Gap può davvero interrompere la sua partnership con Kanye West?

In recent days has begun to spread the news of some pressure around Gap so that the American brand interrupt its collaboration with Kanye West, the protagonist a few days ago of a temporary ban from Instagram after a post in which he attacked Trevor Noah, the host of "The Daily Show" that during his program had expressed concern about the triangle between Kanye, Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson, attacking the rapper for the way he had treated his ex-wife with Instagram posts at the limit of madness. According to David Swartz, equity analyst at Morningstar, there is a real risk that West's behavior could have a negative impact on Gap's image, leading the company to the decision to sever its relationship with the rapper.

«Investors might react positively if Gap decides to cut ties with Ye,» Swartz commented. «Especially since it could start to become an unwanted distraction.» While it's true that Kanye's latest posts and Noah's monologue represented the culmination of a social descent that started weeks ago, the agreement between Gap and Ye represents too big a gamble for the American company, which by severing its ties with West would automatically give up a surefire successful partnership, as already witnessed by the early drops. Already in the past Kanye West had been at the center of controversy, not least those that arose after his support for Donald Trump or his candidacy for President of the United States, but irrelevant to the sales of Yeezy and its agreement with adidas, still active despite the success of the years.

Se Gap volesse davvero porre fine alla collabo potrebbe farlo in maniera silenziosa e graduale, lasciando che le release già annunciante, come quella a sei mani con Balenciaga, vadano avanti come previsto ma facendo progressivamente scemare la quantità di uscite previste per il futuro. Per quanto una decisione del genere verrebbe accolta in maniera positiva da chi oggi chiede la fine dell’accordo con West, le ripercussioni per Gap potrebbero essere non poche dal punto di vista economico. Un accordo di dieci anni come quello siglato con Ye rappresenta al momento un’ancora di salvezza economica per un’azienda che negli ultimi anni ha stentato nel trovare un nuovo successo e che nella collabo con Yeezy ha realizzato alcuni dei numeri migliori della sua storia.