UPDATED 3/15 8:39 p.m. ET: On Friday evening, Urban Necessities, in a collaborative post on social media with SRGN Studios, issued an official statement regarding the incident.
"We work with brands, consignors, partners, and clients from all over the world," the statement posted to Instagram reads. "We only deal in products that are fully authenticated from vetted sources."
The statement continues, "The YZY Gap Collection is no different. LAPD has investigated the fraudulent claims and have fully exonerated us from any allegations of misconduct. Thank you to our community of supporters, stay tuned for what's next..."
The LAPD told Complex that it did indeed investigate the incident and determined it to be solely a civil dispute.
"On March 15, 2024, around 10:30 a.m., a radio call was generated for possible theft suspects on the 3800 block of S. Hill Street," said a rep for the LAPD. "Comments of the call stated suspects were selling stolen merchandise at the location. Additional units were requested due to a large group creating a disturbance. Detectives and officers investigated and it was determined to be a civil dispute only."
See original story below.
On Friday, March 15, the Los Angeles Police Department shut down an allegedly unauthorized YZY Gap merch pop-up due to suspected theft.
Urban Necessities and SRGN Studios promoted the YZY Gap pop-up via Instagram, advertising that every piece on sale would cost just $20 and would be on a first-come, first-serve basis. The IG pages boasted over 60,000 pieces would be on sale, but shortly after the pop-up opened it was closed by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Complex spoke with authorities, who confirmed that a call for possible theft was received by the department. The LAPD also told Complex that an investigation into the accusation is ongoing.
In a video circulating on social media, Yeezy CEO Dov Charney, the American Apparel founder who was hired by the artist formerly known as Kanye West last year, was at the scene informing customers that the merch was not acquired through legitimate means. "This merchandise has been stolen from Ye, formerly known as Kanye West," he yelled to the crowd in a clip before he was escorted away by police.
In a post shared on his Instagram Stories, Ye appeared to back up Charney's claims of theft by sharing the footage.
It's unclear how Urban Necessities and SRGN Studios, who assumedly organized the pop-up, acquired the merch. There has been a large amount of unsold YZY Gap pieces, due to the premature termination of the line after Ye and Gap severed ties, but Charney has appeared to claim these pieces were stolen directly from Ye himself.
Urban Necessities and SRGN Studios have yet to respond to the claims.
This post may be updated.
