Gap Is Reviving Its Iconic '90s Collection, But I Feel Some Type Of Way About It
A repressed member of Generation Gap speaks out
Many brands that were hugely popular during the â90s have been reviving their most iconic collections. Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger have been the leaders of the throwback pack, and now Gap has announced that it will bring back its classic '90s collection in the form of the Archive Reissue.
âThe â90s is having a sartorial moment and we have an archive of pieces that set the tone for that decade commercially and culturally, so it seemed right to re-issue some of those pieces and the stories that come with them,â Craig Brommers, Gapâs CEO, said in a press release. ââGeneration Gapâ came together in a celebration of who was with us then and who we are with nowâit has, at its heart, that simple truth that we can take from the past but also celebrate our future.â
I am a part of Generation Gap. But for me, it goes deeper than simple nostalgia. During the golden days of my childhood in the late '90s, my mom worked part-time at a Gap store in our local mall and she used her employee discount to provide me with clothing from Gap Kids. For years, my classmates would relentlessly taunt me about wearing apparel and accessories from the retailer though. I heard everything from âYou know that Gap stands for 'gay and proud,â right?â to âWow, you must be really poor if you arenât shopping at Limited Too.â By the time I reached second grade, I resented my mom for refusing to give me control of my wardrobe. I was so ashamed of the brand that I insisted on wearing items that didnât have the logo on it so I might be able to avoid a confrontation passing through the hallway or on the playground during recess.
This torment went on until fifth grade and when I reached middle school, I never wore anything from the Gap ever again. (Those years are a dark period of terrible clothing choices that I destroy all photographic evidence of.) Eventually when I went on college, I found myself digging through boxes of my old clothes during breaks in-between the semesters. Surprisingly, most of the Gap jackets, shirts, dresses, and skirts still fit from my elementary school days. âDid I ever wear this? Itâs so cute,â I would say to my mom. She would then tell me that it was in mint condition because I never touched it for reasons she would never understand. However, she never let herself get rid of the clothesâshe always recognized their value, so each item remained tucked away on a shelf in the back of the closet.
Now letâs fast forward to the present on this day in 2017. It really bursts my bubble that the same bullies who used to make fun of me for wearing Gap will probably be the first customers lining up to purchase pieces from the Archive Reissue on February 7. The limited-edition collection will bring back all the classics weâve come to love and hate like the 10-button tee, mock tees, sleeveless icon shirts, oversized jean jackets, pullover hoodies, khakis, denim, and so much more.
Gap is cool⢠now because normcore is a dress code, and Naomi Campbell, Chelsea Tyler, Lizzy Jagger, Rumer Willis, Evan Ross, Coco Gordon, and TJ Mizell are repping the American brand. Iâm sorry Momâyou were only doing your best and meant no harm on your mission to have the best dressed child in town. If I could go back in time, I would tell prepubescent me to trust whatâs in my closet. Better late than never. You best believe that I am going to deck myself out in Gap, loud and proud.
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
gummygunk
gamechangershow
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
