Hong Kong, June 27 -- The struggling Gap brand has inked a deal with the mercurial Kanye West to produce a new line marrying its American clothing classics with the rapper's Yeezy designs. The retailer Gap Inc and West's Yeezy will introduce "Yeezy Gap" in the first half of 2021, the companies said Friday.

Gap -- which posted hundreds of millions in losses in 2020's first quarter and has flailed in recent years -- saw its shares surge upon news of the partnership with one of entertainment's most bankable celebrities, up some 30 percent Friday morning.

Under West's creative guidance, the new line will include "modern, elevated basics for men, women, and kids at accessible price points," the statement said. The companies noted that the de...