Patrick Robinson was in London Wednesday night debuting the Gap’s global spring collection, which — much like everything else for next season — is heavy on the camel and nude tones. Gap’s designs usually skew pretty simple, so it was surprising to hear that Robinson wants to move away from the company’s more basic offerings. “My biggest hurdle has been to change the mind-set of the Gap customer in the U.S. who grew up with the brand and automatically thinks of basics,” Robinson explained. “What I want to offer are interesting essentials — fashion, excitement, newness.”
Excitement? Newness? These are lofty goals for humble khakis and corduroys, but Robinson has a plan: He’ll shake things up by experimenting with things like limited color palettes. “With blouses, for example, maybe we’ll have a choice of 30 — but only in one or two colors, so everyone can feel like they are making an individual choice,” he said.
In addition to giving shoppers the thrill of choosing between, say, charcoal and beige, Robinson plans to eliminate the brand’s heritage connotations. “Heritage doesn’t turn me on — it’s about America today. Let’s face it, a 28-year-old wants more fashion in his or her wardrobe,” he said. Considering heritage is pretty hot right now, with people embracing that whole outdoorsy L.L. Bean look this fall, this is an interesting statement. Also, didn’t the Gap’s failed attempt to redesign its logo show that Americans just want them to stay the same?
Gap Spring Collection Unveiled [WWD]
