NEW YORK, September 21, 2016 – Gap is pleased to release the new exclusive menswear collection of GQ’s Best New Menswear Designers in America. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the program and its fifth year of partnering with Gap, this year’s collection features the best-of-the-best All-Stars who have gone on to build successful careers with their distinct take on American menswear.
“Gap is thrilled to celebrate this milestone and bring to life the visions of these talented designers,” said Wendi Goldman, executive vice president and chief product officer for Gap. “They are true All-Stars who have played an important role in shaping contemporary American style and we couldn’t be prouder to offer their signature takes on menswear with this new collection."
"We wanted to make the 10th anniversary of this program feel like its own declaration, a snapshot of the state of American fashion,” said GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson. "We also wanted to make the clothes instantly wearable, easily attainable, and flat-out covetable. With these four exciting designers, and with Gap's exceptional partnership, I think we hit the sweet spot.”
The collection includes tailored trousers and denim, overcoats, leather jackets, classic tees and sweatshirts, sweatpants, and a variety of button down shirts along with accessories — including hats, bags, and socks. The collection is available starting September 27th, at select Gap stores in more than seven countries, including the United States, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and throughout Europe. It will also be available online at www.gap.com with prices ranging from $18 to $595.
The four designers below, along with the pieces from their limited-edition Gap capsule collections, will be featured in a special advertising insert in the October 2016 issue of GQ magazine.
Link to download images from the collection:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w20bzo95al03iqf/AAAVhAVRrwa01UWSZFdcY7XLa?dl=0
- Michael Bastian (New York, established 2006, GQ Class of ‘07, ‘11)—The beauty of Bastian’s clothes is that they can be remixed a hundred different ways. “It’s a great challenge,” Bastian tells GQ of creating his capsule collection. “It’s the difference between a novel and a good short story. They’re equally powerful.” But as the only designer to ever be given repeat recognition in the program (he participated in both 2007 and 2011), he was top of the list for this year’s All-Star roster.
- Steven Alan (New York, established 1994, GQ Class of ’08)—Most designers build their collections and work their way up to opening a storefront. Steven Alan did it backward. The clothes he did make (shirts, mostly) were basically private-label pieces to fill his own shelves. He opened a showroom in 1997 and gradually diversified: a striped tie here, a polo there, until he was a capital-F fashion designer. Today he’s a one stop shop with everything from shirts and shoes to sunglasses and watches, all stocked next to those under-the-radar brands he’s found through his travels. That collection-curation combo is a move many major menswear retailers have since borrowed—but nobody ever nails it quite as well as Steven Alan.
- Saturdays NYC (New York, established 2009, GQ Class of ‘12)—Founded by Morgan Collett, Colin Tunstall, and Josh Rosen, Saturdays showed up out of nowhere, a magpie line that fathered all the style touch points of the moment: the surf-culture explosion, the shrunk-in-the-wash fit, and the crisp graphic designers aimed at city kids partying on the tiki-torched decks in Montauk and Malibu. What Saturdays does best, is make the brand feel like a way of life. From publishing their own in-house magazine to developing a coffee blend, their shops (now in New York, Japan, and Australia) feel like your most stylish buddy’s weekend home.
- John Elliott (Los Angeles, established 2012, GQ Class of ‘14)—When Elliott first participated in the program just two years ago, he was working out of an apartment with three other guys, and the quartet has since revolutionized menswear with their side zip hoodies and tapered sweatpants. “One of the most incredible experiences of my life was going to the Gap near where I live in L.A. to look at my first GQ collection, and they didn’t have anything left,” reflects Elliott. He has since ascended to street wear-demigod status with his signature layered look, creating a style movement that is still gathering steam.
GQ’s Best New Menswear Designers in America project, which was established in 2007, works to advance and bring attention to emerging American menswear designers. The recognized designers were selected by GQ’s editor-in-chief, Jim Nelson, creative director Jim Moore, and the magazine’s fashion editors, and took part in a mentoring program led by GQ and Gap.
About GQ
GQ is the leading men’s general-interest magazine, with a monthly readership of 7 million readers. It is available in print, online at GQ.com, and as an app at iTunes.com. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications. Condé Nast operates in twenty-five countries and is the world leader in exceptional content creation.
About Gap
Gap is one of the world's most iconic apparel and accessories brands and the authority on American casual style. Founded in San Francisco in 1969, Gap’s collections are designed to build the foundation of modern wardrobes – all things denim, classic white shirts, khakis and must-have trends. Beginning with the first international store in London in 1987, Gap continues to connect with customers online and across the brand’s about 1,700 company-operated and franchise retail locations around the world. Gap includes Women's and Men's apparel and accessories, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody and GapFit collections. The brand also serves value-conscious customers with exclusively-designed collections for Gap Outlet and Gap Factory Stores. Gap is the namesake brand for leading global specialty retailer, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) which includes Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Intermix. For more information, please visit www.gapinc.com.
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