Old Navy’s design director, Laura Jenkins, Gap’s design director, Satya Kulkowitz, Banana Republic’s Head Of Fabric R&D, Jane Ibarra and Gap’s Head of Global Talent of Acquisition, Keisha Golding discuss designing for a global brand and how to get a job in the United States.
Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy discussed their shared regard for the importance of creativity. Within the portfolio, GAP INC art projects are ran to encourage the employees to be inspired and creative. They spend days visiting galleries, looking at homes and interiors, and recording the prints and colours used.
Sustainability was a hot topic in the GFW Live! talk. They aspire to create a sustainable brand and taking steps to move in this direction. The head of fabric at Banana Republic, Jane Ibarra shared how they’re introducing unique fibre blends into their products and are making the care of their products easier by reducing the number of products that require dry cleaning.
As a portfolio that is based across New York and San Francisco, they all share that America is a fantastic place to work but, “it’s all about what you want to get out of the experience”. All 5 brands within the GAP INC portfolio aspire to keep the brands iconic. They do this by “referring to their archives whilst keeping an eye on the future”, they integrate the new and old.
All brands are dedicated to helper the younger generation and their GFW Live! talk was full of inspiring advice which everyone benefitted from. They strongly belief that everyone looking to enter the industry should be open to any experience, never compromise your work and should follow their heart. One shared the grounding quote that everyone should “accept feedback because how people perceive you is the reality”.
Words by Rosie Smith
Photography by Will Barker