The Gap, a clothing brand that has featured everything from swing-and-jump blues to hip-hop and rap in commercials, is now tapping into the boy-band business.
The San Francisco company announced a multiyear partnership with Just Your Type, a five-member, pop boy band, as part of the launch of a clothing collection and a national mall tour in which the band will perform live.
It's the first music collaboration under Gap's so-called Fashiontainment platform that will utilise content creation, licensing and partnerships.
Read more: Can Zac Posen, known for his glamorous designs, reinvent a mall fashion brand?
Developed by Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Freddy Wexler and signed to Wexler Records/Republic Records, the band, known as JYT, has an audience of more than two million followers across social media platforms, the retailer said.
It is latest bid by CEO Richard Dickson to turn Gap Inc around.
The company reshaped fashion in the 1990s and the early 2000s, but has since struggled due to what some say was a lacklustre clothing lineup, as well as more intense competition.
Dickson took over at Gap almost three years ago after he helped to revive sales of Barbie for the toy giant, Mattel Inc.
He has reshuffled leadership at The Gap and expanded the chain's offerings to customers.
Two years ago, the company hired US fashion designer Zac Posen as creative director of Gap Inc and chief creative officer of Old Navy.
Shares of The Gap Inc have doubled since Dickson's arrival, though they are down nearly 16% this year as millions of Americans wrestle with inflation.
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In addition to Old Navy, Gap also owns Banana Republic and Athleta.
As part of its collaboration, members of JYT will meet with people at Gap stores, the retailer said, and it will co-produce a docuseries on the band.
It will introduce an upcoming clothing collection codesigned by the five band members, the retailer said.
Gap will also dress JYT for select performances throughout the partnership.
"Gap has always lived at the intersection of style, music and culture, and our Fashiontainment platform builds on that legacy by putting our brands at the centre of the stories and cultural moments people care about,” said Pam Kaufman, chief entertainment officer, who oversees the chain's newly created entertainment division. – AP
