Banana Republic is an upscale clothing and accessories retailer owned by The Gap. It was founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler, who originally called the company "Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company". In 1983, Gap purchased the company, changed the name to "Banana Republic," and rebranded the stores to achieve a more upscale image.[1][2] Nicole Wiesmann, the current VP of design, has re-envisioned the brand with ad editorial campaigns that evoke much higher-end luxury brands like Loro Piana with garments that have been compared favorably with Ralph Lauren, The Row, and Burberry.[3][4][5]
Banana Republic Travel Clothing Catalog No. 35, Spring 1988
The original Banana Republic was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978.[6] The couple worked for the San Francisco Chronicle; Mel was a reporter and Patricia an illustrator. They lived in an apartment on Russian Hill. In 1978, they quit their jobs and moved to Tamalpais Valley. They wanted to start a business for income. But first, Mel received a magazine assignment to explore Australia for a few weeks with other journalists. The couple was known for acquiring interesting clothing items that their travel-related jobs brought them in contact with.[7] They eventually opened a store in the Mill Valley area of Northern California.[8] They were known for a hand-drawn catalogue of items with traveler/explorer stories printed alongside, and their safari-themed retail locations.[9][10] The Zieglers recount their adventures in the first ten years in their memoir, Wild Company, published in 2012 by Simon and Schuster.[11]
Gap Inc. acquired Banana Republic in 1983. By 1988 the founders, Mel and Patricia Ziegler, lost creative control,[12] eventually rebranding it as masstige, an accessible mass luxury clothing retailer. The literate articles, hand-drawn catalog, and eccentric tourist-oriented items were phased out and were replaced with more luxurious, but not unique, items for which the brand would be eventually known for, currently replacing higher quality materials for mass quality lower cost fabric standards.[13]
In 2015 Banana Republic opened a new flagship in Manhattan on Fifth Avenue and 18th Street.
Banana Republic opened its first store outside North America in 2005 in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district. Banana Republic's presence in South Korea debuted in August 2007 with a store in the Apkujeong district of Seoul.
Banana Republic opened its first store in Turkey in March 2008 in the Kanyon Shopping Mall in Istanbul.[14] By May 2008, İstinye Park Shopping Mall and Nişantaşı stores were also opened in Istanbul. More stores are planned to be opened in Ankara and İzmir by the end of 2008 to bring the total number of stores in Turkey to six.[15]
Banana Republic opened in Saudi Arabia in late 2008, with a store in Mall of Arabia in Jeddah and a second in Riyadh Gallery Mall in Riyadh in March 2009.[16]
In March 2008, Banana Republic opened its 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) store on Regent Street in London, England.[17] On May 9, 2008, Banana Republic opened its store on Greenbelt 5 in Makati, Philippines.[18]
In October 2016, Banana Republic announced that it would close all its UK stores by the end of the year, due to falling sales.[19] As of 2017, Banana Republic had over 700 locations, but as a result of European stores closures, there are none left in Europe.[13]
In August 2020, Banana Republic alongside Gap announced that they will close over 225 store locations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The original plan was to close only 90 stores, however, they expanded the number as a consequence of the financial effects caused by the pandemic. The company has not stated the exact locations that will be closed, but most will be stores within malls.[20]
In 2011, Banana Republic had 682 company-owned or franchised stores in operation across 32 countries, shipped to 21 countries through company owned websites, and had the ability to ship to more than 50 countries through a third party.[21] By late 2022, the total number of US stores fell to just 379, including three outlets in Puerto Rico, while the number of outlets in Canada climbed to 62. The company closed all eight of its UK and Ireland stores in 2016,[22] and shut down all of the brand's European websites in May 2022.
References
^Moin, David (February 24, 2022). "A Repositioning Banana Republic Adds to the Mix". Women's Wear Daily.
^McCall, Tyler (December 13, 2022). "Banana Republic Is In Its Viral Era — What's Contributing To Its Success". Refinery29.
^Inside Banana Republic's Bid to Regain Relevance LAUREN SHERMAN and CATHALEEN CHEN, Business of Fashion, 21 September 2022
^CHEN, CATHALEEN (7 September 2022). "How Banana Republic Became a Bright Spot in Gap Inc.'s Portfolio". Business of Fashion.
^Klara, Robert Before Banana Republic Was Mainstream Fashion, It Was a Weirdly Wonderful Safari Brand: Revisiting the pith helmets, Jeeps and life-size giraffes AdWeek. March 17, 2016
^Smith, Paul (1988). "Visiting the Banana Republic," in Universal Abandon: The Politics of Postmodernism. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN0816616809.
