(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Gap Inc. is aiming for a piece of the runway. The San Francisco-based company, which owns Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta and its namesake brand Gap, named celebrity fashion designer Zac Posen as creative director of Gap Inc.
and chief creative officer of Old Navy on Monday in a move that suggests the company is looking to regain its status as a fashion leader. Gap Inc., which has seen comp sales decline every quarter this fiscal year, has been long overdue for a style makeover and a bit of a luxury touch.
But the company should be wary of leaning too far into the world of high-end preferences or it will alienate the everyday consumers who have helped make it an American icon. Netting Posen as a creative director is an impressive victory for the ailing brand. He is one of just a few fashion figures who has become a household name thanks to his work as a judge on Bravo TV’s Project Runway.
And his contributions to fashion have been revolutionary for dressing plus-size celebrities, including Ashley Graham and Oprah Winfrey in stunning opulent gowns, along with sample size stars. It was a stark pivot from the sensibilities of legacy luxury brands, which have inspired the fashion world’s definition of beauty as thin (and often White). Posen was ahead of the curve in designing lavish pieces for larger bodies that even thin people wanted to buy.
His work helped pave the way for the body-inclusivity movement. Gap Inc. could use this kind of cultural for.