Image via Yeezy Gap
Will it be affordable? Will it have a kangaroo pouch? Will you even be able to purchase it for retail before it sells out? After months of anticipation, these questions were answered when Kanye West’s “perfect hoodie” finally released on Sept. 29.
Of course, the “perfect” designation comes by way of the man himself. In a 2020 interview with the Wall Street Journal, he broke it down.
“The hoodie is arguably the most important piece of apparel of the last decade,” said West. What does that mean to him? “Slightly cropped at the waist” and “heavy as a winter coat.” So, the Yeezy Gap hoodies being made this way should come as no surprise whatsoever.
The first batch hit the Yeezy Gap site back in September 2021 in six colors—black, brown, tan, red, blue, and purple. A fan page pointed out that the choices may allude to the colors prominently found on some of his most popular albums. This has yet to be confirmed by Kanye or anyone from the Yeezy Gap team, but it’s certainly a nice little easter egg discovered by fans nonetheless.
Kanye’s colorful array of hoodies marked the second product offering from the artist’s latest fashion endeavor, the first being the zipperless Round Jacket that has been released in blue, black, and red iterations thus far. While there still has yet to be a full Yeezy Gap collection launch, there has been some big news from the partnership as of late. Last week, the monumental Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga partnership was announced with a projected debut coming in June 2022. Off the heels of the looming Ye x Demna project, Yeezy Gap also launched a commercial that doubled as a music video for the Donda cut “Heaven and Hell” during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 10. In tandem with the premier of the ad, the black hoodies that outfitted everyone in the video (and also the royal blue colorway) were restocked on the Yeezy Gap website.
Thus far, the reviews appear to be mixed from fans who have gotten their hands on the first run of hoodies. Some people think that the garments live up to their “perfect” billing. Others aren’t quite as enthused with the final product. With a second chance to purchase one if you missed out the first time, you might be wondering if it’s worth your money to grab one for the wintertime. Does the Yeezy Gap “Perfect Hoodie” live up to the hype? Check out my thoughts below.
[For reference: I am 5’11”, 212 pounds.]
Price
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
At only $90, there probably aren’t many hoodies on the market that provide this level of quality at this price point. Essentially, you’re getting two hoodies for the price of one considering how thick these things are. Now yes, $90 for a solid-colored hoodie may still seem a bit steep to some. After all, a Uniqlo hoodie is only $50. Gap’s non-Yeezy hoodies go for the same price. So, if you aren’t a stickler about quality then there are bargains to be had elsewhere. That being said, you really can’t beat a hoodie this heavy for under $100, especially when there are plenty of brands out there using thinner materials that sell their sweatshirts for double that.
It’s also nice to see accessible apparel from Kanye that isn’t just tour merch printed on a cheap Gildan blank. One of the knocks on the Yeezy Season collections was the price point being a bit too high for basics like sweatsuits or a T-shirt. The hoodies hovered in the $400 range. We all remember the white Hip-Hop T-shirt from his APC collab in 2013 that retailed for $120. Now, the price finally isn’t as expensive. But even at $90, is it worth it?
Fit
Rating: 3 out of 5
This is probably going to be the thing about the Yeezy Gap hoodies that customers have the most issue with. Personally, it isn’t mine (more on that later), but it is still a bit of a disappointment. When I ordered my two hoodies, I intentionally got one in a size large and the other in an extra large since I’m in between both sizes on a bunch of items and wasn’t sure exactly how these would fit. Let me preface this by saying, I want my hoodie to be comfortable first and foremost. I want to be able to lounge around the house on a Sunday in this thing. I like my hoodies a bit roomier. I also want to actually be able to use the hood. It still baffles me that some hoodie hoods are so snug that they are not actually functional.
If you don’t usually wear cropped shirts or don’t like a more cropped silhouette, these hoodies certainly aren’t for you. What this does remedy though, no more readjusting your hoodie and pulling it down after every minute movement you make. These are designed to be cropped, so they look just fine and stay in place as you move around.
Regardless of size, both hoodies fall a bit above the waistline on me. The XL is a tad longer, but not by much, maybe an inch or so. What differs most between sizes is the roominess of the torso. The large honestly feels a bit more like a medium to me. It fits, but it’s more snug than I prefer my hoodies to fit. That being said, the slimmer fit does make it more ideal for layering. If I’m being honest, it’s entirely too cropped though. Maybe it’s something I’ll warm up to the more I wear it, but right now it doesn’t seem like something I’ll be wearing anywhere besides around my apartment.
On the other hand, the extra large is a tad too roomy and it will probably look a bit bunchy with a jacket or flannel over top of it. However, I could certainly see myself throwing this on with some pants to run some errands. It isn’t strictly for the apartment lounging. Comparing each side by side, it doesn’t really seem like a one size difference though. There’s been some talk of quality control issues with the sizing so it could be entirely possible that these hoodies both fit a bit different than fully intended. I wouldn’t say either is necessarily bad, but I also wouldn’t call the fit “perfect” by any means either.
Color
Rating: 2 out of 5
This is easily my biggest gripe with the Yeezy Gap hoodies. The worst part is, it could have been easily avoided. For whatever reason, the product image colors on the Yeezy Gap site don’t match the actual hoodies I recieved. The brown hoodie I ordered is definitely a lighter shade than I thought I was getting. Of the two, I have less of a problem with this one though. It isn’t super far off. The real issue I have is with the purple hoodie. Rather than a deeper shade of purple that appears in the product shot, it was more of a magenta color, like the dog from Blue’s Clues. To be fair, the color is still really nice. But it just isn’t exactly what I thought I ordered. Considering it was as simple as changing the lighting of the product shots that appeared on the website or using the right cotton in the factory to match the photos, this was sort of annoying. In all fairness, I’m still going to wear these regardless. But fresh out of the box, this was the most glaring issue.
Quality
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
If there’s one thing that the Yeezy Gap hoodies get right, it’s the quality. Each hoodie is double-layered cotton which means they are super heavy and perfect for keeping warm in the colder climate. It also means that the inner layer doesn’t leave behind that residue on your undershirt that most other hoodies do. The hoods are actually usable, but are a bit flimsier than the rest of the body. The cuffs are thick and tight on the sleeves and torso. Although initial leaks suggested there would be no front pouch, or at least no visible one, I’m happy to see that they made it to the final product. The pouch is spacious too, perfect for a set of keys, a cell phone, or just to keep your hands warm in the cold. I own a handful of Gap’s regular hoodies and was curious how closely these would feel to those. I’m happy to report that for the extra $40 that the Yeezy Gap hoodies costs, there is definitely a noticeable bump up in quality.
Final Verdict
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
All in all, the Yeezy Gap hoodies are a fine option even with the color and sizing issues. Are solid-colored cotton hoodies worth this type of hype? Probably not. But a Kanye West-endorsed shoe horn would merit the attention. Are they perfect? No. Should you pay resell prices for the black one since it’s taking the longest to ship? Absolutely not. But if you were able to score one, or a couple, for yourself at the retail price of $90, you definitely should be pleased with your investment. It looks like most of the colors are flipping right around the $100 mark on the aftermarket right now. I’d say that extra $10 is worth it if you really want one, especially if you’re someone who keeps a hoodie on your body in the fall.
Are there better hoodies on the market? Yeah, there are plenty of options out there and I’m sure some of them you may find more suitable to your style and needs than this one. But it’s still promising to see that Yeezy Gap seems like it will be delivering elevated quality items at a much more attainable price point with the help of Gap’s infrastructure. Hopefully more colorways are on the way with a full collection that stays stocked on shelves rather than sells out in a couple of hours.