The Gap has been making headlines as of late, one reason being they just hosted the Met Gala and the second despite numerous attempts to crawl out of a financial hole they continue to hit rock bottom. It’s no secret that for years the American brand has been struggling to gain momentum and they hoped things would turn around after hiring Patrick Robinson to take over as head designer back in 2007. Robinson, who was once hailed as a “megabrand messiah,” is credited for breathing new life in Armani during his four-year tenure there and Anne Klein in 1995. Despite Robinson’s past successes with other brands Gap sales are down 14% since he took over and Gap’s CEO puts in bluntly in the Wall Street Journal, “We have not been happy with the performance since late 2007.” While Gap Inc.’s Old Navy and Banana Republic divisions are showing signs of life, the Gap brand itself continues to struggle with styles that consumers find easy to ignore. Mr. Robinson says in an interview that he is aware that the design choices he makes define how people think of the entire brand and intends to stick it out. "I like how big of a challenge it is," he says.
Reinventing Gap, the nation’s largest specialty apparel chain, has been fashion’s equivalent of climbing Mt.Everest for much of the last decade, as sales and profits have dipped, along with its image among young consumers.
Robinson is the third designer to attempt to save the Gap since 2003, when sales were at an all time low for the brand.
Robinson has committed himself to revamping the denim collection for the brand. He spent 18 months reworking the blue jeans from scratch. He studied the fit of designer denim, with its $200-and-up price tags, and recreated the body-shaping, butt-boosting fit at prices as low as $59.50 for women. The denim which first debuted this spring has been well received by both fashion critics and consumers.
This fall, Gap will hope for another hit by applying its denim enhancements to the rest of its pants. Mr. Robinson calls it the "big, big next step." It will offer men’s and women’s trousers that can be worn to work in a limited number of styles and a handful of colors.
The biggest question is will Gap see any changes in its sales? No doubt it’s the one store from which most people we know refuse to pay full price because no matter what the product is–jeans, leather jacket, sandals–it’ll be at least 30% off within a few weeks. Gap also finds itself without a niche. The Wall Street Journal points out, Old Navy’s gone back to appealing to the suburban mom while Banana Republic’s perfected their urban professional target, but who is Gap for? The woman who shops at J.Crew?
Take a look at the current spring/summer 10 collection and campaign.
