Ye walked out on Gap in September 2022. The Balenciaga drops kept coming.

Ye ended the Yeezy Gap deal on 15 Sep 2022, two years into a partnership GQ described as decade-long. His lawyer’s letter, shared with CNBC, said Gap hadn’t put Yeezy in its stores or opened dedicated Yeezy Gap stores. Ye told CNBC he couldn’t set the prices he wanted, and he didn’t approve of the colours either.

“A king can’t live in someone else’s castle.” Ye, to CNBC

Gap didn’t pull the plug that day. Its CEO, Mark Breitbard, told staff the company would wind the partnership down but work through its Yeezy product pipeline. So yeezygap.com kept dropping Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga for six more weeks, on a deal that was already over.

22 Sep 2022: the “final” collection

A week later the store put up the Coated Cotton Overalls: black, sizes S to L, unisex and water resistant. They retailed at $300, and they’re the piece the store shot three ways: on a man, on a woman and flat. The same drop brought the Long Round Jacket, the Round Jacket 2 and a Crossbody Bag.

GQ’s Eileen Cartter called it the final Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga capsule, and it wasn’t cheap. Prices ran from $140 to $400, she wrote, “still much higher than the $20-not-$200 range Ye had envisioned”.

11 Oct 2022: not quite final

It wasn’t. On 11 Oct the store added the Polar Fleece Jogging Pant and the Polar Fleece Padded Hoodie, $180 each. The pant’s unisex and 100% polyester, with a hidden drawcord at the waist and oversized pockets, and the store shot it front and back. It was the last Balenciaga drop.

25 Oct 2022: the store goes dark

Two weeks later Gap shut yeezygap.com and started taking Yeezy Gap out of its stores. Breitbard’s pipeline had run right up to the end, and it didn’t leave room for another drop.

Ye had wanted $20. The last thing the Balenciaga line ever put on sale was polar fleece at $180.