Dive Brief:
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Banana Republic Chief Brand Officer Ana Andjelic has left the brand after less than a year, Sarah Staley, head of communication at Banana Republic, confirmed in an email.
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"Sandra Stangl, President and CEO of Banana Republic, continues to lead our mission to be the premier lifestyle brand that enhances people's lives through elevated personal style and product," Staley also said.
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Andjelic joined Banana Republic in February to lead the brand's creative and marketing teams.
Dive Insight:
It's becoming clear that Gap Inc.'s two heritage brands are not privy to the patience being afforded to Gap collaborator Kanye West.
In August, Gap Inc. CEO Sonia Syngal and Chief Financial Officer Katrina O'Connell took turns assuring analysts that there are good reasons for the slow-moving drops from, and their minimal communication about, their Yeezy x Gap partnership.
For Gap itself and Banana Republic, it's a different story, though that should be no surprise. After all, since embarking on a turnaround following the failed spinoff of Old Navy, the company's clear stance has been that those brands must prove their worth, and soon. As leadership told Wells Fargo analysts last year, "tolerance for prolonged underperformance is low, and there are no emotional attachments to any of the brands."
Both of these labels have been struggling for years, but Banana Republic took an especially tough hit last year as consumers nearly stopped buying clothes, particularly anything needed for work. In September, the brand sought to remedy that with a campaign that harkened back to its original safari vibe and a revamp of its brand identity to focus on "democratic, approachable and inclusive luxury."
At that time, Andjelic, employing a cornucopia of terms, described Banana Republic's new collection as an amalgamation of nostalgia and contemporary aesthetics.
"Call it post-genre fashion. Or call it post-fashion altogether: The New Look is less about fashion and more about living. To get there, we mixed the mythical American look, San Francisco imagination, and the late 1990s," she said in a statement. "Keywords are utilitarian chic and modern casualwear. Safari meets tuxedo, formalwear meets casualwear, menswear meets womenswear, vintage meets tailoring, functionality meets imagination.”
