Dive Brief:

• Banana Republic is moving toward fast fashion and upping the ante on the “See now, buy now” trend by unveiling its spring collection during New York Fashion Week next month, as other brands unveil designs suited for fall. The Gap-owned brand is saving its own fall designs for events during September's fashion week.

• Banana Republic is additionally taking full advantage of its new collaboration with fashion influencer Olivia Palermo, who has designed and curated a series of pop-ups for select stores and tapped personnel to staff them year-round.

• The struggling retailer is opening the pop-ups Feb. 9 at its New York City SoHo location, at Los Angeles' Grove shopping center and on Grant Street near Union Square in San Francisco. In collaboration with BMW, Banana Republic is also providing free rides between stores in those cities that day with proof of purchase or use of the hashtag #BRSTYLERIDE.

Dive Insight:

Banana Republic is the second mass apparel brand this week to announce new levels of speed for some of its collections: H&M similarly said that it is making its Studio collection available during Paris Fashion Week in March. The pressure comes from consumers, who’ve made it clear that they want access to new designs immediately, and who’ve been taught by fast fashion to get it sooner than many designers have traditionally allowed.

Banana Republic can’t afford to ignore that consumer demand, but it’s not clear whether speeding up its style calendar or even its collaboration with tastemaker Palermo will be enough to rescue a brand that has fallen from its perch as one of the top retailers of casual apparel and more casual work styles. The unit has been a drag on the company’s results for several quarters, even during Gap Inc.’s surprise holiday boom. Third quarter same-store sales at Gap and Banana Republic fell 8%, while rising 3% at Old Navy. 

To ignite change at the struggling brand, CEO Art Peck earlier this month announced that longtime brand chief Andi Owen will leave in late February, after 25 years with the company. Peck himself will directly oversee Banana Republic during the search for her replacement. 

Analysts do see some signs of life at Banana Republic. “Looking to Gap and Banana Republic, we continue to see improvement in the assortments,” Guggenheim’s Howard Tubin wrote in a recent blog. “Banana Republic is delivering more commercially friendly patterns and key item offerings.”