Gap is a clothing and accessories retailer well known for its classic and casual style. Established in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris Fisher with its first store in San Francisco, the brand has grown exponentially over the years to become one of the largest retailers of casual clothing. The Fisher family owns about a third of the company’s stock.
The Gap name was inspired by the differences of opinions, "the generation gap", that generally exists between the young and adults. The company owns four of the most prominent apparel brands: Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime. Since its inception, the company has opened speciality stores across the globe including Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Puerto Rico, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. These comprise of nearly 2000 stores including Gap Outlet, Gap Shoes, Banana Republic, Gap, GapKids, and Old Navy Clothing Co. As well as these stores, each chain has its online presence.
The Gap store features clothes for men, women and kids. The brand also provides accessories like hats, sandals, sneakers, socks, toys, bibs, and bedding sets. The babyGap line offers apparel for newborns, babies and nursery age children including one-pieces, tops and pants, bodysuits, sleepwear and preemie sets. Banana Republic is an upscale clothing brand that offers apparel in regular and petite sizes for both men and women. The Piperlime brand focuses on selling shoes for men, women, and kids. Old Navy provides causal fashionable clothes specifically targeted towards teens to adults. Their clothing is more affordable compared to other Gap subsidiaries. The online Old Navy store also sells apparel for plus-sized women. Along with a line of shoes, handbags, toys, hats, sunglasses, and other accessories, the Old Navy brand also provides clothing and toys for dogs.
Looking for new ways to connect with their customers is at the core of the Gap philosophy, which has enabled it to become a favourite brand across all age groups. The brand is famous for featuring celebrities in its numerous print and television commercials. The company minutely monitors all aspects of its branding from designing boards to store displays.
Built on classic casual styles, the brand has evolved over the years to make clothing for people of all age groups and budgets. Today, the brand has moved on from providing basic quality classics to a more chic and youthful style. The latest offering from Gap caters for people of all generations with a specific focus on an individual style. Some of the latest offerings from Gap include pants, jeans, shirts, T-shirts, khakis, active wear, swimwear, sweaters, outerwear, shorts, capris, loungewear, underwear, skirts and dresses.
