Awake NY's Inaugural Gap Collab Is Rooted in Family & Nostalgic Aspiration

The Gap, Inc. is making moves. After unveiling a viral campaign featuring Puerto Rico's Young Miko, the San Francisco-based institution has tapped Angelo Baque and his Awake NY imprint for a Spring 2026 capsule.

"Gap is a global icon," shared Baque in an exclusive interview with Hypebeast. "There’s no questioning it. So I always say it’s like a David and Goliath dynamic. [Awake is] still small ball. A lot of people think we’re bigger than what we are, which is great, but at our core, we’re still a very mom-and-pop operation. So anytime that we can put our logo next to something like the Gap, it’s a win, and especially when it doesn’t feel forced at all."

For Baque and company, a multi-item collection with Gap is just another tally in their expansive list of collaborations with world-renowned institutions. Over the last few years, Awake NY's branding has appeared on items developed in partnership with Levi's®, Vanson, Carhartt WIP, Marshall, and Jordan Brand. The New York City-based brand has an Air Jordan 6 collaboration scheduled to drop before the year ends in celebration of the silhouette's 35th anniversary.

The focus for now, however, is Awake NY x Gap.

Gap may not be a go-to outfitter for Awake NY's usual consumer, but 40-something-year-olds who grew up in New York City and other urban areas across the U.S. during the '80s and '90s should remember how special the brand felt at some point.

"Before Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Polo, or any of that stuff got put in front of me, it was the Gap," Baque told Hypebeast. "It was one of the first brands to speak to social status in elementary school. People would be like, 'Oh, is your turtleneck from the Gap?' My sister, who is six years older than [me], was kind of the rebel of the family; she’s still my style icon to this day. As I said, she had this green Gap anorak, and I wanted it so badly that I kept stealing it from her. Similarly, my aunt and my uncle, who are featured in the campaign video [shot by HIDJI WORLD], always gifted me the Gap. At any Christmas or birthday, it was a guarantee I would get that blue box from them."

The full extent of Awake NY's debut range for Gap has yet to be seen, but items include co-branded baseball caps, denim sets, and hooded sweaters. Awake NY's signature "A" logo comes together with classic "Gap" branding to create a playful emblem that speaks to the authentic relationship behind the partnership.

Conscious of the childhood and formative years he lived during which Gap was present, Baque wanted to make his immediate and extended family part of the experience. To this end, his wife and son are featured in campaign material, as are close friends and creatives from across NYC. Visuals for the collaboration also question the idea that "New York is dead" because movers and shakers from around the five boroughs are featured in spots.

"I want people to – especially after they see the video – to pick up the phone and call your mom. Call your favorite aunt. Call your best friend. Tell them maybe we should go out dancing, or maybe we should go do this thing together. We should kick it. Those are the heartstrings I’m trying to pull," said Baque.

The debut Awake NY x Gap collection releases Friday, March 27, at 12 p.m. EDT/9 a.m. PDT through Gap.com and select Gap stores.