Banana Republic Is The Latest Gap Inc. Brand Reclaiming Its Marketing Edge

In her 17 years at Gap Inc., Meena Anvary has been charged with future-proofing its brands. But her latest role as Banana Republic’s chief marketing officer (CMO) took her on a journey to the past, into its 1980s archives, where safari jackets, travel diaries, and a spirit of wanderlust once defined the label. Now Anvary and her team are dusting off that heritage for a new era, a marketing pivot she hopes will let the brand reclaim its status as a premium shopping destination. “We’ve been redefining and sharpening our purpose and positioning,” the marketer told ADWEEK. “We’re a premium lifestyle brand, and from a purpose standpoint, we want to inspire a mindset of exploration. When you look at the Banana brand codes from bygone days, it was all about adventure and a sense of curiosity.” Earlier this year, this resulted in a buzzy White Lotus tie-up, which drove 3 billion impressions across the brand's media platforms, as well as a more recent “Endless Summer” campaign, which could easily be mistaken for a Harper’s Bazaar Hamptons editorial. The push to revive Banana Republic’s premium positioning comes at a precarious moment for retailers. U.S. apparel spend fell 22% in the first three months of 2025 as consumers prioritized essentials over discretionary fashion, per data from financial services firm Empower. In her pivot, Anvary is guided by what she calls the “Richard Dickson playbook,” a reference to the turnaround being orchestrated by the CEO, who took the helm of parent company Gap Inc., in August 2023. “It starts with the product, then filters down to experience, branding, marketing, and positioning,” she explained. Product First Two years into his tenure, Dickson—who also serves as president at Banana Republic and was the architect behind Barbie’s comeback while at Mattel— has countered years of slumping sales with a focus on bringing “crisp identities and purpose” to each of Gap's brands. In Q1 of 2023, Gap Inc.'s sales were down 13% year-on-year; in Q1 2025 they were up 2%. At Gap, he has paired fresh linen-and-denim-led design with remakes of its iconic '90s and '00s dancing ads, now starring Gen Z names like Tyla and Troye Sivan. He also brought on Zac Posen as creative director across Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy. The same ‘nowstalgia’ blueprint is informing Banana Republic’s revival. After years caught somewhere between premium pieces and everyday basics, sales were down 3% in the first quarter of 2025. Now, the brand is returning to its roots: aspirational American style for those who love to explore. For Anvary, that means sewing product and storytelling together, threaded by her journey into the 1978-founded brand's past. In the archive, she found tropical prints on travel zines, catalogs featuring illustrations of explorers, and images of bold window displays with “massive faux giraffes, zebras, animals and lions,” featuring safari jeeps crashing through the glass. The brand’s product and design teams are now nodding to these old brand codes with pieces focused on travel and quiet luxury. Think silk resort shirts, pleated wide-leg trousers, and knit polos—and the marketing team is in “lockstep” with this vision. “It’s so important for marketing and product teams to be in sync,” said Anvary, revealing she sits in on design reviews as the product team does on photoshoots.“We’ve got this small, scrappy entrepreneurial team,” she said. “A lot of that is driven by the culture Richard has unlocked at Gap and Banana Republic.” A White Lotus Success Story The manifestation of this marketing and product tie-up came through in Banana Republic’s recent collaboration with HBO for a capsule collection inspired by the hit series The White Lotus. “Tapping into that zeitgeist felt like a natural brand fit for us,” said Anvary. The 24-piece, resort-chic range featured men’s and women’s apparel and accessories with “rich hues” of turquoise and yellow alongside graphic prints and fluid silhouettes. The partnership jumped seamlessly from screen to shelves, backed by a social-heavy campaign featuring show stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Nicholas DuVernay. Banana Republic also seeded products from its regular range into the show. When fan favorite Parker Posey’s Victoria Ratliff wore the Cruz Poplin Mini Dress in episode one, it instantly sold out. Anvary said her team didn’t see scripts beforehand, so they didn’t know when the brand might feature in a scene and see a spike in social engagement: “You can plan everything, but then you need to be open in real time to listening, reacting, responding,” she said. The campaign drove 3 billion impressions across the company’s media platforms and website. Anvary said the collaboration has been measured in “relevance and revenue.” Banana Republic joins its sister brands in experimenting with “fashiontainment,” a concept Anvary said Dickson coined to describe how style, studios, and artists are converging to reach customers where they are—whether that's on TV, on TikTok, or through immersive in-store experiences. Beyond Gap Inc., the wider fashion industry is embracing this cultural crossover. In 2023, Zara launched a Barbie-inspired capsule collection based on Margot Robbie’s film costumes, while last year, Marc Jacobs designed high-end pieces for Wicked. More recently, Banana Republic’s editorial-inspired “Endless Summer” photo campaign showcased traditional models and influencers galavanting around The Hamptons. The shoot wouldn’t be out of place in a high-gloss magazine spread, with a color palette led by the clothes. 'Endless Summer' has a high-gloss editorial feel Style influencers with smaller followings, including Cassia Beart and Chrissy Rutherford, are extending the campaign on TikTok, part of the brand’s increased focus on a “tiered” creator strategy that spans VIP names (like Schwarzenegger) to micro influencers, who Anvary says have “hyper-engaged followings.As it charts its next move, the CMO wants to ingrain the brand into the cultural conversation, “driving relevance with a really strong affinity and brand love from our customers.” Whether Banana Republic’s heritage-heavy refresh and fashiontainment strategy can deliver lasting results will be tested soon enough. Gap Inc. is set to report earnings on Aug. 29, and the proof will ultimately be in the sales.

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Banana Republic Is The Latest Gap Inc. Brand Reclaiming Its Marketing Edge

CMO Meena Anvary credits 'the Richard Dickson playbook' for return to premium, wanderlust-inspired roots

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