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Gap's problems for me: 1) Sticking Gap on everything. That kind-of logo/advertisement in huge lettering is great on the way up, but not on the way down. Superd

by bgeeek 5y ago

Gap's problems for me: 1) Sticking Gap on everything. That kind-of logo/advertisement in huge lettering is great on the way up, but not on the way down. Superdry take note. You could not pay me to wear either. 2) Pricing and price point. It's frankly been bizarre for years. Overpriced when compared to new competitors, such as Uniqlo. Not quite good enough to compete with other stores, such as Levi's or more designer brands. Its position in the market felt awkward in recent times. I still buy chinos and plain t-shirts from Gap. No logo and so nobody knows. Despite their crazy vanity sizing, they still offer a range of sizes unlike Uniqlo, which only offers tailoring in-store at present in the UK.

durnygbur 5y ago
> 1) Tommy Hilfiger and Guess are doing the same and it's obnoxious.
- bgeeek 5y ago
  Agreed, although they're not at the same price point in the market and haven't run into problems yet, at least not here in the UK. There was a period in time where Gap rapidly expanded and had stores almost everywhere. Once the shoppers deserted the brand, the logos themselves became a problem itself, at least for those of us that were bothered by it :) The logos/branding can be good, but also a massive negative once its no longer a desirable brand.
dayvid 5y ago
1) The only thing GAP has going for them IS brand recognition. Otherwise, they’re in some weird in-between of Old Navy and Banana Republic and there are numerous brands out there that have taken their market share (H&M, Uniqlo, etc.).
- bgeeek 5y ago
  Not in the UK - Old Navy is unknown here, Banana Republic pretty much the same (you can buy it online). H&M, Uniqlo, and Zara have certainly affected Gap's standing in the market.
- tssva 5y ago
  The problem is of their own creation since they are all the same parent company.
alias_neo 5y ago
I have never liked wearing obviously branded clothing, it always seemed counter-intuitive to me. People want to show off their brands, and I'm ok with that, but as a nerdy guy who has never had style as a priority (though I'm quite militant about the cut of one's suit being just right), it just isn't me, so that's always ruled out GAP for me in the past. If a brand splashes their name across the clothes they sell, I'll avoid them, but this limits options a lot of the time. When it comes to Superdry, I like a lot of their clothing and own a few pieces of it, but I often choose not to wear many pieces because of the branding. I have some really nice jumpers from them which have a little label on the arm, which I find unnecessary. For work I'm more casually dressed than outside of work so I keep the Superdry branded stuff purely for work. A couple of years ago I found Uniqlo, it was basically perfection, they have a line of chino type trousers I like the fit of, and a T-shirt I like the cut of, as well as some light jumpers, no branding or markings whatsoever, so I bought about ~20 of each in various colours (some of which go unworn to this day because they were a little too wild), and then a year or so later bought another ~10-15 of each. EDIT: Trying to work on making my writing/comments less bullet pointed and monotonous so restructured a bit.
- bgeeek 5y ago
  I don't mind brands/logos but it's a double-edged sword. It's hard to like or want to wear something that's perceived to be in decline if there are logos/branding all over it. Gap, Superdry, Hollister all seem a bit passé to me. I still buy Gap, but never with the logo on it. Uniqlo seem fairly on the ball. The single length trouser size is very astute, although problematic for me as I live outside of London. Basically, I don't bother to buy trousers from them as they will never fit. T-shirts and sweatshirts are fine though!
  - alias_neo 5y ago
    I had no idea they had a single-length trouser size. How does that work? Did I luck-out that they happen to be the perfect length for me, or is it directly tied to waist size rather than a global single-length? I first came across Uniqlo when I was in Japan, and their "shove everything in this box and close the door to scan your items into the self-service checkout" impressed me (as an Engineer, I enjoy these things). They recently, in the past year or two, caught up here in the UK and the store I visit has them now. Also I find their face masks to be the best fitting and most comfortable out of the many, many brands I've tried.
kpozin 5y ago
My usual reasoning is, if there's conspicuous branding on the clothing, then the money should be flowing in the opposite direction. Why should I pay a company to advertise for them?

by bgeeek 5y ago

durnygbur 5y ago

> 1) Tommy Hilfiger and Guess are doing the same and it's obnoxious.

bgeeek 5y ago
Agreed, although they're not at the same price point in the market and haven't run into problems yet, at least not here in the UK. There was a period in time where Gap rapidly expanded and had stores almost everywhere. Once the shoppers deserted the brand, the logos themselves became a problem itself, at least for those of us that were bothered by it :) The logos/branding can be good, but also a massive negative once its no longer a desirable brand.

dayvid 5y ago

1) The only thing GAP has going for them IS brand recognition. Otherwise, they’re in some weird in-between of Old Navy and Banana Republic and there are numerous brands out there that have taken their market share (H&M, Uniqlo, etc.).

bgeeek 5y ago
Not in the UK - Old Navy is unknown here, Banana Republic pretty much the same (you can buy it online). H&M, Uniqlo, and Zara have certainly affected Gap's standing in the market.
tssva 5y ago
The problem is of their own creation since they are all the same parent company.

alias_neo 5y ago

I have never liked wearing obviously branded clothing, it always seemed counter-intuitive to me. People want to show off their brands, and I'm ok with that, but as a nerdy guy who has never had style as a priority (though I'm quite militant about the cut of one's suit being just right), it just isn't me, so that's always ruled out GAP for me in the past. If a brand splashes their name across the clothes they sell, I'll avoid them, but this limits options a lot of the time. When it comes to Superdry, I like a lot of their clothing and own a few pieces of it, but I often choose not to wear many pieces because of the branding. I have some really nice jumpers from them which have a little label on the arm, which I find unnecessary. For work I'm more casually dressed than outside of work so I keep the Superdry branded stuff purely for work. A couple of years ago I found Uniqlo, it was basically perfection, they have a line of chino type trousers I like the fit of, and a T-shirt I like the cut of, as well as some light jumpers, no branding or markings whatsoever, so I bought about ~20 of each in various colours (some of which go unworn to this day because they were a little too wild), and then a year or so later bought another ~10-15 of each. EDIT: Trying to work on making my writing/comments less bullet pointed and monotonous so restructured a bit.

bgeeek 5y ago
I don't mind brands/logos but it's a double-edged sword. It's hard to like or want to wear something that's perceived to be in decline if there are logos/branding all over it. Gap, Superdry, Hollister all seem a bit passé to me. I still buy Gap, but never with the logo on it. Uniqlo seem fairly on the ball. The single length trouser size is very astute, although problematic for me as I live outside of London. Basically, I don't bother to buy trousers from them as they will never fit. T-shirts and sweatshirts are fine though!
- alias_neo 5y ago
  I had no idea they had a single-length trouser size. How does that work? Did I luck-out that they happen to be the perfect length for me, or is it directly tied to waist size rather than a global single-length? I first came across Uniqlo when I was in Japan, and their "shove everything in this box and close the door to scan your items into the self-service checkout" impressed me (as an Engineer, I enjoy these things). They recently, in the past year or two, caught up here in the UK and the store I visit has them now. Also I find their face masks to be the best fitting and most comfortable out of the many, many brands I've tried.

kpozin 5y ago

My usual reasoning is, if there's conspicuous branding on the clothing, then the money should be flowing in the opposite direction. Why should I pay a company to advertise for them?