GAP co-founder, Doris Fisher, dies at 94

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Doris Fisher, the co-founder of American clothing retailer GAP, has died at the age of 94, according to a statement from the company on Monday.

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She died “peacefully, surrounded by her family,” the company said, without giving a cause or date of death.

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“There is simply no equal to Doris Fisher. In Gap-speak, she was a true original,” company President and CEO Richard Dickson said in the statement.

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“She understood first-hand the value of self-expression, diversity, and inclusion. And she worked tirelessly to ensure that Gap Inc. always did more than sell clothes.”

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Fisher and her late husband, Donald Fisher, opened the first Gap store in San Francisco in 1969.

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The couple made their mark on casual American style, putting a focus on ready-to-wear, affordable items like jeans, T-shirts and sweatshirts.

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Doris Fisher came up with the company’s name as a reference to the “generation gap” and young customers they sought to attract, according to The New York Times.

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The Fishers’ retail philosophy, The Times said, “was to make shopping easy by keeping sizes well organised and stores well stocked.”

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The company went on to expand to include other iconic brands, including Banana Republic and Old Navy.

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Today, Gap operates about 3,500 stores worldwide, including company-operated and franchise locations.

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“Never content with what is, Doris continuously imagined what might be and then made it happen,” Dickson said.

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“In fact, a great deal of Gap Inc. culture at its best derives from Doris’s influence.”

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She is survived by her three sons, Robert, William and John.

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AFP

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