Gap’s personalisation push
Gap’s ‘new’ creative director, Rebekka Bay is well into her stride now and fittingly for the Dane who came from COS, the look for AW14 is heavily weighted to a darker, Scandi-style aesthetic.
I particularly like the inky indigo blue denim (above) and the dark wool cocoon jacket (below). I’ve tried it on and it’s a great cut, ticking the box for smart but warm very well. Two other things Gap is nailing at the moment: cashmere and sweatshirts. Both come in classic cuts and plain colours, the sweatshirts are perfect if you love simple basics with an Americana feel.
Some important denim news that has been a long time coming – Gap is dipping its toe in the alterations and personalisation pool. Amen! Uniqlo and Levi’s already offer degrees of this service so it’s something Gap really needed to do.
If you want a particular jeans length, staff at a number of stores (31 so far) have been trained to shorten them to your personal requirements – in fifteen minutes while you wait. They can also distress jeans for you, should you so require. Gap’s denim specialists, called Denim Addicts*, are also trained in finding you the perfect jeans so will advise on fit, size and styling. I’ve noticed there’s a hell of a lot more denim choice but unlike some stores, it’s well signposted.
So overall, Gap is really pushing to own the high street denim market, because don’t forget, that’s where it all started for them. Now to just sort out the overstuffed rails and invest in a few steamers and we’re good to go…
*clarification: Angelica Huston is not one of Gap’s Denim Addicts even though it looks here as though she’s poised for action behind a very small sewing machine…
