The third paragraph of this is confusing and poorly written.

Hunniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie………

Not even trying to be funny, cuz Britt, I love you and I love this site – I do come here, RELIGIOUSLY, everyday along with the other main fashion sites/blogs I visit during my workday – but this article sounds strangely like a re-written version of a lot of the comments I just read on NYMag (dot) com about Patrick Robinson and his lack of inspiring designs. While a lot of us may share similar sentiments about The Gap, some of the statements made here just sound too much like what I've already just read. Meh.

I do agree that Patrick Robinson's designs are bland and uninspired. They don't seem like anything new to me. Noone wants basics anymore. Especially not poorly made basics for crazy prices, discounted almost immediately to make you feel like you're getting a deal for crappily constructed, ugly (read: tired, drab) merchandise. And to be honest, I can't speak about the new fits that Patrick claims to have done because nothing about the look of them has caused me to even be interested in trying a pair on. I can get a pair of Levi's with more character and oomph to them than Gap Jeans.

Banana Republic…ugh. It started to go down the hill right around the time I stopped working there part-time when I was a junior in high school in 03. The clothes were just nothing special. And all the people who worked there (I was at the Flagship location on Michigan Ave in Chicago) had snooty attitudes. This one girl (she was grown, but she was so short I always thought of her as a girl) named Collette had a fiercely bad attitude, and had the nerve to be toting around the smallest Louis Vuitton bag like she wa hot shit. Ugh, she got on my nerves. Anyway, the point being…Banana Republic was a mess back then, and is now. The materials are cheap, the designs uninspired, and the cost is too much for what they're offering.

The entire Gap structure is one big epic FAIL now. And Patrick Robinson is really only in charge of Gap because of his connections to Anna Wintour by way of his wife Virginia Smith, a pretty plain (boring) Vogue-ette, herself. He has no personality, IMO…and doesn't really seem to have much design sense from what I can tell either. He's cute, but bland as all get-out.

It is troubling that Gap wasn't able to do better recently, as I think the brand's identity was a great fit for consumer preferences over the last couple years. The economic crisis had most women examining their closet wondering “why the heck was I thinking when I bought that??” I think that people were still willing to buy items that were classic, that would be the core essentials of a wardrobe.

Many of the luxury companies have reshaped their marketing focusing on the heritage of their brand (hermes, gucci, and now chanel). Admittedly Gap is no luxury brand, but when I think of solid workman pieces I can wear over and over again, I think of the Gap. I feel like they have a low price per wear (though as Harry said, prices have creeped far too high).

I also believe that fashion is moving on from the over the top 80s balmain-ia towards a more simple, 90's calvin klein aesthetic, which is also promising for Gap.

But given their inability to take advantage of last year or two, it seems unlikely that they'll be able to harness this new energy to finally make some str

i love this season more so than any other with all of the denim being featured. i bought four items in the past month which for me is saying a lot as i am trying to save my moola these days. i love denim on denim and their ads are great with constance, etc. i bought a denim jacket, two pairs of jeans and a black sweatshirt/blazer coat. i want to go back for more…

and 80% of what you've written is not relevant to what she is talking about, we don't want your life story.

Then close your eyes and move around, Toots. It wasn't meant for you.

Gap is just too expensive for the quality of merchandise that they sell. I went in looking for basic tees, but came to realize I could get the same quality of fabric at old navy for less than half the price. This is a problem.

Here in the UK Uniqlo has aptly filled the (ahem) gap, Gap left behind a few years ago.

i agree with pauljt that patrick robinson has done little to raise gap's profile other than get himself mentioned in the fashion media. the clothes still fit badly, fall apart easily, and are overpriced even when they're marked down.

i have, however, been impressed by some of their collaborations – i've been wearing my alexander wang for gap trenchcoat almost every day this spring because i love it so much, and it goes without saying on this website that the pierre hardy for gap shoes are incredible. these items also seem to be made of better quality materials (i have no idea if this is true or not, just my perception) and are more thoughtful in terms of design – i'd love to see regular gap clothes measure up to these standards, and could see the brand carving out more of a niche for themselves if they did so.

finally, by_claire, i went to uniqlo for the first time last summer on a visit to new york and fell head over heels in love. if anyone from uniqlo corporate is reading this right now – pleeeeeeesase open a store in chicago!

Letting the designers play marketers is akin to letting the inmates run the asylum. Yes the designs were off but not that off that good marketing couldn't bring a mainstream market back. Find out where they went and throw your hook into that pond again. I deal with this on a daily basis and with a crew who could make it happen. But we deal with a client that's 10 times the GAPs size and can't spare the time.
You all talk as though the problem is a fashion one and it's just a small part of it. Step down from the fashion pedestal folks and see where people are really going for clothes. Cause that's all it is. And GAP in its arrogance, won't look.

as always, a great article. Based on his past jobs, Patrick is a very talented designer. My question is – when I see the 'previews' of Patrick's collections on blogs like this – what the hell happens when it gets in store? The previews actually look cool; what hits stores look the same as ten years ago.

I can only speak for men's but the quality has gone down a lot, so that it actually pays to spend $30 or more for a JCrew shirt – it lasts forever, is just a bit more 'designed' so it feels fashion right but won't be out in a year. JCrew has been very lucky riding the wave of menswear Americana that has hit the past 2-3 years, they've smartly capitlized on it and made it look like they created it.

