BoF can exclusively reveal that Gap Inc. has put its creative destiny in the hands of #ZacPosen, who has been named creative director of the American retail chain.
Posen, 43, will join Gap Inc’s executive leadership team and serve as the “cultural curator and creative partner” to CEO Richard Dickson, the company said Monday. He will also serve as chief creative officer of Old Navy, where he will lead design, merchandising and marketing, reporting to Haio Barbeito, Old Navy’s brand president and chief executive.
His appointment marks the first time Gap Inc. has hired a creative lead at the portfolio level and is the first fashion insider hire to take on a role at Gap Inc. since Patrick Robinson exited his role as the Gap brand’s chief designer in 2011.
In Posen, Dickson said he saw a combination of cultural savvy and technical skill that would help Gap get back on track.
“Zac’s combination of technical design, creativity, as well as an awareness of pop culture will really lend well to the future endeavours of Gap Inc.,” Dickson told BoF in an exclusive interview. “[His] creativity backed by Gap’s talent and infrastructure will be an incredible unlock for us.”
Posen first seized fashion’s spotlight as a precocious 20-something in the early aughts. A New York City native, he studied at Parsons and later, Central Saint Martins. In London, his talent was spotted by none other than Naomi Campbell; the supermodel would become the first of many famous women Posen would dress in his career, cementing his name as a red carpet mainstay.
“Zac is very smart and he’s not going to come in and design cocktail dresses,” said fashion consultant Robert Burke, who was an executive at Bergdorf Goodman when it first began to stock Posen’s label. “What Gap is getting with Zac is a solid, solid talent, but also someone who understands the importance of marketing and positioning a brand.”
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