BANANA REPUBLIC was already founded in 1978 by the couple Mel and Patricia Ziegler as the Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company. Both worked for the San Francisco Chronicle; Mel was a reporter, Patricia an illustrator – and both traveled very often for work. They opened their first store that founding year in Mill Valley, California. In 1983, Banana Republic was purchased by Gap Inc., and the assortment was changed gradually to modern luxury fashion and accessories.
Appearing in the latest ‘A Voyage to Inspire’ campaign is Nya GATBEL c/o LOUISA MODELS. She and her colleagues set sail for a great voyage – captured in photogenic moments by photographer Richard Phibbs. The African-Canadian with Sudanese roots and meanwhile New Yorker by residency traveled to the Caribbean island of Antigua for the shoot where the anchor was weighed for the XXL campaign.
“This was an experience I’ll never forget. Thank you to the entire team who have worked tirelessly to put all this together.” Nya Gatbel
In the US, there are more than 500 BANANA REPUBLIC stores. The first outside of North America was opened in 2005 in Tokyo, and the first in Europe followed in Istanbul in 2008. Soon after, that same year, the flagship store in London opened. Then in December 2010, yet another store followed in Milan. Of course, shoppers can meanwhile also purchase products on the website in many European countries.
GoSee : bananarepublic.gap.com & louisa-models.de