"But perhaps more effective than any single business decision has been Gap's unabashed embrace of collaborations. Again and again, Gap's partnerships have surprised shoppers by tapping into corners of culture and fashion that expand the audience for the classic American brand. There have been collabs with women's fashion brands Cult Gaia and Dôen (twice), Black design advocacy platform Harlem's Fashion Row, luggage company Béis, and cool golf-wear brand Malbon."
"For people who doubted Gap's fashion bona fides, these collabs were meant to prove them wrong. Is Gap actually plugged in? Mark Breitbard, the president and CEO of Global Gap Brand, has been trying to answer that question with a resounding yes for the last five years. When Brietbard joined Gap in 2020, he was dealing with a crisis of relevance. "Having been around the business for a long time, I always felt that the brand just needed more," he says. "The brand deserved better, and the brand had good creative just dying to get out." Now, dozens of collabs later, a different company has emerged from the cryogenic freezer-one that consumers are starting to actually care about."
Gap executed a broad business turnaround that included hiring Richard Dickson and appointing Zac Posen as creative director. The company launched an elevated sub-brand, GapStudio, and reintroduced nostalgia-driven styles such as low-rise jeans. Gap pursued an aggressive collaboration strategy with partners including Cult Gaia, Dôen, Harlem's Fashion Row, Béis, and Malbon to expand its audience and modernize its image. Mark Breitbard led efforts beginning in 2020 to address a crisis of relevance. Dozens of collaborations have shifted consumer perception and helped revive interest in the classic American brand.
Read at Fast Company
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