Falling out of the GAP?

A recent New York Times article entitled "The Gap in Need of a Niche", discussed how the iconic American brand has been struggling to fight off declining sales over the past year. The recent popularity of niche designer brands has seriously hurt the Gap, known for its universal appeal. Unfortunately, this universal appeal is seen as sameness and an inability to differentiate itself to many consumers. Trendy, young shoppers consider the brand too basic and boring.

The Gap's recent inability to establish itself as more than just nondescript, casual clothing is ironic considering The Gap began in the Bay Area as an alternative to traditional clothing stores. When The Gap first began it symbolized the youth market and the 1960s counterculture. The Gap even initially stood for the Generation Gap. The brand gained popularity through its radically different strategy from traditional department stores at the time. The brand has ended up at the complete other end of the spectrum from where it started. The Gap now symbolizes conformity to many consumers.

The Gap completely changed the look and feel of its stores in the 1980s from hippie counterculture to yuppie by having uniform white walls and neat stacks of clothing. The Gap created an entirely new image for the brand. Under the new direction of Mickey Drexler, The Gap transformed itself from a brand that sold commodity jeans and t-shirts to a cool and hip place to shop. This change sparked enormous growth in sales for the brand. Instead of feeling like The Gap had "become corporate," shoppers felt the store genuinely reflected their values and ideals.

Unfortunately, it seems in recent years The Gap has lost that critical connection with shoppers. By being all over the charts in terms of its fashion and trying to appeal to everyone, The Gap is appealing to no one. In my opinion, for the Gap to get back its success, I think that it needs to do another 180 degree turn back to its origins of being a brand people can identify with.