“Demna?”: Inside the NYC Yeezy GAP x Balenciaga Drop

In a cryptic, since-deleted post on the new @yeezy Instagram account, Ye and Balenciaga creative director Demna announced their brutalist reimagining of the GAP flagship store in the heart of midtown Manhattan. To learn more about the Yeezy GAP collaboration, we ventured into the fiery pit of Times Square to find a sea of devout stans picking through giant bins of black, oversized clothes.

———

AVORIE

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

AVORIE It’s a pop up for Kanye—and I’m a huge Kanye fan. I heard about it when I woke up and then we Ubered here from the Bronx.

INTERVIEW: How much did you spend?

AVORIE: Like, $120.

INTERVIEW: How much money do you think you’re gonna make on Grailed?

AVORIE: I don’t buy for Grailed, I buy for myself.

INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite Ye song?

AVORIE: It’s “Street Lights,” then it’s probably gonna be “Can’t tell me nothing.” Oh, and “Welcome to the Jungle” on Watch the Throne.

INTERVIEW: Do you know who Demna is?

AVORIE: Yeah, of course. I’m a textile design major in college.

INTERVIEW: What do you think of the GAP?

AVORIE: I assumed that it was, like, a big box store. But it’s just a regular store. I don’t want to call it underrated but people can make it their own thing. There are drill artists in certain neighborhoods that wear GAP. The normal line downstairs—that’s their thing.

INTERVIEW: Is the GAP cool now?

AVORIE: It will be. Once Kanye touches something it becomes cool.

———

SERGIO

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

SERGIO: I happen to commute and it’s right next to my stop. 

INTERVIEW: How much did you spend?

SERGIO: I haven’t spent anything but definitely no more than $150—If anything.

INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite Ye song?

SERGIO: I love all of The Life of Pablo. Wait, actually, “I thought of killing you.”

INTERVIEW: Do you know who Demna is?

SERGIO: Yeah I fucking love Demna. I love his early Vetements collections. I haven’t been too crazy about his Balenciaga collections lately but his original 2016 Vetements—I love that!

INTERVIEW: Is the GAP cool now?

SERGIO: I wore it before, back when it was cool in the early 2000s. I love what Kanye is doing by making it more accessible. But again, this flew under my radar before I just happened to walk by.

———

JASON

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

JASON: It’s hot as hell and I was looking for some shorts. [Laughs]

INTERVIEW: How much did you spend?

JASON: I’m probably about to spend $100. Maybe $120…

INTERVIEW: But not on the new Yeezys.

JASON: I just saw them—I mean, it’s a bit of a rip-off. [Laughs]

INTERVIEW: Are you a Ye fan?

JASON: I like Kanye, but not enough to spend it on shit like that. [Laughs]

INTERVIEW: Is the GAP cool now?

JASON: I think it’s smart that Kanye is branching out with big corporations and it’s making him more money. But do I think it makes the GAP cooler? Not really. [Laughs] 

———

———

RICHARD

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

RICHARD: I’m here to check out the new collection. 

INTERVIEW: How much did you spend?

RICHARD: $240 on the hoodie

INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite Ye song?

RICHARD: “Runaway.”

INTERVIEW: Do you know who Demna is?

RICHARD: Demna? No, I don’t.

INTERVIEW: What is your understanding of the GAP?

RICHARD: Well, personally, I always thought the GAP—before Kanye started collaborating with them—did not have the exclusivity it has now. It was your normal retail store, I didn’t think it was anything too special. Obviously, after GAP started working with Kanye they became more notable—breaking into streetwear and high fashion. I think the GAP has changed a lot over the past couple years in terms of their status in the fashion world.

———

RICK

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

RICK: I’m here for Yeezy’s release with GAP. Balenciaga-engineered.

INTERVIEW: How much did you spend?

RICK: So far it’s looking like a good $240. [Laughs] 

INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite Ye song?

RICK: “Good Morning.”

INTERVIEW: Do you know who Demna is?

RICK: Of course. He’s the designer for Balenciaga a.k.a. the creator of Vetements.

INTERVIEW: Is the GAP cool now?

RICK: I think it was always cool. The quality of the GAP is amazing. I grew up on GAP. My mom grew up on GAP—my whole family. 

 

———

IAN and CRISTIANO

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

CRISTIANO: I’ll be honest—I’m just a huge Kanye fan. But I also think the shirts and all of that are really cool, I love the design.

IAN: I am a fan of Kanye’s merch. I have on some Zebras right now. I loved the Yeezy GAP original hoodies so I just wanted to see what was up.

INTERVIEW: How much did you spend?

CRISTIANO: We’re about to spend $140 each on these dove shirts.

INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite Ye song,

CRISTIANO: “Devil in a New Dress”

IAN: “Runaway”

CRISTIANO: Get out of here. “Saint Pablo” is better than “Runaway.”

INTERVIEW: Do you know who Demna is?

CRISTIANO: I’ve heard of the name. I don’t know much about him.

IAN: I know he’s in fashion.

INTERVIEW: What do you think of the GAP?

IAN: They’re definitely coming back. I think Kanye is single-handedly carrying the GAP at this rate.

CRISTIANO: I don’t know if he’s carrying—I haven’t been to the GAP in so long but I do want to check it out. I might go down to the regular GAP area after.

———

———

ANDREW and BEN

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

ANDREW: I just wanted to look at the new clothes. 

BEN: My friend showed me this flier and we just wanted to check it out and see the people here. We didn’t know it was going to be like this.

INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite Ye song? 

ANDREW: I like “Wolves.”

BEN: “Power.”

INTERVIEW: Do you know you Demna is? 

ANDREW: No. 

BEN: No.

———

NOAH

 

INTERVIEW: Why are you here?

NOAH: To be honest, my girlfriend’s brother is a big Yeezy fan. He has all of the original Yeezy shoes from like Nike and stuff. He’s always bragging about his fits. I also didn’t have that nice of a hoodie and I like the fit of these ones. The style of the dove on the back, it’s pretty simple and I like that there’s not any super crazy branding. 

INTERVIEW: How much did you spend?

NOAH: I haven’t spend anything yet, but if i get two items it’s probably gonna be like $360.  

INTERVIEW: What’s your favorite Ye song? 

NOAH: Probably an OG track like “Power” or “Flashing Lights.”

INTERVIEW: What is your understanding of the GAP? 

NOAH: I’ve shopped here since I was eight. I think that describes it all. It’s not that GAP is bad quality but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was comfortable or like the best fitting. This is more up there in terms of quality. 

INTERVIEW: Do you know who Demna is?

NOAH: No. Who is that? 

———