Issue #23: What we can learn from Gap’s comeback
Fashion brands like Abercrombie, Old Navy, and Gap are having a resurgence. What can we learn?
Happy fourth! Hope everyone is enjoying the day and ideally getting near a body of water. This is my fourth summer in the city and I’ve never seen the fireworks here, so I’m making it my one and only mission to witness them this year. I’ll report back. This week, I’m talking about Gap, and how they made a massive comeback from a boring store in the mall for striped t-shirts to one of the biggest brands among Gen Z this year.
We’ll discuss:
How Gap came back
What other brands can learn from them
My predictions for the future of Gap & how they should maintain momentum
While once seen as a run-of-the-mill stop for affordable, everyday basics, perceptions of Gap have shifted wildly in the past year, or even in the past six months. This perception shift has occurred primarily among Gen Z and millennial consumers, largely due to a few very smart, strategic moves on Gap’s part.
In February, Gap hired fashion designer Zac Posen to head up their creative direction (as well as Old Navy’s), which brought a revitalization to the brand. While staying true to their basic, everyday aesthetic, they also started leaning into more classic, timeless, and vintage-looking pieces that Gen Z loves. Think: smock dresses, crew necks, white maxi skirts, boxer shorts, baby tees, wide-leg trousers, and eyelet tops. There’s a huge desire for an old-school 90s look right now, and I think Gap has hit the nail on the head with it.
Similarly, J Crew, has crushed it with a classic aesthetic that has Gen Z vying for the circa 1993 J Crew catalog look. J Crew just announced a collab with The Bear, but as
wrote in earlier this week, he’d "much rather see a more retro collection inspired by the brand’s 90s catalogs that appear on every moodboard.” Same, same.
Gap has invested in smart collaborations, like their recent popular Gap x Doen collection. Doen is a LA-based clothing brand with a very (for lack of a better word) cottage-core look. Lots of flowy dresses, peasant tops, skirts, etc. I personally love Doen, so when I heard about the collab, I was hyped. I didn’t end up loving any of the pieces in the collection quite enough to make a purchase, but I thought it was super strategic. Doen is definitely more elevated than Gap, with most of their items in the $100-$300 range, and a huge part of the brand’s focus lies in sustainability and upcycling. Gap, on the other hand, hasn’t been known for sustainable practices. By partnering with Doen on this limited collection, the brands were able to meet a consumer that might love Doen’s look but lives on more of a Gap budget. Plus, it helps Gap signal to their consumers that they’re eco-conscious, not to mention trendy.
Then, of course, we mustn't forget the Anne Hathaway Gap look in Rome. Anne Hathaway is having such a moment among Gen Z and millennials (I mean, how can we not after The Idea of You??), so when she donned a reimagined version of a classic white Gap button-down shirt in dress-form, designed by Zac Posen, Gap once again positioned itself as a more elevated brand. But the best part is that they made the dress available to the public for $158. With the dress selling out in under three hours, Gap struck the perfect balance between exclusivity and accessibility with this move. (I’m here to say that it was a good move on Anne’s part, too, since the dress allowed her to connect with her fans because they could own it as well!).
So what can other brands learn from Gap’s comeback? Partnering with other brands, celebrities, and influencers that are already popular among your target audience is great. But when you can partner with brands, celebrities, and influencers that are a little more elevated than you, you’re able to reposition your product value and demonstrate that your brand is even more sophisticated than your audience may have previously believed.
Don’t get me wrong: accessibility is still key. While Gap partnered with the pricey Doen, they still made the collection affordable. When Anne Hathaway donned that dress, they still made it available to the public at a reasonable price point. That balance of accessibility and sophistication is crucial to elevating a brand’s positioning.
But how can Gap maintain this momentum and continue to see success? It’s no easy feat. We’ve seen a few brands turn around recently: Abercrombie and Old Navy are two others. But in our world of rapid trend cycles, it’s challenging to maintain success. I hope that Gen Z consumers continue to invest in classic, timeless, and high-quality pieces for the sake of the environment, and I think Gap has carved out a great niche for themselves with that in mind. However, I know as well as anyone that trends will come and go, and Gap’s going to need to get ahead of them in order to meet the ever-changing desires of their consumers.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this issue claimed that Gap owns J Crew, which they don’t :) This has been corrected!
This is an interesting breakdown from a Gen Z perspective, and quite appropo as The Gap name refers to the generation gap, but respectfully I'm not sure you've gone back far enough to understand their present moves. Yes, for the past about 20 years Gap was an easily passed mall store, but it was, like, actually cool in the 90s and early aughts and had some of the best advertising of the time from print to television. I would argue that they're not necessarily trying to capture the attention of Gen Z with these moves (I think that's what they were trying with the Kanye/Balenciaga stunts, again, respectfully :)) - Zac Posen, Mia Thermopolis, and Dôen all speak to the Millennial customer who was all about them in middle and high school and whose attention I'd say they're trying to recapture after the company failed to maintain relevancy into the millennium or keep up with the DTC boom. They're trying to get those lost eyes back on them to prove they actually do have the product that type of customer wants and has been buying elsewhere (Zac's first real drop looks nearly identical to Matteau). I think they'd say any Gen Z eyes they capture are a huge extra benefit, but remember - the trends you reference aren't "new", I had that same white tiered midi skirt 20 years ago. Trends change, yes, but it's pretty cyclical and they have time on their side when it comes to understanding the trend cycle. Also their Re-Issue collections with Sean Wotherspoon are so good and also speak to the Millennials who were around for the original issues. Also, something else to look into as maybe a different story: The Gap has done a ton of community work around black and brown communities - a TON. They understand where their bread has been buttered the past few decades and was an early sign-on to the 15% Pledge. Look into their partnership with Dapper Dan and what cultural talent they've been partnering with. Also also, just a note - J.Crew and The Gap are separate, although they do share the lasting influence of Mickey Drexler. Agree though that what Olympia Gayot is doing for them is so fresh and relevant while staying true to brand roots. Hope she's getting paid proportionately to their resurgence.
Super smart breakdown! I also think Gap has been doing great things on social - their collab with Tyla and Jungle evoked the 90s Gap khaki campaigns and was super successful. They struck while the iron was hot with Tyla, who was having a major breakout moment. 😊