If you are a transatlantic traveller, someone who goes back and forth between Europe and the States, you may have been a little baffled as to why the stuff you see in Gap in US doesn’t quite match up with Gap as we know it in Europe, or more relevantly the UK. For a while now, half of Gap’s European stock has been unique - i.e. it’s only available in Europe and not the states, an initiative instilled by Steven Sunnucks, Gap’s UK president. Given the more fashion forward climate and the competition from European chains, Gap have had no choice but to install a separate European design team to bring us Euro-peeps something more fashion-worthy than the basics offered in the States. Basically veering away from what Gap are known for.
I’ve always thought this was somewhat of a dodgy move precisely because I know what Gap are useful for (a good t-shirt, some ok-ish jeans) and when they start offering something a bit more fashion-forward/fancy schmancy, I also know I can get better design somewhere else. In other words, it’s a little confusing and I think the still-flagging sales in the UK reflect this market confusion.
Nonetheless, the Gap have decided to push forward with the US and Europe separation. From this fall onwards, the collections stocked in Europe will be entirely separate from the offerings in the US and this is what we will be getting. Fashion Inc has given us a selection of sneak preview pics from the Gap presentation show a few weeks ago shown to UK journalists. The brains behind the collection certains packs a few punches. The collection was designed with the consultation of Marie-Amelie Sauve (pictured with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Nicholas Ghesquiere), Vogue Paris fashion editor and muse/design consultant to Nicholas Ghersquiere at Balenciaga. The other consultant could also have been Phoebe Philo, ex-Chloe designer, seeing as she is rumoured to have been Gap consulting for yonks now. It would certainly explain why a series of very Chloe-esque, girly, flirty summer dresses (UK ppl must have seen those newspaper ads…) have suddenly popped up in stores.
It’s hard to tell without some better close-ups and I suppose one must take into account styling tricks, but it does seem that the two formidable design consultants have come up with something distinctly un-Gap. A New York urban wearability crossed with English country quirk. If I’ve been secretly coveting Gap’s summer dresses, some of this stuff is even more impressive.
My gripe though, and I’m feeling it on behalf of US ppl is why make it ONLY available in Europe? Survey may say that American tastes are more conservative but why not let the US consumer decide for themselves and have the choice. Surely the big bosses at Gap haven’t lumped the entire USA into one category that are only into buying t-shirts and dresses. Surely, with the recent success of the Design Editions white shirt range by Thakoon, Doo.Ri and Rodarte (managed to snag the Thakoon petal dress and Rodarte bow dress over the weekend…woop dee doo…), the Gap customer base has demonstrated an appetite for high fashion-inspired clothes?
It will still be interesting to see whether Gap’s fortunes in Europe change for the better come fall and if Gap continue to go along the route of aiming higher fashion-wise, perhaps they should be more democratic and just offer it globally.
