Fans of Kanye West are having a good week. After it was announced that the rapper’s long-anticipated album DONDA would drop Aug. 7, it was reported that West’s signature red Round Jacket—the same style that he wore during the album's first release party at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium—would be available to pre-order on Gap’s website.
The jacket first made rounds on social media when it was reported that West, known for his eccentric work ethic and dedication to his craft, was living inside the stadium until he felt the album was complete. While working on the album, West routinely made appearances wearing the jacket at occasions inside the stadium, including at an Atlanta United soccer game. Now, fans of the rapper can purchase his outfit, part of 10-year collaboration West has with Gap.
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The red jacket’s release comes two months after it was first announced that West and Gap would team on another Round Jacket. The original jacket was blue, followed by a Black Round Jacket three weeks later.
While each received fanfare in their own right, the drawn out release of each jacket led fans to speculate that a greater collection is on the way, perhaps coinciding with the album's full release. Fans may also note that, in photos, West was also seen wearing matching pants, possibly implying a further outfit is on the way.
.@KanyeWest at the Atlanta United game today at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7.24.21) pic.twitter.com/Wso1uURqXF
— Photos Of Kanye West (@PhotosOfKanye) July 24, 2021
The blue jacket sold out of pre-orders overnight and made an estimated $7 million. Eager fans should hurry to purchase the red jacket before time runs out. A countdown has appeared on the collaboration website, coinciding with the album’s release.
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Each jacket is made from a 100-percent cotton poplin, with a matte rubberized polyurethane coating that gives the jacket's signature shine. Unlike other standard coats, there are no buttons or zippers on the front, giving the outerwear an open feel and making it appear much looser. The jacket contains recycled nylon, and was released one year after West officially announced the collaboration with the fashion megabrand.
West has a longtime history with Gap, even working as a sales associate for a store when he was a teenager. He believes their sense of affordable fashion to be incredibly important to his brand. West famously said in an interview that he would refuse the opportunity to design for brands like Louis Vuitton, because he believes their prices are “just too extreme,” and that he wouldn’t want kids to be saving their pennies for something that expensive: “That’s the problem to me with luxury.”
On another occasion, West said he wanted to work as Gap’s creative director, or as he called it, “the Steve Jobs of Gap.”
West also claimed in 2020 that other pieces with the store are coming, including baseball jerseys, overalls, hats and more, but so far only the three jackets have been made available for release, and only for certain audiences. The red jacket is currently on sale for $200, and will ship sometime in Spring 2022.
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While West certainly holds an aura of unpredictability with his projects, there’s no denying that both his albums and fashion brands turn heads. Fans everywhere are hoping Donda, along with the Gap collaboration, will be a smashing success.
Photography by: Kevin Mazur / Getty
