The Shophound

HOLIDAY POP-UP: COOL HUNTING X GAP Will Be Your Favorite Gift Shop

Is there anythign more frustrating than shopping for gifts and being faced with the same old crap everywhere you turn? A few months ago, the folks at the GAP began addressing this problem by approaching Josh Rubin and Evan Orensten of Cool Hunting to fill their Fifth Avenue Concept Shop with Holiday Gifts. The pair quickly got to work squeezing about six months of work into four weeks and wound up with a collection of items that perfectly encapsulates their website's endless quest for the unusual, the intriguing and the just plain cool.

Rubin, Orensten and their editorial team's assortment ranges from brands you'll recognize like OXO, Moscot and Jonathan Adler, who made special limited edition merchandise for the shop, to obscure artisans and even friends and family. Special focus was given to local sources, and there are an abundance of items under $100, and quite a few under $50.

Orensten walked us through the store last week as the finishing touches were being applied just before their opening party. There are tons of items to browse from the practical and utilitarian like Jawbone's hot new Jambone speaker in an exclusive Cool Hunting green to specially commissioned flights of fancy like working skateboards completely covered in kimono fabrics by Tokyo's Zillion ($650-$750). There are toiletries, jewelry, accessories, food items, home items, toys for kids and even some for pets. Is it a random assortment? In a sense, but as in any good store, the merchandise is tied together with its collective appeal and Cool Hunting's dedication to innovative design, artisan craftsmanship, social and environmental consciousness.

Of course, they didn't just ship a bunch of stuff to the Gap and stack them on the shelves. ByKenyan was engaged to transform the white space of the shop into something of a general store with reclaimed wood from upstate barns, wall paintings by Evolving Image and an Ian Hundley quilt based on a map of the city ($2,500). Even the elaborate chandeliers are available for purchase.

There are too may items to recount, but our personal favorites included a limited edition Cool Hunting collaboration with the newly rejuvenated Swiss watchmaker Marvin, a charming avocado salt & pepper shaker for $40 from Daina Platais Ceramics, Tech Gloves from Freehands ($18-$80) with thumb and index fingers that peel back so you can use your iPhone without removing them, a Special Edition Marker Set ($500) from artist Tom Sachs and Krink, a build-it-yourself Bamboo Bike Studio Kit for $496, a limited edition Mast Brothers chocolate bar ($10), a special edition wool cycling cap from Outlier ($90) and so much more.

In addition, Gap and Cool Hunting will be hosting a series of events throughout the season to spotlight special designers and products. The schedule of events will be available on Gap's Facebook Fan Page. The Cool Hunting shop will be open every day (except Christmas) through Sunday, January 2^nd, but we are guessing that much of the limited edition merchandise will be sold out well before then, so don't dawdle. So far this is one of our favorite things to hit Gap's Concept Space in quite some time. Maybe if we are very, very good it will become a regular seasonal event.

GAP X Cool Hunting Holiday Pop-Up Shop through January 2^nd, 2011, 680 Fifth Avenue between 53^rd & 54^th Streets, Midtown
Cool Hunting (Official Site)

After the jump, a few more of our favorite items:

SoHo SWITCHES: Is The Gap Ditching SoHo?

After only a year of using the space as a 1969 denim store, The New York Post suggests that the Gap has had it with the two level space at the corner of Broadway and Spring Street. The highly trafficked corner was originally a Banana Republic Men's Store, but when that chain consolidated its stores last year in an expanded location up the street, Gap converted the location to showcase its newly revamped denim line. Now, the Post is reporting that Gap has subleased the 15,000 square foot space to the Canadian contemporary women's chain Aritzia. By our count, the chain has 46 locations in Canada and the U.S. including one in the Short Hills Mall, and could be described as a potential Scoop-Killer featuring a host of familiar contemporary and denim brands (Acne, J.Brand, Marc by Marc, Current/Elliott, Rag & Bone, Rebecca Minkoff, etc.) as well as its own fashion lines. A prominent corner like this one could be a major beachhead for further U.S. expansion.

