual turnover of one billion dollars for Yeezy products alone within five years, the partnership having been signed for a period of ten years.But in an interview with CNBC, the artist had confided shortly before the rupture of the contract that his relationship with Gap was “frustrating and discouraging”.He criticizes the brand for offering too high prices.Kanye West saw this collaboration as a way to make his products accessible, after having limited himself to reduced series at high prices, financed by the German equipment manufacturer Adidas.The Gap collection is currently priced from $60 to over $300 on the retailer's site.Launched in 2022, it took up the dress codes of Kanye West, namely loose clothes and dark colors, in particular variations of the famous hooded sweater (hoodie), reference piece of the Gap catalog.How Kanye West made his mark in the fashion worldIn difficulty for several years, the ready-to-wear brand still published, in August, a quarterly turnover down 10% over one year.Since October 2020, the group has been engaged in the closure, in North America, of approximately 350 Gap stores and Banana Republic, another chain controlled by the company, which also owns the Old Navy and Athleta brands.All rights reserved - Les Echos 2022