Why Kanye West Fans Are Furious With His Pop-Up Store Merchandise

Last weekend, Kanye West opened 21 pop-up stores all over the world from New York to London so that fans could get their hands on his exclusive merchandise first-hand. His latest line of fashion apparel and accessories includes caps, t-shirts, sweaters and bomber jackets. The shops were opened for only 72 hours and each city had its own customized shirts with their cities written in a gothic font widely used in West’s latest collection as well as on his album.

21 PABLO STORES WORLDWIDE THIS WEEKEND LOCATIONS HEREhttps://t.co/tYuzqs7kJW
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) August 18, 2016

Our lucky neighbour, Singapore, was also included as part of the three-day sale event. The store operated from noon till 8pm from Friday (August 19) to Sunday (August 21). It was reported that fans began queueing up as early as 2am on Friday to make sure they were among the first to get hold of the Kanye West merchandise. By 1pm, a crowd of 300 people had gathered in front of the store to patiently wait for their turn to shop. Similar scenarios happened throughout all of the pop-up store locations around the world.

Fans didn’t seem to mind the huge price tag that came with the merchandise ranging from USD45 (RM181.79) to over USD400 (RM1,616.10). But after their purchase, some fans felt cheated. It turned out most of the items especially his t-shirts were manufactured by Gildan. The t-shirts reportedly cost as low as USD2 (RM8.08) each.

Kanye made you pay £50 for a Gildan Tee, that's robbery. pic.twitter.com/7CbzqfFDzP
— c (@CLINT419) August 19, 2016

As a @kanyewest fan, it's really disappointing to find out all his Pablo merch are gildan tshirts with printed letters on them. That's it.
— Meggainz (@MegganWaneckk) August 23, 2016

People waited hours in line at the Kanye West pop up store for Gildan shirts lmao
— Jonathan Farschian ひ (@theREALESTfarsh) August 21, 2016

- I expected more from you @kanyewest yeezy is really using cheap quality Gildan? Come on fam. My cusin can make dis pic.twitter.com/NAbkykqLep
— RAMPING ▶️ Book Now (@DJRampingMusic) August 20, 2016

Others were equally baffled that he didn’t even bothered to take the Gildan tags off considering he’s such a fashion marvel. Or perhaps it was his “I-couldn’t -care-less” attitude led him to dismiss the Gildan branding on his merchandise.

So the @kanyewest pop up shop in philly is selling $95 shirts but haven't taken off the Gildan tags. #wakeupmrwest pic.twitter.com/Hms9L4dHcq
— DJB (@_djb_123) August 21, 2016

I'm glad the Kanye pop up stores have Gildan screen printed t shirts and hoodies. No one cares like Kanye cares. @kanyewest
— Martin VanderHagen (@martinvan09) August 21, 2016

.@kanyewest didn't even have the decency to remove the gildan tags. He's already thinking like a presidential candidate.
— PlayerHaterOfTheYear (@El_fez_) August 21, 2016

Looks like the Internet is exploding with dissatisfaction, thanks to Mr.West. However, there were die-hard fans who highly regarded him as a fashion icon and still loved him albeit knowing his merchandise were from Gildan. "I love him. He's petty, but I love him," a fan told Toronto Life.

Image: Toronto Life

Do you think this is just part of his marketing strategy? Will his 'swindled' fans eventually get their money’s worth in the future? But most importantly, will he respond to this fiasco? Since the Famous singer is known for being really unpredictable, we’ll never know what could be his next move. In the meantime, let’s pass the popcorn around and enjoy the drama that’s currently unfolding.