GAP comes to SA

That post title is a bit sensational because GAP has actually been available at Stuttafords for a couple of years already. I even own some GAP shirts and jeans which I purchased from Stuttafords. Admittedly, the range was always limited while the dedicated GAP stores now offer the full GAP range. This means they have GapKids, BabyGap, and GapMaternity in addition to the mens and womens fashion.

I was invited to the launch of the first Cape Town store, in Tygervalley shopping centre. Don’t ask me why there, they didn’t say why. It’s linked to Stuttafords so the options were limited to Tygervalley, Cavendish or Canal Walk. It may have to do with the layout of the Stuttafords store at Tygervalley, it has two entrances so the GAP store has its own entrance. The store is really big, and it looks great. I was impressed with the range of clothing, from casual and sporty through to smart.

There isn’t much more I can tell you but I did learn some interesting facts about GAP which I thought I’d share with you…

• GAP was started in 1969 by Don and Doris Fisher
• The idea was to make it easier to find a great fitting pair of jeans (they saw a gap!)
• The first GAP store sold jeans, records and tapes
• Now there are nearly 1500 GAP stores worldwide
• GAP Inc also owns several other brands including the well known Banana Republic and Old Navy
• GAP Inc has several social responsibility programs, with a focus on community investment
• The GAP website is www.gapinc.com