^"Banana Republic: A Look Back - Lancer Creative Services". Lancercreative.com. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^Scottcadams.com. 10 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^. Discoveries.vdaproductions.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^Ziegler, Mel (2012). Wild company : the untold story of Banana Republic. Patricia Ziegler. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN978-1-4516-8348-6. OCLC 788290096.
^Times, Lawrence M. Fisher and Special To the New York (9 March 1988). "Gap Inc. to Cut Growth Of Banana Republic Unit". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
^ ab"Before Banana Republic Was Mainstream Fashion, It Was a Weirdly Wonderful Safari Brand". Retrieved 2018-07-13.
^"Fiba Grubu". www.fibaholding.com.tr. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
^"Fiba Grubu". www.fibaholding.com.tr. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
^"Gap Inc. to launch in Turkey, Saudi Arabia". Chain Store Age. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^"Regent Street Online". Regentstreetonline.com. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^Garceau, Therese (7 May 2008). "Yes, we have now Banana Republic". philstar. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^Reuters (18 October 2016). "Gap to shut all Banana Republic shops in the UK" – via The Guardian. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^Valinsky, Jordan (August 28, 2020). "Gap is closing more than 200 stores this year". CNN Business. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^London, Reuters in (2016-10-18). "Gap to shut all Banana Republic shops in the UK". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-09-03. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banana Republic.
Official website
July 21, 2023
banana, republic, this, article, about, retail, chain, political, science, term, banana, republic, other, uses, banana, republic, disambiguation, upscale, clothing, accessories, retailer, owned, founded, 1978, patricia, ziegler, originally, called, company, tr. This article is about the retail chain For the political science term see Banana republic For other uses see Banana republic disambiguation Banana Republic is an upscale clothing and accessories retailer owned by The Gap It was founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler who originally called the company Banana Republic Travel amp Safari Clothing Company In 1983 Gap purchased the company changed the name to Banana Republic and rebranded the stores to achieve a more upscale image 1 2 Nicole Wiesmann the current VP of design has re envisioned the brand with ad editorial campaigns that evoke much higher end luxury brands like Loro Piana with garments that have been compared favorably with Ralph Lauren The Row and Burberry 3 4 5 Banana RepublicTypeDivision of GapIndustryRetailFounded1978 45 years ago 1978 Mill Valley California U S FoundersMel ZieglerPatricia ZieglerHeadquartersSan Francisco California U S Number of locations700 2017 Area servedWorldwideKey peopleSonia Syngal CEO of parent Gap Inc Sandra Stangl President amp CEO ProductsClothingParentGap Inc 1983 present Websitewww BananaRepublic comThe name is based on the term banana republic which describes a country whose resources and often sovereignty have been taken by foreign interests usually by force Examples include the United Fruit Company s involvement in the 1954 Guatemalan coup d etat and Dole Food Company s involvement in the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 Contents 1 History 2 Retail history 3 Clothing lines 4 Stores 5 References 6 External linksHistory Edit Banana Republic Travel Clothing Catalog No 35 Spring 1988The original Banana Republic was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978 6 The couple worked for the San Francisco Chronicle Mel was a reporter and Patricia an illustrator They lived in an apartment on Russian Hill In 1978 they quit their jobs and moved to Tamalpais Valley They wanted to start a business for income But first Mel received a magazine assignment to explore Australia for a few weeks with other journalists The couple was known for acquiring interesting clothing items that their travel related jobs brought them in contact with 7 They eventually opened a store in the Mill Valley area of Northern California 8 They were known for a hand drawn catalogue of items with traveler explorer stories printed alongside and their safari themed retail locations 9 10 The Zieglers recount their adventures in the first ten years in their memoir Wild Company published in 2012 by Simon and Schuster 11 Gap Inc acquired Banana Republic in 1983 By 1988 the founders Mel and Patricia Ziegler lost creative control 12 eventually rebranding it as masstige an accessible mass luxury clothing retailer The literate articles hand drawn catalog and eccentric tourist oriented items were phased out and were replaced with more luxurious but not unique items for which the brand would be eventually known for currently replacing higher quality materials for mass quality lower cost fabric standards 13 Retail history Edit Inside the store Banana Republic on Saint Catherine Street in Montreal Quebec Banana Republic in Markville Shopping CentreIn 2015 Banana Republic opened a new flagship in Manhattan on Fifth Avenue and 18th Street Banana Republic opened its first store outside North America