Fashionista.com recently reported that Gap Inc., the power company behind brands like Gap, Banana Republic and Piperlime, announced in mid-May that it had hired former Seven For All Mankind merchandising and design executive Rosella Giuliani to head the 1969 division of Gap.
Gap 1969 is the “Premium Jeans+Jackets+Shirts+Vests” entity of the brand, first introduced in August 2009. The 1969 project’s goal is to provide affordable, on-trend and better fitting denim to its customers, a feat they believe Giuliani will achieve. The jeans are undoubtedly affordable: retail prices for any style remain under $70, a huge money-saver when compared to that of higher-end denim lines whose prices often do not come below $150. The fit of each style has also been reworked and revamped, and thrifty customers will be pleased to find well-loved styles like a skinny jean, the boyfriend cut, and distressed denim readily available.
The company hopes that Giuliani will be able to inject life back into Gap, whose sales have struggled over the past two years in comparison to its more affordable sister brand, Old Navy. Gap’s chief designer, Patrick Robinson, has deemed Giuliani the woman for the job, as her fun and fresh designs at Seven For All Mankind were, and remain, extremely popular. She is particularly noted for her aid in the recent resurgence of the bell-bottom denim trend, seen on stars like Rachel Zoe, Victoria Beckham and Heidi Klum.
Gap is no stranger to high-fashion forays. In 2007, the brand teamed with CDFA/Vogue Fashion Fund to bring the looks of celebrated designers Doo.Ri, Rodarte, and Thakoon to its customers. More recently, former Christian Dior designer Pierre Hardy has teamed with Gap to create inexpensive (about $100) shoe collections that have left fashion editors and fashion lovers alike begging for more. Giuliani is confident that her expertise in designing the “it” denim crazes will resonate with Gap’s wide and diverse customer base. Gap announced that with the arrival of Giuliani on the team, the fits of 1969 denim would remain permanent, with trends changing from season to season. At last, the to-die-for designs of a denim genius, right at our penny-pinching fingertips.