But don't kid yourselves — Jenna and Frank are doing great things, but it is Mickey Drexler pulling all the strings backstage. He made Gap what it was in its heyday; he's made Jcrew into what it is today.

BIT harsh, I'd have thought if anything sales were doing better now he's generated some interest, and the Pierre Hardy thing.

this is exactly what I hoped to say- these past few years should have been kind to them, but they were unable to link up their brand to what has been going through the fashion world.

I dont know how the business works well enough to point any fingers, but it seems like this is a problem not only of robinson but also of their pr. Why haven't they had as big a presence in editorials?

Gap is practically in every small town in the UK but with no people in the shops! That rent is only causing losses. I don't know anyone over here whom has shopped at the GAP in 10 years apart from Pierre hardy for GAP shoes.

Ian. Would I love to elaborate, yes. Can I, not without said clients who are privy to these comments still reading. However I should have said, Canadian when addressing the economic climate. But without embarrassment I can tell you that my client sells more jeans, khakis,dress pants and shirts than, Banana, Old Navy and Gap combined. And although like everyone else in this downswing they've had even comp sales, the last few months have seen amazing double digit increases. They sell exactly the same clothes as GAP, yet we've found the pond and have been able to talk the fish into the basket. GAP, first has to find their voice. And no, fashion is not a voice. An emotional and rational voice that makes some sense to that other 85% of men and women who, and yes I'll say it, shop at Walmart. For those set-in-stone shopping on price, you'll never get them. So find the value equation first. Can GAP be Style Correct plus Quality = Value? This equation is the simplest yet you'd be surprised how hard it is to stay true to conveying it. Good Brand Managers on the client side can get you there quicker than a hiccup, and the great ones keep you on track every day. We live our clients proposition and use it to measure every single piece of marketing that goes out the door. If it doesn't meet it, it doesn't fly. I'd love to go on, but this is however – fashionista, not marketing 101.

And yes, Mickey has this vision. If you've ever talked to him he has his value equation in his head and communicates it to his staff at length. That's why I bought JCREW stock at $14.

sorry, this was bothering me

I didn't think so either…it just bothered me about the comments. But that's why I asked about it up front, because I like this site and I respect the editors.

Apologies about the implication.

Agreed. I'm not gonna go to gap for my statement pieces, clearly. but If I need a good white blouse or a a basic jean jacket, or just about any other basic, I know I can pretty much always find it at Gap. And GAP is great for classic pieces that last forever (if the quality holds up). I have a navy and white handkerchief dress that I bought back in 2003 that I still wear to this day, and people literally stop me on the streets to ask about the dress.

That being said, anything I can get at GAP these days, I can probably also get at old navy for 30% less (I mean practically the exact same garment in a slightly different color) and I think that might be the problem. There isn't a big enough difference in the quality or craftmanship between Old Navy and and GAP to account for the large difference in the price point, imo. In fact, the stuff at Old Navy might actually be a little less bland because of the demographic they're catering to. GAP has just lost it's niche, which Britt hit on in her article.

Ken, brilliant. The Gap was THE Gap when Mickey was in charge, a true merchant with a feel for the industry. (I also bought JCrew when he joined up.) Patrick Robinson is the wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time. If he is talented it is hidden under several barrels because the colors, the silhouettes and the whole merchandising concept is off, way off. The start of anything is always with design and then it is up to marketing and production to make it happen. Mickey gets this, Robinson et all do not.
Sad. I do have some ideas about how to fix this but who do I tell it to?

Now that's sad! Even though they hardly make anything
in this country. They have clout But you're right, Uniqlo rocks, does it right for 2010.

wow…you guys nailed it on the head with that last line!

http://126king.blogspot.com/

Yes, Mickey is a merchant god. I could not agree more! The problem also lies with all the competition GAP did not prepare itself for. H& M has some beautifully made basics at 1/2 to 2/3 the price of GAP with better fits and styling. GAP's garments are often boxy, flimsy and inconsistent.
Sadly they have lost their way.

I hate to say it (I still love Gap) but this is true. If you want basics, it's much 'cooler' for a young person to say they got them from Uniqlo. I don't pesonally think Uniqlo's product is better looking or better quality than Gap's but the brand has more buzz and is generally more innovative.

I think the Gap client's style is simpler and more “accessible” than that of J.Crew. In Canada at least, we don't (yet) have J.Crew, but even in the US, J.Crew is out of a lot of women's price range. They have a great image for accessible low-end fashion, but their handbags are often $300+, and you might as well be buying marc by marc for a better investment at that price point.

I hope to see a better output from Gap now that “nineties” simplicity is gaining headway in fashion. It's a tired example, but I think looking at what American Apparel has done with their brand in the last year and a half would be beneficial for Gap. Aa has gotten rid of 75% of their superfluous color range and focused on producing fairly simply-cut staples that cater to a young clientele, who want to wear classic pieces that are unostentatious. In other words, they've been neatly snatching up the clients that used to shop at Gap.

I don't perceive that the shoppers at Gap want fast-fashion, they want well-cut, well-sewn, unimaginative classics that are updated only when the trends change.

And, as an aside, the last few times I went in there I noticed they'd used false walls to make a lot more “intimate” spaces in their warehouse sized store, and dimmed the lighting like one might do to make oneself look more ravishing for a dinner date, or to hide red wine teeth. I don't think mood lighting is necessary for jean shopping. Has anyone else noticed this change?