Gap has been flying solo without a creative director for a while after firing Patrick Robinson just over a year ago. Now it has finally found a replacement and a pretty good one too. Yesterday the brand confirmed that Rebekka Bay will take the role of creative director and executive vice president starting Oct 1.
While her name may not ring a bell, you're definitely familiar with her work. She was the person that "conceptualized, developed and launched" H&M-owned brand, Cos. That experience will prove invaluable to Gap who, admittedly, have a had a rocky past few years
'We've taken the time to identify the right creative leader for Gap and we've found that in Rebekka,' Gap Inc. president Stephen Sunnucks said in a release. 'We're confident that Rebekka's approach to design along with her considerable international experience will allow her to help us build upon the momentum we're delivering in the business today.'
You may know Sasha Pivovarova as a big supermodel but there's more to the Russian model than meets the eye. Alongside her successful modelling career, she continues to be recognised for her work as a painter and she's just about to show the world her acting skills in her debut film, 'In Time', alongside Justin Timberlake.
Not content with all of that, Gap have just released a selection of image from a collection of sleepwear and lingerie she reportedly design for them. The collection is small consisting of only six pieces including an underwear set and night dress, all inspired by fairy tales and incorporating some of her artwork.
We all loved the collection that Stella McCartney did for Gap Kids and it looks like Diane von Furstenberg is following in her footsteps. Rumours have been circulating for a while that the American designer will create a collection for the high street retailer and it looks like the reports are true. Sources revealed to WWD that the collaboration is well underway and design boards have already been produced and is likely to be released for the S/S12 season.
It's been a hard couple of years for brands. Constantly we are told of more brands that are feeling the pinch in these trying times with Christian Lacroix, American Apparel, Gap and Gianfranco Ferré only representing the tip of the iceberg. According to recent reports, BCBG are the latest company joining that ever expanding group.
Bosses are allegedly trying to secure a $230 million loan to pay creditors and vendors that they have been unable to pay since February. A source told WWD that the brand has explained to creditors that they cannot fulfil their obligations until the loan goes through making the new loan agreement "critical to the ongoing viability of the company," Moody’s Investors Service explains .
It's official: the musical chairs in the fashion world isn't slowing down anytime soon. In some shock news, Gap has just announced that they have let Patrick Robinson go in his role as executive vice president of the company. In a statement via WWD, the Pam Wallack, head of the Gap Global Creative Center explained that, "After spending the last three months in New York with the creative team, I’ve made the decision to make a change within our Gap Adult design team.
The news hasn't been a shock to some after reports recently surfaced showing that North America's sales has been significantly lower than its international counterparts since Robinson arrived in 2007. As bosses begin to look for a replacement, Jennifer Giangualano - their senior vice president of Gap Kids and Baby design - will step in.
For those of you who unfortunately didn't manage to get your hands on any of the Lanvin for H&M collection this morning, don't despair. You've got a whole week to learn from your mistakes and plan a better strategy to make sure that you bag some of the Valentino for Gap collection set for release on Saturday.
The collection boasts everything from short-sleeve ruffle jackets, coming in at £119.95, to cargo pants, at just under £100. The line, which hit stores in Italy last week, helped celebrate the high-street retailer's debut in Milan and Rome.
The collaboration definitely comes at a good time, as Gap recently announced a slump in profits - and last month saw the brand come under fire for changing their classic logo.
Burberry's chief operations officer Andy Janoswki has just been appointed as the new non-executive board director at Smythson, it was announced this week. Smythson, who worked at Banana Republic and Gap before moving to Burberry, was personally selected by Smythson's owner and CEO, Jacques Bahbout.
"From his role at Burberry, Andy has invaluable expertise in the luxury goods sector, combined with a wealth of previous experience in retail," Bahbout told Vogue.com. "We are very excited that he has joined us as a non-executive director and his business knowledge will add significant value."
I think it's safe to say that nobody was impressed by the new logo that Gap revealed last week so it didn't come as a suprise that they've already decided to scrap it.
According to bosses at the brand, the logo change was to help move Gap from their "classic, American design, to modern, sexy cool". After recieveing several compaints and criticisms on Facebook, the brand claimed that they were only experimenting and "crowd sourcing" but have since confirmed that they will not go ahead with the new design.