The question is, with 4 years left on its lease, why would the Gap ditch such a good location? Perhaps they feel it cannibalizes the NoHo stores around Astor Place, or maybe the denim focus of this location is overkill for such a big store. Is the store being divided? So far, nobody is talking officially, but it's an intriguing development for Broadway's ever-growing collection of international retail chains.

3 Suitors For Fashion Site (NYPost via RACKED NY)

TODAY IN COCA-COLA CLASSIC: GAP Logo Debacle Ends With A Return To The Blue Box

What a weekend of unrelenting internet scorn can do! Lets all say it together:

Toldja!

The Gap has announced that it's attempt to replace it's iconic blue box logo has all been a horrible, horrible dream, and the company will immediately return to its familiar brand identifier. We figured that things would wind up this way, but we had no idea that the whole matter would be resolved with such speed. Clearly, executives swiftly recognized that changing the logo at all was a loser of an idea and smartly decided to cut their losses and move forward before it became an even bigger issue. The decision to open the floodgates to suggestions via Facebook was not well received either. In a press statement, Gap North American Brand President Marika Hansen put it simply, "We heard [our customers] say over and over again they are passionate about our blue box logo, and they want it back. So we’ve made the decision to do just that – we will bring it back across all channels."

The nightmare is over.

Gap Scraps New Logo After Backlash, Revives Blue Box (Bloomberg via The Cut)
Previously:
Today In New Coke: GAP Open To Suggestion For New Logo

TODAY IN NEW COKE: GAP Open To Suggestion For New Logo

Apparently that new Gap Logo that appeared on the chain's website yesterday may not be a permanent fixture after all. The response among both fashion and graphic design bloggers and various other Helvetica haters has been overwhelmingly negative. We are not quite sure why they want to replace the iconic blue square, but sometimes people just want change for change's sake. Since the shift hasn't yet pervaded the public consciousness, however, the company has announced via its Facebook page that it would accept submissions for a new look:

Thanks for everyone’s input on the new logo! We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the things we’re changing. We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project.

And now, we will translate what this actually means:

Oh yeah, smartypants?
You don't like our new logo?
You think you gotta better idea?
Let's see it!

So far, we haven't heard what sort of compensation or award is in store for whoever submits a winning entry, but we haven't heard the last of this story.

Gap on Facebook

RECYCLING OPPORTUNITY: GAP Will Dispose Of Your Old Jeans You're Welcome

If you have been buying jeans at anything close to the rate The Shophound has over the past 10 years, then you are probably suffering from what we call "denim glut'. That's a closet bursting full of jeans that were perfect once, but after better ones came along.

Maybe they are the wrong wash, the wrong cut or (and we cringe in pain as we type this) no longer exactly the right size.

Since there are only so many cut-offs a person needs, the Gap is coming to your rescue. Through October 20th, you can bring your unwanted jeans into any Gap store and exchange them for a 30% discount on a brand new pair of their 1969 Premium Jeans. If you recall, we did tell you how much we like our unwashed ringspun denim 1969 Skinny Seldvedge jeans that we picked up on Fashion's Night Out, so this just makes them that much more affordable.

Of course, they aren't going to just take your old jeans and have their way with them. They will be repurposed and transformed into UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Housing Insulation and donated to communities in need. Think of how much more useful they will be keeping someone's house warm instead of just taking up space in your closet. It's turns out to be a win for everyone.

Oh, and about that new Gap logo that nobody seems to like. It makes us think of nearly 20 years ago when Saks Fifth Avenue decided to abandon their elegant script logo in favor of a blocky, generic looking typeface that nobody seemed to like.
And then one day, they just switched back.
Just saying...

Gap & Cotton Inc. COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN. Denim Drive at Gap Stores through October 20th.

