Radar: Gap in the News
Earlier this year, the casual retail chain made headlines in the fashion biz with their announcement that Stella McCartney would once again design children’s apparel for GapKids. Her military-inspired jackets and bright raincoats were such a big hit that even adults were attempting to rock her frocks. Carla Bruni wore one of her jackets for a TV promotion. Last week in London, McCartney debuted her second line for the San Francisco-based brand and the kids looked as hip as ever in western button-ups, plaid flannels, and lots of horizontal stripes. The youngsters rocked the UK premiere while jamming on plastic guitars.
Just yesterday, they also decided to expand their affinity for British accents and take the brand to Australia. Scheduled to open their first-ever spot in Melborne, the colossal store will feature 8,000 square feet and two levels decked out with babyGap, GapBody, GapKids and denim. Stefan Laban, the ex-global retail director for Escada, is based in London and has a lot of experience expanding franchise networks. He told WWD about the success he hopes for the store, “There are 20 million people in Australia and 10 million of them live in cities. It’s a really casual market and the brand awareness for Gap is really high there.”
Whether you grab one of Stella’s new creations or head on an international trip, it seems Gap has all the bases covered when it comes to marketing their brand this year.
Tagged in: stella mccartney, london, australia, uk, gap, stefan laban, gapkids,
