Gap sacks Patrick Robinson as chief designer

[milesdavisjr]

That was quick...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_858012.html

 

[bl@ster]

*yawn* Gap sells garbage clothes.

 

[hastur]

agreedo, gap/br has been garbage for quite awhile, mostly derivative junk one or two seasons behind

 

[omar white]

i disagree. i think some pieces have really stepped up the GAP/BR game lately, namely since robinson took over. i know for a fact that GAP has put the pressure on other similar market companies (AF, AE, etc) with increased marketing/advertising. not endorsing those brands in the least, but... i end up in GAP frequently (gf stocks up on their underwear) and actually bought a shirt last time...and not on sale (usually my precursor for reasoning any GAP purchase).. fit/cut was great.

 

[Hollywars]

I would say that GAP is a tier higher than your average high school fare, such as AF or AE, but I went in one and was not very impressed or pleased by what I saw.

 

[Peter1]

That's too bad...he was undone by the fact that the Gap brand itself is pretty toxic -- and the quality still sucks.

If you actually look at the clothes Gap put out under him it's a huge step forward (new denim fits, slimmer khakis). But I just don't see Gap as being hugely profitable ever again.

 

[dtmt]

****, where will they possibly find someone who can make half-assed copies of whatever is currently popular?

 

[macuser3of5]

I'll do it.

 

[bl@ster]

When I say garbage, I'm mostly referring to quality. Some of the designs are fine for basics but the shirts feel paper thin like they'll tear. And most do not launder well at all. It's just not a great value for the price. I did like their $90 selvedge jeans ok for the price though. Fit on the rest of their jeans has been terrible though and absolutely no consistency even within fits. I've stopped going into the store.

 

[GoldenTribe]

I feel like GAP may have gotten marginally better over the last few years** but it is still what it always has been: absolute crap to anyone who actually "likes clothes." **There is one glaring exception and that was a brief (capsule?) collection of faded vintage-y floral prints I saw at the Toronto Bay-Bloor location filling all their windows for a couple of weeks, I think this was in the fall but I'm not sure (definitely within the last 6 months). It was absolutely heinous and hideous beyond my ability to articulate. An entire storefront of this (below) -- for girls and women, no recollection of menswear -- and **** me it was awful to look at. It was frankly unacceptable coming from anything but the official clothier of Black Creek Pioneer Village or some equivalent historical society, and I bet none of it sold. The Bay-Bloor store is always empty whenever I walk by, and it's in the primest of prime locations for selling clothes as far as Toronto is concerned.

 

[TintoTerra]

I buy plain t-shirts there. Pretty good for a few months, and you can get them for like $11 on sale.

 

[bananananana]

Clearly, he did a horrible job and there's really no argument against that point. Maybe management was too afraid to let him make drastic changes but Gap just has no identity or appeal to any segment and it's largely due to the merchandise.

 

[PattyC]

Meh recently I've taken a liking to their button up shirts, they fit my tall lanky frame perfectly.

 

[Desi]

Originally Posted by bananananana

Clearly, he did a horrible job and there's really no argument against that point. Maybe management was too afraid to let him make drastic changes but Gap just has no identity or appeal to any segment and it's largely due to the merchandise.
I feel this is easily what happened. Robinson can be a pretty acceptable designer from time to time but GAP was obviously too afraid of change. Still don't know why they allow their own company, BR, to eat at their market share with its denim, tees, and casual wear ringing up cheaper than its Gap counterparts.

 

[London]

At a company like Gap the designer can make only so much of a change. It's not like he has free reign to do what he wants. Every major decision an collection has to get the sign off from merchandising, sales, etc.