Old Navy is celebrating its 30th anniversary with the ‘94 Reissue, a limited-edition collection that updates iconic ‘90s designs for a new generation of consumers, according to details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. The collection, launching Friday, offers nearly 200 styles, including the baby tees, baggy jeans and tracksuits of the brand’s self-described “golden era.”
“At Old Navy it’s not just about the fashion, but the joy we experience in it,” said Zac Posen, chief creative officer at Old Navy, in a statement. “If we look back at the ‘90s, it was a moment of moving from possibilities to reality, the juxtaposition of pop culture meeting indie culture, meeting hip hop. It was a time that allowed people to express themselves and their self identity — and that’s what the team has re-created with the ‘94 Reissue collection.”
To promote the collection, Old Navy has debuted the “Once More ‘94” campaign, which spans in-store, digital media, social, out-of-home placements in New York City and a limited-edition zine available online and in stores. The collection is one of the first major moves spearheaded by Posen, a designer known for dressing celebs on Hollywood red carpets who joined Gap Inc. in February.
The ‘94 Reissue and “Once More ‘94” are the latest part of Old Navy’s brand reinvigoration, a process being undertaken throughout the Gap Inc. family of brands. After four consecutive quarters of comparable sales growth, Old Navy remains the bedrock of the company alongside the eponymous flagship, Banana Republic and Athleta. The new work comes after a year focused on financial and operational rigor.
“We’ve been really working on our brand reinvigoration work, having a new visual identity, new codes being introduced and a subtle evolution of the brand,” said Chief Marketing Officer Behnaz Ghahramani. “We felt that this 30th anniversary and this new capsule collection around our ‘94 reissue was an incredible moment to be able to reassert our brand and to launch our new brand playbook for Old Navy.”
Ghahramani joined Old Navy one year ago after marketing stints at Gucci and Ralph Lauren and three years as chief marketing officer for luxury shoe company Stuart Weitzman. The executive spoke with Marketing Dive about the new campaign, how the brand approaches nostalgia and more.
Editor’s Note: The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
MARKETING DIVE: Can you tell me about the inspiration for this new collection and campaign?
BEHNAZ GHAHRAMANI: It was actually inspired by a lot of things that we were seeing from our community and the fandom across TikTok, like the love that people had for what Old Navy was during that moment in time, and obviously the nostalgia that everyone has for the ‘90s right now across generations. A few years ago, we saw that our customers were having these viral moments with our Tech Vest, our Performance Fleece and our jingles that were all about “it’s hip to zip.”
Both millennials as well as Gen Z are craving a time that represented an era that was more optimistic, more joyful and just simple. That really inspired us to have this Reissue collection. The teams really went into the archives and dug into vintage elements of the brand to bring it back to life. From a marketing standpoint, we did the same. Our teams really studied ‘90s culture and ‘90s fashion magazines.
We were inspired by the ‘90s color palette. Everything from our product videos and photography was all through the lens of the ‘90s, tapping into the nostalgia, but also bringing in the relevance for today.
We’ve seen a couple recent campaigns that also used zines. Tell me about yours.
We actually created a zine inspired by Delia’s, Sassy and Seventeen Magazine, and got art direction, photography and the energy and movement of that sort of collage, cut-out moment. We refreshed it for today.
There was so much love for the zine within my marketing organization. It was really a labor of love, because it took everyone back to that moment where you couldn’t wait to go through [the zine]. You had those quizzes, your horoscope and the interactivity that came with a collateral piece like that that really immersed you into a moment.
I think customers are craving that. What we’re seeing with this and with the collection itself is that it definitely is something that connects to our existing core customer and millennials, but will also have a strong relevance and connection for Gen Z.
What does the campaign look like in digital, social and the other channels you’re running?
We introduced our new brand purpose, “We invite everyone to come play with style,” and that was a guiding principle of how we wanted to bring this to life. There’s a lot of play, joy and optimism that comes through the colors and the photography and the movement that you see in the in the campaign and in the collection.
Nineties nostalgia is definitely something that is in the cultural zeitgeist. We really wanted to tap into that because it was such a big part of our brand heritage as well, and to celebrate that and to reimagine that as we’re reasserting our brand. All the touchpoints that you will see across online, in-store and social will be a really fun part of this.
You’re celebrating one year as CMO of Old Navy. What drew you to the brand?
I was really drawn to come to Old Navy because I believe it’s such an iconic American brand with such a deep heritage and one that I was really excited to connect with new audiences. I’ve worked with a range of retailers and brands, and all that have had some element of brand transformation, reinvigoration and modernization.
What drew me here was that I have such deep respect for the brand building and the storytelling that we are able to do, and I wanted to do the same and bring that expertise of storytelling to life for a brand like Old Navy. There is such a deep love for this brand, and to be able to bring a brand and make it fun and accessible for all was such a big part of the draw for me.