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: GAP x CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Launches Today

It's that time of year again when the Gap collaborates with the winners of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund for limited edition capsule collections. This year's honorees include Grand Prize winner and Obama favorite Sophie Theallet and runners up menswear designer Patrik Ervell and jewelry designer Monique Péan.

In the past, the Gap has given the designers a classic item to interpret (think of Doo.Ri's and Thakoon's white shirts or Vena Cava and Alexander Wang's Khaki collections in years past), but this time around, they were given more leeway to create collections that reference their signature styles. Theallet has made new interpretations of her now famous color blocked dresses in less expensive fabrics, while Ervell promises, “I’ve boiled archetypical men’s garments down to their essence.” Péan has designed 12 jewelry styles in eco-friendly materials including naturally shed buffalo horn, coconut, buri twine and organic cotton. WWD reports that the lines will launch today at the Gap's concept store on Fifth Avenue and 53^rd Street and other locations.

And now the disappointing news: While the collections will be substantially less expensive than the designers' regular offerings, they are also substantially more expensive than the Gap's, a change from previous editions of the program. Theallet's pieces will run from $148 to $248. Ervell's railroad stripe denim jeans will ring up at an un-Gaplike $248, and Péan's pieces look to fall in the $200 to $300 range. It's a bit more than we are used to seeing charged for these collections, but the lines are that much more ambitious in scope and, presumably, quality this year, so it's kind of a trade off. They are still not exorbitant, but seem to have been lifted out of the fast-fashion price range that is always so appealing.

The launch has flown a bit under the radar this year without the usual pre-announcements or expensive photo campaigns. Perhaps they are meant to piggyback on this weekend's CFDA Awards ceremony for publicity, but the low profile may work in your favor. Get to the store fast before the crowds catch on, and you'll have first pick. We are betting that the Sophie Theallet dresses, even at their higher prices, won't be around for long.

UPDATE:
We visited the Gap Concept Store this afternoon to get a firsthand look at the new collections, which clarified a few things for us. One of the reasons why Gap has not promoted this program as heavily as they have in the past is because it will not be sold throughout the chain as it has in the past. In fact, the collections will be available only in the Fifth Avenue shop —not even online.

In fact, rather than having Gap mass-produce the special items in their offshore factories, the designers handled production themselves (mostly in the U.S.), and the clothes bear their own labels, not the Gap's. That is why the prices are higher, but then so is the quality, and Ervell's pieces all contain discount cards in various pockets for his own online store.

Salespeople told us that for the lack of advance publicity made for a sleepy first day, except for strong demand for Monique Péan's jewelry thanks to an item in today's New York Times as well as coverage in the latest issue of InStyle. Once word gets out, however, we fell sure that Sophie Theallet's line will sell briskly, and Partrik Ervell's customers will surely be interested in adding a few basic pieces at gentler prices. We'l see if these limited collections will last until July when the shop will be turned over to the Gap's next event.

Gap, CFDA Winners to Unveil Designs (WWD)
Sophie Theallet, Patrik Ervell & Monique Pean for Gap 680 Fifth Avenue & 53^rd Street

Pop-Up Alert II: Gap's (RED)™ Christmas On Fifth Avenue

We know that the Gap has been working with the (PRODUCT) ^RED program for quite a while with its own collection that benefits The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. To remind everyone about the charity driven product lines, the Concept store at the Fifth Avenue flagship has just been converted into The (RED)™ Store featuring not only its own products, but also those from most of the other companies that participate in the program, including Emporio Armani, Converse, Nike, Apple, Hallmark, Dell, Bugaboo and even Starbucks. The centerpiece of the store, of course, is the Gap's newest collection of artist designed t-shirts benefitting the program including the latest one designed by Stella McCartney ($28 above left). We also found sunglasses and watches from Emporio Armani, the latest iPod Nano, skateboards from The Girl Skateboard Company and a special limited edition laquered silver "Hot Lips" ring ($1,500 at right) from Solange Azagury-Partridge.
We have to admit that we had gotten a little bit weary of the whole (PRODUCT) ^RED thing not because we didn't think it was worthwhile but because it seemed like nobody would make anything that wasn't RED.
Seriously, it's kinda limiting.
Thankfully, some of the companies have discovered that they can make at least a few things in other colors now, too, a refreshing update.
The (RED)™ Store at the Gap Flagship Concept Store, 680 Fifth Avenue between 53^rd & 54^th Streets, Midtown

