View information about Gap. You can view the history of the Gap brand and their impact on branding.

Gap

Gap

The story of Gap, Inc.:

It's the biggest specialty retailer with more than 2400 stores in the United States and it has an international reach, with stores in Europe, Asia and North America.

Gap store

It was founded in 1969 by husband and wife, Don and Doris Fisher.

Don and Doris Fisher

They did it, in part, because they were having a hard time finding jeans that fit. They opened their first store in San Francisco…

The first Gap store in San Franciso

…with $63,000 and their target customers were late teens. The company name came from the phrase "generation gap."

By 1973, they had over 25 outlets, including an East Coast expansion into New Jersey. In 1974, they introduced private label clothing lines to get better control of its supply chain. But by the 1990's, Gap tried going upscale and suffered through a nearly two-and-a-half-year slump in sales.

Gap's logo hasn't changed much. They used…

The first Gap logo

...from 1969 to 1986 and…

Gap logo from 1986 onwards

…from then until now, except for one week in 2010 when this…

Gap logo 1 week in 2010

…was adopted on October 4th and ditched on October 11th.

Gap also has four other main divisions, including…

Gap brands

The company's ads are well known, both in print…

Gap print Ad

…and on TV…

The company went public in 1976 but Don and Doris Fisher were still deeply involved in it.

Don and Doris Fisher, 1976

Not only do they own a lot of Gap's stock, but Doris and their son Robert sat on the Board of Directors.

Gap has assets of close to eight billion dollars and employs 137,00 people. In 2003, the company paid a twenty-million-dollar settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit that alleged sweat shop conditions for workers in Saipan, in the Western Pacific Ocean, but Gap did not admit liability.

Gap's World Headquarters remains in San Francisco…

Gap headquarters

…where it all began.