Dive Brief:
- GapStudio’s summer collection dropped on Friday as part of Gap Inc.’s newly launched subbrand designed by Zac Posen, executive vice president and creative director of Gap Inc.
- The collection focuses on elevated womenswear pieces and features Gap’s new lightweight draped denim. Other materials include chambray and voile, according to a company press release.
- Prices range from $54 to $148. The collection is available online and in seven Gap stores in the U.S., as well as in international markets, per the release.
Dive Insight:
GapStudio is what Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson calls Gap’s “highest expression of style,” per the company’s latest earnings call in May. Launched broadly in April following a holiday capsule collection last year, GapStudio is meant to reinvent some of the brand’s classic styles.
Customers’ initial response to the official launch was positive and the company saw strong sellthrough rates at full price, Dickson said in the call. GapStudio generated more than 1.3 billion impressions.
GapStudio, coupled with the Gap brand’s collaboration strategy, is looking to drive cultural relevance for the brand as it works on its broader turnaround strategy under Dickson’s leadership.
“We are testing the brand’s elasticity as we push the boundaries of our pricing power through some of these programs,” Dickson said.
Pieces in the newly released collection include mid-rise draped denim baggy jeans, a romper, high rise trousers and cropped shirts. The summer line also features dresses and off-the-shoulder tops.
“It’s about the sensation of that first walk along the ocean in jeans,” Posen said in the release. “We wanted fabrics that are soft, light, breezy — capturing the feeling of summer, while honoring the heritage of Gap.”
When Posen, who has a background in red-carpet couture, ready-to-wear, accessories and costume design, was hired at Gap last year, the company tasked him with reinvigorating the brand. He is also chief creative officer of the Old Navy banner.
Posen has also created custom GapStudio designs for actors including Cynthia Erivo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Anne Hathaway and Timothée Chalamet. Versions of some of these pieces have been made available to the public and on at least one occasion quickly sold out.
Gap Inc.’s net sales rose 2.2% in Q1 to $3.5 billion, with increases at both its namesake and Old Navy brands. However, the company warned that it could face $250 million to $300 million in tariff-related costs this year.
