Dive Brief:

• Gap Inc. on Friday announced a new limited-edition collection created for GapKids with actor and former Gap campaign star Sarah Jessica Parker, according to a company press release.

• The collection is expected to be available in spring 2018 through Gap online and GapKids stores in select countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, China and Japan, according to the release.

• The news comes just two months after Gap announced a subscription box service aimed at frequent shoppers of its kids and baby clothes. 

Dive Insight:

Gap is staging something of a comeback, with solid sales on Black Friday and a new growth strategy focused squarely on its better-performing Old Navy unit, though analysts last week said that will only go so far. The company's stock has surged 40% in the last three months, but the apparel retailer has fared as well as it can on Wall Street, according to Citi Research analysts, which cut their rating of its stock to sell from neutral with a $28 price target, according to an analyst report to clients. 

While its flagship Gap brand continues to struggle with adult styles that are seen as high-quality but overpriced, its children's apparel continues to resonate. In recognition of that, the apparel retailer launched a BabyGap subscription service last month, which allows frequent shoppers of the retailer to pay $70 for a monthly box of clothes, which they have 21 days to either hold on to or send back.

By choosing Parker to develop a limited collection, the brand is turning to a style maven who has found success in women's apparel and fragrances at various price points. In 2014, she launched "SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker," a footwear, apparel and accessory label, with partner George Malkemus III, according to Gap's press release. If it proves successful, we could see Gap turning to similar moves with its flagship, which hasn't been performing as well.

In early September, the retailer announced that it would be opening 270 new Old Navy and Athleta stores — the two shining stars in Gap Inc.'s portfolio — and closing about 200 underperforming Gap and Banana Republic stores, which have been dragging the retailer down for some time.

"We recognize that steps have been taken to improve Gap's ranges and make marketing more compelling," GlobalData Retail Managing Director Neil Saunders said about the brand in August. "However, the general impression is still that of a rather dull brand that relies on excessive discounting to sell bland merchandise. From our consumer data, it is clear that most shoppers have a similar perception. In essence, much more work is needed to revive the Gap brand."