Gap is partnering with New York-based designer Sandy Liang on a women’s and kids’ apparel collection launching Friday.
Liang, who graduated from Parsons School of Design and started her company immediately after in 2014, is known for blending feminine nostalgia with downtown edge. Her collaboration with Gap channels her cult-favorite designs into a reimagination of Gap’s icons, from bow-adorned denim to outerwear. The combination looks to have cross-generational appeal and be both playful and wearable.
“Each collaboration has its own handwriting – its own story,” said Mark Breitbard, president and chief executive officer of Gap brand. “Sandy Liang has cultivated both an engaged community and an iconic design perspective, which has allowed her to reimagine our heritage pieces into something entirely new, yet familiar. It’s exactly the kind of creative partnership that keeps Gap at the forefront of culture.”
Gap’s previous collaborations this year have been with Doen, Béis, Harlem’s Fashion Row, and Malbon.
Inspired by Liang’s own memories growing up with Gap, the collaboration is brought to life through an imaginative short film, “Sandy’s Dream Closet,” animated by celebrated visual artist Annie Choi. Centered on a street in New York’s Lower East Side above her father’s Cantonese restaurant, Congee Village, the film illustrates a dreamscape of a young Sandy Liang as she imagines the fashion possibilities of the future, with the Gap x Sandy Liang collaboration representing her ultimate vision of self-expression. The video will appear across digital channels, including the brand’s web site, email and social, and will be shown on digital screens in Gap stores carrying the collection.
The campaign was shot and directed by Sophie Hur.
A campaign image from the Gap x Sandy Liang collaboration
Courtesy of Gap x Sandy Liang
“Growing up, Gap was the pinnacle of fashion. It’s incredible that I get to co-create with such an iconic brand that I treasured so much as a child, yet is still so relevant today,” said Liang. “‘Sandy’s Dream Closet’ illustrates how wearing Gap made me feel growing up as I imagined being an adult one day and who I could be. I wanted to take the pieces that meant something to me as a kid and reimagine them through my lens today – celebrating girlhood in all its forms, while honoring the iconic styles that make Gap so timeless.”
As a new mom and someone who has loved the brand since childhood, Liang said the collaboration with Gap was a dream come true. “Working with the Gap team to make my creative vision a reality was incredible from start to finish. This partnership allows us to bring the world of Sandy Liang to life for a broad audience, both in the U.S. and internationally,” she added.
Denim serves as the anchor of The Gap x Sandy Liang collection, with versatile silhouettes that merge Liang’s aesthetic with Gap classics such as the pleated denim mini skirt ($88), the vegan fur crop denim jacket ($128) and low rise ’90s loose carpenter jeans ($108). Gap’s iconic fleece is refreshed with Liang’s reinterpretation of the classic arch logo on the extra heavyweight logo oversized hoodie ($118) and the heavyweight bow oversized hoodie ($108).
The trench featured in a Gap x Sandy Liang campaign image.
courtesy of Gap x Sandy LIang
Statement outerwear includes the reversible vegan leather sherpa jacket ($268), a vegan fur half-zip pullover ($198) and bow-back trench coat ($228) finished with Liang’s signature bow detailing.
Online exclusive items for baby and toddler include mini matchbacks inspired by women’s fleece and outerwear styles, extending the collaboration across generations, with Liang’s son, Rainer, also appearing in the campaign.
The Gap x Sandy Liang collection launches Friday at 9 a.m. ET at gap.com and in select Gap stores, including The Grove in Los Angeles, 2 Folsom in San Francisco, Flatiron and Times Square in New York and Tyson’s Corner in Fairfax County, Va., as well as Liang’s flagship store in New York City. The collaboration will also be available in international markets including the Middle East, Czech Republic, Philippines, Mexico, Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, the UK and on Zalando.com.
Prices range from $15 to $268.
In the past, Liang has done collaborations with brands such as Beats, Salomon and Baggu. This Gap collaboration marks her first release of kids’ apparel.