Gap was the brand of the nineties and now it’s back – I’ve tried their new collection and it’s as good as ever
IN the Nineties, you couldn’t walk down a high street without spotting someone wearing Gap’s iconic slogan hoodie.
Teens loved the American brand’s signature in-your-face style and glitzy ad campaigns.
I lived in my Gap hoodie. It was a fuschia pink fleece with the signature white logo emblazoned across the front.
I only stopped wearing it in the Noughties because I grew out of it. But, it’s safe to say for the past five or so years, the brand had not been on my radar.
So imagine my delight when Gap made a triumphant return to form recently, delivering a fresh offering to the high street and online – with high quality basics and just the right amount of nostalgia.
Opening 20 franchises within Next stores across the UK and Ireland, and with a new team tapping into what us, the consumers, want, Gap is back.
But the brand hasn’t had an easy ride.
After widespread success in the Nineties and Noughties, Gap found itself on the outs with shoppers, who turned to more trend-led looks at the likes of Zara and Asos.
By 2021 the chain had closed all 81 of its UK and Ireland stores, temporarily erasing it from the high street altogether.
Sure, shoppers could still snap up their clothes online, but it was a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, and with no physical stores for customers to try clothes on, things weren’t looking good.
Gap lurched into yet another crisis in 2022 after their partnership with Kanye West turned sour following the rapper’s antisemitic remarks. The deal, supposed to last ten years and make the brand £750million, was scrapped.
By 2023 the company’s valuation had fallen to around £6.5billion, down from just over £30million during the height of its popularity in 2000.
But luckily, that same year, Gap had an ace up its sleeve in the form of new CEO Richard Dickon, previously credited with the Barbie revival.
He hired high end fashion designer Zac Posen – who has dressed royalty like Princess Eugenie as well as Hollywood A listers like Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Kate Winslet – as the brand’s creative director and has seamlessly merged his high-fashion expertise with Gap’s heritage credentials.
Zac’s since been using his connections in showbiz land and managed to get Gap designed frocks on Anne Hathway, Demi Moore and even actress of the moment Parker Posey, who recently starred in White Lotus.
Parker has become the face of the brand’s campaign, who can be seen in glossy ads dancing around in their signature denim.
Zac even got Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a Gap denim gown at the Met Gala last year and Cynthia Erivo in Gap at the exclusive CFDA Fashion Awards.
Seems like a simple enough, strategic move to summon your famous pals, but this is straight out of the Gap play book of yesteryear.
The chain used to have the best campaigns with the stars of the time with names like Madonna, Miss Elliott and my favourite, Sarah Jessica Parker.
Set to a trendy soundtrack with standout clothing in big scale productions – the ads were always a hit.
As well as Posey, they’ve also got Gen-Z favourites in their campaigns to bring in a younger generation of customers, creating cultural buzz with the likes of singers Tyla and Troye Sivan.
But aside from the frocks and celebs, Gap used to be the go-to place for basics.
A good, long lasting T-shirt, knitwear and of course jeans were all staples which Gap did really well. It’s now firmly back on my radar for these essentials.
And the brand has diversified their offering too. Posen has launched a new, more premium line at Gap named ‘Studio’ featuring core Gap products like a tank top, trench coat and shirts, but also tailoring looks and a dress like the one he made for Anne Hathaway in 2024
Which, by the way, sold out after two days in all three available colourways (nude, white and navy and white polka dot), costing £120.
The collection ranges from £50 to £225 which is a lot more than their average £12 for a T-shirt, but it’s worked.
With a helping hand from the Barbie genius, a celeb-approved designer, the Nineties and Noughties fashion resurgence which Gen-Z have gobbled up, Gap are on the up.
Sales are up 7 per cent, which may sound measly but if you compare it to the likes of M&S, who are going from strength-to-strength with sales up 1 per cent as of December 2024, it’s a lot.
Plus, resale app Depop reports that searches of the brand are up 81 per cent since June last year and searches of Gap denim are up 138 per cent since January, proving that it’s the brand shoppers are hunting for.
They’ve also had success with their barrel jeans that flew off shelves earlier this season and have since been restocked.
As someone who fondly remembers the era of ‘Gap layers’ – a wardrobe staple where T-shirts and vests were stacked over one another – and their signature ‘aged denim,’ where you’d choose your denim style and then select its “age” from one (deep indigo) to ten (ultra-distressed and pale), I was utterly devoted to the brand. I practically lived in those jeans.
I also adored their puffer jackets, cosy sweatshirts, and a little black dress I wore relentlessly between the ages of 13 and 15. That LBD holds such sentimental value that I’ll never part with it, even though these days I couldn’t fit one thigh into it. It’s one of those timeless pieces that will sit in my wardrobe forever, a nostalgic reminder of my teenage years.
Frankly, I don’t know why I ever stopped shopping at Gap.
Was it because you couldn’t go into a store and try anything on? Probably. But the brand now has a physical presence on the high street once again. Handy if, like me, you love to try before you buy.