in 2005 in Tokyo s Ginza shopping district Banana Republic s presence in South Korea debuted in August 2007 with a store in the Apkujeong district of Seoul In 2007 the first Banana Republic stores opened at The Avenues shopping mall in Kuwait City Kuwait Senayan City in Jakarta Indonesia and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Banana Republic opened its first store in Turkey in March 2008 in the Kanyon Shopping Mall in Istanbul 14 By May 2008 Istinye Park Shopping Mall and Nisantasi stores were also opened in Istanbul More stores are planned to be opened in Ankara and Izmir by the end of 2008 to bring the total number of stores in Turkey to six 15 Banana Republic opened in Saudi Arabia in late 2008 with a store in Mall of Arabia in Jeddah and a second in Riyadh Gallery Mall in Riyadh in March 2009 16 In March 2008 Banana Republic opened its 17 000 square foot 1 600 m2 store on Regent Street in London England 17 On May 9 2008 Banana Republic opened its store on Greenbelt 5 in Makati Philippines 18 In October 2016 Banana Republic announced that it would close all its UK stores by the end of the year due to falling sales 19 As of 2017 Banana Republic had over 700 locations but as a result of European stores closures there are none left in Europe 13 In August 2020 Banana Republic alongside Gap announced that they will close over 225 store locations as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic The original plan was to close only 90 stores however they expanded the number as a consequence of the financial effects caused by the pandemic The company has not stated the exact locations that will be closed but most will be stores within malls 20 Clothing lines EditCollectionsBR Monogram 2 Heritage Sunday Sunday BR Sport 2021 BR Baby BR Athletics Capsule collectionsTrina Turk Anna Karenina Mad Men Milly NY Issa London L Wren Scott Marimekko Roland MouretStores EditIn 2011 Banana Republic had 682 company owned or franchised stores in operation across 32 countries shipped to 21 countries through company owned websites and had the ability to ship to more than 50 countries through a third party 21 By late 2022 the total number of US stores fell to just 379 including three outlets in Puerto Rico while the number of outlets in Canada climbed to 62 The company closed all eight of its UK and Ireland stores in 2016 22 and shut down all of the brand s European websites in May 2022 References Edit Moin David February 24 2022 A Repositioning Banana Republic Adds to the Mix Women s Wear Daily a b Major retailers launch upscale collections Business Retail NBC News NBC News 2008 04 20 Retrieved 2013 03 03 McCall Tyler December 13 2022 Banana Republic Is In Its Viral Era What s Contributing To Its Success Refinery29 Inside Banana Republic s Bid to Regain Relevance LAUREN SHERMAN and CATHALEEN CHEN Business of Fashion 21 September 2022 CHEN CATHALEEN 7 September 2022 How Banana Republic Became a Bright Spot in Gap Inc s Portfolio Business of Fashion Klara Robert Before Banana Republic Was Mainstream Fashion It Was a Weirdly Wonderful Safari Brand Revisiting the pith helmets Jeeps and life size giraffes AdWeek March 17 2016 Smith Paul 1988 Visiting the Banana Republic in Universal Abandon The Politics of Postmodernism Minneapolis MN University of Minnesota Press ISBN 0816616809 Banana Republic A Look Back Lancer Creative Services Lancercreative com Retrieved 14 July 2016 The Adventure Begins Scottcadams com 10 May 2011 Archived from the original on 6 April 2016 Retrieved 14 July 2016 Banana Republic Themed Retail That Once Was Discoveries vdaproductions com Archived from the original on 9 July 2016 Retrieved 14 July 2016 Ziegler Mel 2012 Wild company the untold story of Banana Republic Patricia Ziegler New York NY Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 1 4516 8348 6 OCLC 788290096 Times Lawrence M Fisher and Special To the New York 9 March 1988 Gap Inc to Cut Growth Of Banana Republic Unit The New York Times Retrieved 2018 07 13 a b Before Banana Republic Was Mainstream Fashion It Was a Weirdly Wonderful Safari Brand Retrieved 2018 07 13 Fiba Grubu www fibaholding com tr Archived from the original on 30 July 2012 Retrieved 26 January 2022 Fiba Grubu www fibaholding com tr Archived from the original on 18 April 2013 Retrieved 26 January 2022 Gap Inc to launch in Turkey Saudi Arabia Chain Store Age 13 June 2007 Retrieved 26 November 2020 Regent Street Online Regentstreetonline com Retrieved 14 July 2016 Garceau Therese 7 May 2008 Yes we have now Banana Republic philstar Retrieved 26 November 2020 Reuters 18 October 2016 Gap to shut all Banana Republic shops in the UK via The Guardian a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a last has generic name help Valinsky Jordan August 28 2020 Gap is closing more than 200 stores this year CNN Business Retrieved August 29 2020 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on September 28 2011 Retrieved August 8 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link London Reuters in 2016 10 18 Gap to shut all Banana Republic shops in the UK the Guardian Retrieved 2022 09 03 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a first has generic name help External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banana Republic Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Banana Republic amp oldid 1161575367, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
