The Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic/Piper Lime Mega Thread

[papa_levante]

A mega thread for the entire company!

Talk about it here.
Ready? ... GO!

Old Navy ("Get Your Fash' On")
Old Navy is a brand of clothing and chain of stores owned by Gap Inc.. The Old Navy official site says, "Old Navy was named after a bar in Paris." Old Navy chain is designed to appeal to younger generation of customers by emphasizing "fun, fashion, and value" through a store experience that delivers "energy and excitement." The clothing is more affordable than its other Gap Inc. counterparts, as well as that of rival stores like American Eagle, Aéropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Hollister. Old Navy informally bills itself as an all-American brand.


Gap ("Peace. Love. Gap.")
Gap, Incorporated is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California and founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris Fisher. The Gap was to be Mr. Fisher's solution to the problem of a lack of customer service and fashionable styles present in department stores of the era. By creating a speciality shop dedicated to the sale of Levi's blue jeans, Mr. Fisher hoped to capitalize on the 'gap' that had opened in the market. Gap tries to reach the midrange customers, especially the youngsters.


Banana Republic
The original Banana Republic was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978. It was a two-store safari and travel-themed clothing company. To set itself apart from Gap as a more upmarket brand, Banana Republic occasionally buys and refurbishes historic buildings for its retail locations.


Piper Lime
Piperlime is an online retail company that primarily sells shoes and was founded in 2006.

wikipedia.

 

[papa_levante]

So as of, this is what is and isn't in business any longer under the Gap, Inc. company:

Gap
Gap Outlet
GapKids
babyGap
GapBody
GapMaternity
Love Me Gap
Love (Gap Accessories)
Old Navy
Old Navy Outlet (All stores converting to Old Navy on October 2, 2007)
Banana Republic
Banana Republic Factory Store
Forth & Towne (discontinued)
Piperlime
Gap Warehouse (discontinued)
Brands (discontinued)
Hemisphere (discontinued)
Pants Off (discontinued)
Pottery Barn (sold to Williams-Sonoma)
SuperGap (discontinued)
Tagg's (discontinued)
You & You (discontinued)

wikipedia.

 

[freakin_viet]

i never heard of piper lime before. it's pretty cute. im so tired of old navy clothes looking like crap after a couple of washes. banana always have nice shirts/ties

 

[seanutbutter]

Forth & Towne sure didn't last long. I remember seeing "OPENING SOON" signs in my local mall, only to watch them be replaced shortly after with "CLOSING SOON" versions.

 

[papa_levante]

Forth & Towne was meant for women older than 35 years old.

It closed in under two years.

 

[kimberwyn]

Hmm I wonder why Fourth and Towne didn't work.

Anyways, wireimage has a bunch of pictures from Banana Republics Spring line. Cute stuff!

 

[*Happiness*]

Forth & Towne was a wanna be Ann Taylor, imo. I think the market was too-niched, imo. I don't think there was a definite line between Banana Republic Womens & Forth & Towne's products.

 

[aldn]

Hmm I wonder why Fourth and Towne didn't work.

Anyways, wireimage has a bunch of pictures from Banana Republics Spring line. Cute stuff!

the current ceo wasn't too crazy about the idea.

 

[SomethingElse]

I don't subscribe to anything from Gap, Inc. companies. The only thing that I found that lasts for any time are Gap socks, and that's not enough to make me walk in the door.

 

[iLoveCouture]

I usually don't frequent Gap/Old Navy, but I do like Banana Republic, they have great clothes for work and have a sale just about every 2 weeks. I have found some great items at the outlets too.

 

[chaneladdict]

Debra LLoyd who was I believe EVP(?) of design at Banana is taking over at Kate Spade so it will be interesting to see who gets the position!

 

[aldn]

Debra LLoyd who was I believe EVP(?) of design at Banana is taking over at Kate Spade so it will be interesting to see who gets the position!

Especially with Patrick Robinson at Gap and Todd Oldham at Old Navy. Seems like they're trying to grab bigger names.

 

[tangerine]

Hmm I wonder why Fourth and Towne didn't work.

Anyways, wireimage has a bunch of pictures from Banana Republics Spring line. Cute stuff!

All I remember is some predictions that the name Forth And Towne was not good PR; something like the apocryphal tale of the failure of the Chevy Nova in Mexico.

 

[Littleathquakes]

holy thread revival. anyways I love BR. it's not high fashion like some of the bigger fashion houses, but I think they sure give them a run for the money.

 

[CaitlinC]

I love Gap and Old Navy. I buy there jeans a lot. They are affordable and good quality.

I don't have the money for $100+ pair of jeans.

 

[izzie stevens]

The reason why Forth & Towne did not last is because it was too similar to Banana Republic in the first place. The clothing and quality, that is. It was meant to target women above the ages of 35, when women above the age of 35 already shop at Banana Republic and fit very well into their clothing/style. Forth & Towne was a pointless move on behalf of Gap Inc., and they put a lot of effort into it, especially into the customer service aspect of that branch, mostly customer service within the fitting rooms. If you have/had ever visited a Forth & Towne, you'd noticed that their fittings rooms were all in the very middle of the store, and circular, and they offered water, coffee, and such for the sake of making the customer feel comfortable and serviced.

Also, Love Me Gap doesn't exist... never has... and Love (Gap Accessories) is not an actual store like the others in that list are. It's just what they call their accessories line for kids, so that Wiki list is incorrect. And Forth & Towne was not under the Banana Republic branch, it was another branch all on it's own, that's why it was named Forth & Towne, because it was Gap Inc.'s fourth brand "in town."

 

[loladonna]

I was browsing the Gap's site and saw a few things I like. Their new jeans collections also looks like it might be worth checking out.

www.gap.com

 

[Romantic Rebel]

I never liked clothes from Old Navy. Most of the items I bought from them have below average quality.

 

[Erin]

BUMP!

On a promo recently I found a sweater from Old Navy that I really like (and this doesn't happen!). It reminds me of a chunky tie-wrap sweater that I saw SJP wearing months ago.

Thoughts? Too, I can't decide on the color...

oldnavy.com