Everything We Know About A.P.C. KANYE, Plus Exclusive Details

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Despite the fact that Kanye West and A.P.C.'s ridiculously hyped capsule collection is less than a week away from dropping, details regarding the imminent release are sparse. While speculation remains high, especially considering the collection's limited nature, we thought we'd take the time to lay out all the facts we know for sure, no bullshit, plus some exclusive info so you can be best equipped to spend all your monies come July 14.

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Sometime in 2011, Kanye "Kenny" West meets A.P.C founder Jean Touitou

In an interview with GQ published today, Jean Touitou talks about how the two originally met:

"Over two years ago, a visitor to the A.P.C. studio was announced to me as 'Kenny'. He wanted my advice on the fashion industry; although I found such a request quite vague, as a mutual friend introduced us, I met with the guy. The guy talks, talks and talks and I was having a good time listening. He had nice manners and spoke about losing his mother in a surgery accident, about losing his girlfriend too, and about how difficult doing the right thing in fashion was. After a while, I was curious to know what this gentleman was currently doing in his life. I simply asked him: 'May I know what your trade is, sir?' He took his shades down, so that finally I could see his eyes, and answered me: 'I am a hip hop artist.''

At some point my crew informed me that his name was West, Kanye West. I introduced him to the A.P.C. design studio, and he kept asking how he could start something in that fashion industry. This is when we all advised him to start that something in France, and keep quiet about fashion noise while learning about it. Then later, as we became friends, he invited me to his recording studio at Hôtel Meurice. At the time he was working with Jay-Z on an album, which wasn't already named, Watch the Throne. Over the months, we kept hanging out and finally came up with the idea of doing a small capsule collection of clothes together. "Small" meaning that this capsule collection consists of a jean, a hoodie and a T-shirt. Those are precious to me and to Kanye too, because it took time and thoughts to get there."

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February 2012, Jean Touitou states he would like to collaborate with Kanye West

When asked in a February 2012 interview with GQ if he would like to collaborate with anyone in particular, Touitou stated, "I happen to be friends with Kanye West, and we wanted to do something related to clothes that's not high fashion, probably something more sporty, I would say. But it's just hard to get the guy out of a plane."

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May 28, 2013, Jean Touitou tweets this promotional poster for Kanye West's, Yeezus.

In case anyone needed anymore convincing that these guys were two egomaniacs in a pod, Touitou tweeted out one of the first looks at Yeezus' official album art, or lack thereof.

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June 24, 2013, W Magazine hints at an upcoming, unnamed Kanye West fashion collaboration.

In W Magazine's profile of Kanye last month, the writer hinted at an upcoming collaboration in reference to a discussion he had with Kanye regarding his previous womenswear collections: "So now I have to somehow put out something that says, ‘I look sensible!' That might be accomplished by his new men’s capsule collection of jeans, T-shirts, and hoodies for a hip French brand, to be unveiled in July." It didn't take long for us to put the pieces together.

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June 24, 2013, Later that day, Travis Scott tells Pitchfork that he and West spent time at the Paris-based A.P.C. offices.

In Pitchfork's "Yeezus: The Sessions", G.O.O.D. Music artist and Yeezus co-producer Travis Scott stated, "I got a passport and went. It was just me, 'Ye, and Noah Goldstein at first. We weren't even doing actual studio shit. We were just chilling, running around A.P.C.'s offices, making music on my laptop." This only further confimed suspicions that something was brewing.

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July 8, 2013, Jean Touitou unveils more details about the collection.

In today's same interview with GQ , Touitou unveiled that the collection will consist of one denim style, one T-shirt and one hoodie, which he went on to call "precious".

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