Last Friday, Chicago-native rapper and fashion entrepreneur Kanye West announced a partnership with Gap, which will bring apparel designed by West's Yeezy brand to the clothing retailer's shelves. The New York Times reported that Gap signed a 10-year deal with West, who will oversee a line of "modern, elevated basics" for the company that is expected to launch in the first half of 2021—a photo that West shared on Twitter on the day of the announcement depicted a brightly colored jacket and hooded sweatshirt.
Over the weekend, the Gap store on Michigan Avenue was covered entirely in white banners, with a handwritten letter from West adorning the front of the store. In the letter, West reminisces about driving from his to home on the South Side to the Magnificent Mile Gap store and states, "I put my heart into the color palette and every detail." The missive also mentions that West loves the 1982 film Tron, which explains his preference for bright neon color (fingers crossed for an Identity Disc-inspired frisbee).
The personalized banner (which quickly became a popular spot to snap Instagram photos) is just the latest in series of undertakings by West that pay tribute to the city where he was raised. Earlier this year, a fleet of souped-up ATVs distributed free pairs of Yeezy shoes during NBA All-Star Game weekend, and West has previously expressed a desire to open an office for his Yeezy brand in Chicago and reopen the shuttered Avalon Regal Theater in South Chicago. But in 2018, West also claimed that he was moving back to Chicago and "never leaving again"—and we're pretty sure that he's still living in Los Angeles.
Take a peek at some photos of West's gigantic letter below and admire the prophetic nature of some lyrics from The College Dropout: ""Let's go back, back to the Gap."
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