Yeezy Gap line to bring new jobs to Cody, Wyoming

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jul 1, 2020

Following the announcement of the Yeezy Gap line, Kanye West has detailed plans to expand his Cody, Wyoming-based Yeezy business and create new jobs in the local area. 

In an interview with Cody Enterprise, West and Matt George, a Yeezy business director, revealed that design and prototype jobs for the production of the Gap x Yeezy line will be the first to be added locally, followed by assembly line roles.

According to the publication, the number of new jobs set to be created is unknown, but many of the positions brought on by the Gap partnership "will be entry-level with highly specialized training provided, to allow for a local workforce that will be heavily sourced for the manufacturing jobs." 

The company hopes to begin production by the end of 2020, the report said, and Yeezy's first phase of production in Cody will focus on footwear. 

The expansion plans line up with West's aspirations to focus his manufacturing in the U.S. -including his 2019 vow to eventually move all manufacturing of the Yeezy shoe line to the Americas - and West told Cody Enterprise that "bringing back manufacturing to the U.S. is a goal he’s 'absolutely' passionate about."

West further revealed that Yeezy plans to open its own retail stores in the future, and said that there will "definitely" be a shop in Cody. 

West first moved his company to Cody in fall 2019, after buying the town's 'Monster Lake Ranch' property, a 4,524-acre plot later renamed to 'West Ranch', in September of 2019. Yeezy currently has two facilities in the town, including a sample and prototype laboratory.

The Yeezy Gap line, part of a 10-year partnership between West and Gap, will be developed by Yeezy and distributed by Gap. The line is set to launch in 2021.