ABOUT THIS COMPANY

ABOUT THIS COMPANY

It's hard to be American and not have strolled, at least once, amidst the neatly folded jeans and T-shirts that have made The Gap famous. In fact, you may have shopped at Gap without even knowing it -- in addition to owning Gap, babyGap, GapKids and GapBody, the ubiquitous retailer also owns the popular Banana Republic and Old Navy stores. Based in San Francisco, the site of the first Gap store, the casual wear giant has rocketed to omnipresent status in just a little more than three decades. "Gap T" has practically become a generic term for T-shirts," says one industry analyst. The Gap chronicles begin in 1969, when a San Francisco real estate developer in search of a well-stocked, organized jean store decided to open his own. Donald G. Fisher, along with his wife Doris, named their jeans-only store Gap, after "the generation gap," and concentrated on selling Levi's jeans, neatly organized by size. In a year's time, it was clear the Fishers had struck denim-tinted gold. By 1970 there were six Gap stores. Drawing on a strong teenage customer base, Gap continued rapid expansion throughout the 1970s, and began vending its own private-label clothing and accessories in 1974.