Press Release

GAP ANNOUNCES EXCITING NEW COLLABORATION WITH RENOWNED EUROPEAN DESIGNER ROLAND MOURET

Collection of five dresses, including one as part of the Gap (PRODUCT) RED collection, will hit New York City stores December 1

SAN FRANCISCO – November 15, 2006 – This week Gap announces their collaboration with renowned designer Roland Mouret. Beginning on December 1, an exclusive collection of five dresses designed by Roland Mouret, will be sold in seven select Gap stores in New York City: 54th Street & 5th Avenue, 59th Street & Lexington, 42nd Street & Broadway, 34th Street & Broadway, 18th Street & 5th Avenue, 42nd Street & 3rd Avenue and Astor Place. 

“I was interested in the opportunity to make my designs available to a broader audience and was particularly excited about the (RED)TM involvement,” said Roland Mouret. “This initiative is so important and Gap has given me the opportunity to be able to translate my ideas in a more casual sensibility and at the same time help raise funds that will target the AIDS pandemic in Africa.”

Among his countless fans, Roland Mouret has a huge celebrity following of style icons including Cameron Diaz, Keira Knightley, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Weisz, Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller and Victoria Beckham. The exclusive collection of dresses he created for Gap will help bring his style and sensibility to everyday consumers. 

For the creation of this limited-edition dress collection, Roland applied his expertise in dress design to Gap's casual, easy-to-wear aesthetic. The result is a series of simple, feminine pieces ranging in price from $88 to $108 and available in the holiday season's must-have colors – black and red. The dresses, created with ease of spirit and wearability in mind, work perfectly layered over white shirts, T-shirts or turtlenecks for day or can be worn on their own for a more sophisticated look. 

"We're so pleased to work with a talented and world class designer of Roland's caliber,” said Cynthia Harriss, president of Gap Brand North America.  “Roland's design vision and creativity, applied to dresses that are so uniquely Gap, gives our customers a truly special shopping opportunity this holiday.”

The dresses are made of fabrics including rayon/wool jersey, wool/elastane and cotton/polyester blends and are available in an array of silhouettes including scoop neck, boat neck and bracelet sleeve styles. Each dress has a shape that's quintessentially Gap, while translated through Roland's vision of femininity.

One dress style will be sold as part of the Gap (PRODUCT) REDTM collection, with half of profits from the sales of this style benefiting the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. (RED) was introduced in the United States earlier this fall by Bono and Bobby Shriver in an effort to generate a sustainable flow of private sector funds towards the fight to eliminate AIDS in Africa. The Gap (PRODUCT) RED dress designed by Roland Mouret has a playful, short silhouette with bell sleeves – it’s made of double-layered wool jersey and is available in signature red.

The other dress styles include a lightly tailored bracelet sleeve dress that offers a chic and simply cut feminine style; a tunic dress with an elegant open neck line and loosely belted waist; and a short-sleeve black mini dress with a 60’s inspired look and sharp geometric lines at the neck, hem and sleeves.

Each dress has its own character and can be styled or layered to make a truly individual fashion statement. Layer them up or keep them clean – dress them up or dress them down – whatever you decide these dresses provide easy every day wardrobe solutions for all occasions, especially upcoming holiday festivities.