Banana Republic

Banana Republicis an American upscale clothing and accessories retailer owned byThe Gap. It was founded in 1978 byMel and Patricia Ziegler, who originally called the company "Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company". In 1983,Gappurchased the company, changed the name to "Banana Republic", and rebranded the stores to achieve a more upscale image.In the 2020s, VP of design Nicole Wiesmann has re-envisioned the brand with ad editorial campaigns that evoke luxury brands, and higher-end garments that have been compared favorably with names such asRalph LaurenandThe Row.
The original Banana Republic was founded byMel and Patricia Zieglerin 1978.The couple worked for theSan Francisco Chronicle; Mel was a reporter and Patricia  an illustrator. They lived in an apartment onRussian Hill. In 1978, they quit their jobs and moved toTamalpais Valley. They wanted to start a business for income. But first, Mel received a magazine assignment to explore Australia for a few weeks with other journalists. The couple was known for acquiring interesting clothing items that their travel-related jobs brought them in contact with.They eventually opened a store in theMill Valleyarea of Northern California.They were known for a hand-drawn catalogue of items with traveler/explorer stories printed alongside, and theirsafari-themed retail locations.The Zieglers recount their adventures in the first ten years in their memoir,Wild Company, published in 2012 by Simon and Schuster.
Gap Inc.acquired Banana Republic in 1983. By 1988 the founders, Mel and Patricia Ziegler, lost creative control,eventually rebranding it asmasstige, an accessible mass luxury clothing retailer. The literate articles, hand-drawn catalog, and eccentric tourist-oriented items were phased out and were replaced with more luxurious, but not unique, items for which the brand would eventually become known, currently replacing higher quality materials for mass quality lower cost fabric standards.
In 2015 Banana Republic opened a new flagship inManhattanonFifth Avenueand 18th Street.
Banana Republic opened its first store outside North America in 2005 in Tokyo'sGinzashopping district. Banana Republic's presence in South Korea debuted in August 2007 with a store in theApgujeongdistrict ofSeoul.
In 2007, the first Banana Republic stores opened atThe Avenues shopping mallinKuwait City, Kuwait;Senayan CityinJakarta, Indonesia; andPavilion Kuala LumpurinKuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Banana Republic opened its first store in Turkey in March 2008 in theKanyon Shopping MallinIstanbul.By May 2008,İstinyePark Shopping Mall andNişantaşıstores were also opened in Istanbul. More stores are planned to be opened inAnkaraandİzmirby the end of 2008 to bring the total number of stores in Turkey to six.
Banana Republic opened in Saudi Arabia in late 2008, with a store inMall of ArabiainJeddahand a second in Riyadh Gallery Mall inRiyadhin March 2009.
In March 2008, Banana Republic opened its 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m) store onRegent Streetin London, England.On May 9, 2008, Banana Republic opened its store onGreenbelt 5inMakati, Philippines.
In October 2016, Banana Republic announced that it would close all its UK stores by the end of the year, due to falling sales.As of 2017, Banana Republic had over 700 locations, but as a result of European stores closures, there are none left in Europe.
In August 2020, Banana Republic alongside Gap announced that they will close over 225 store locations as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic. The original plan was to close only 90 stores, however, they expanded the number as a consequence of the financial effects caused by the pandemic. The company has not stated the exact locations that will be closed, but most will be stores within malls.
Banana Republic produced a fall/wintercapsule collectionwith New York-based fashion designer Peter Do in 2023.
In 2011, Banana Republic had 682 company-owned or franchised stores in operation across 32 countries, shipped to 21 countries through company owned websites, and had the ability to ship to more than 50 countries through a third party.By late 2022, the total number of US stores fell to just 379, including threeoutletsin Puerto Rico, while the number of outlets in Canada climbed to 62. The company closed all eight of its UK and Ireland stores in 2016,and shut down all of the brand's European websites in May 2022.As of January 2025, Banana Republic has 18 stores in Japan, counting regular and outlet stores, the newest opening was on January 31, in Toranomon Hills.