Pop-Up Alert: Return To Paris With Merci GAP

Around this time last year, the Gap had devoted its newly renovated Fifth Avenue concept store to the Parisian cult boutique colette. Though it generated long lines and lots of publicity, we have to admit that the result left The Shophound a little cold. This year, the Gap returns to the City of Lights collaborating with the less well known boutique Merci for a much better result.
This time, instead of gimmicky tchotchkes, Merci Gap is offering real stuff, like elegant housewares from around the world and vintage French prêt à porter along with a few co-branded items that have already proved popular with certain editors at Fashion Week. Vogue fashion Market/Accessories Editor Virginia Smith has been proudly sporting a Merci Gap customized trenchcoat all week, but of course, she's a little biased being married to Gap Creative director Patrick Robinson, and all.
When we briefly visited a few days ago, we found a special line of Annick Goutal fragrance candles, contemporary French tableware and tidy little packages of linen napkins among other things. Unlike last year's event, we actually want to go back and check it out again! As in the Paris store, Merci Gap will be sending its profits to children’s charities and programs that provide work for impoverished youth in Madagascar, which makes it somewhat more acceptable that the prices in the little shop are often more than a bit higher than your typical Gap fare, though not necessarily for Fifth Avenue in general. The concept shop will be open until October 5^th.
Merci GAP Fifth Avenue at 54^th Street, Midtown

T-Shirt Report: Gap Goes Gallery For Artists' Tees On Fifth

You can never have too many t-shirts, or at least that's what The Shophound tells ourself when we are cramming yet another one on the closet shelf. If you happen to find that your t-shirt shelf is looking a little anemic, it is important to differentiate between the cool (UNIQLO, James Perse, Trovata) and the revolting (Ed Hardy and anything else associated with Christian Audigier). It's not always simple, but the GAP —no strangers to the T-shirt— have made it easy for you shoppers. This month they have launched a the latest in a series of artists-designed T-shirts in conjunction with the (PRODUCT) Red program which fall decidedly on the cool side of the fence.
To promote this newest group of tees, Gap has transformed its Fifth Avenue concept space into a gallery featuring 10 original artworks along with the $28 shirts. The gallery will be open until August 10^th, and the shirts will be available at Gap stores and at Gap.com as well as at The Whitney Museum of American Art which will carry selected styles through August 30^th
As part of the (PRODUCT) RED program, 50% of the profits from the t-shirts will be donated to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa.
GAP Concept Store, 680 Fifth Avenue between 53^rd & 54^th Streets, through August 10^th, Midtown

More information about the participating artists after the jump

Collaboration Launch: Gap Design Editions Previews Today On Fifth Avenue

Today's the day Fifth Avenue shoppers get a preview of this year's Gap Design Editions collaborations featuring exclusive khaki capsule collections by current darlings and CFDA Fashion Fund Finalists Alexander Wang, Vena Cava's Lisa Maycock and Sophie Buhai (pictured above) and Albertus Swanepoel. The collection gets released to stores tomorrow, but the designers along with Gap Creative Director Patrick Robinson will be at the midtown flagship store today at 10:30 AM to launch the initiative. Though the designer roster is smaller this year (and there's no menswear) the individual collections appear to have been broadened, and the choice of a Khaki theme is right in Gap's wheelhouse while allowing the designers a few more design options than the white shirts of years past. The collections are ONLINE  TODAY, and will launch in the rest of the chain tomorrow. Get there fast. This group of merch looks like it will sell swiftly.
Gap Design Editions (Official Site) Flagaship at 54^th Street & Fifth Avenue