Banana Republic

Banana Republic is a US upscale clothing and accessories retailer owned by The Gap. It was founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler, who originally called the company "Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company". In 1983, Gap purchased the company, changed the name to "Banana Republic," and rebranded the stores to achieve a more upscale image. In the 2020s, VP of design Nicole Wiesmann has re-envisioned the brand with ad editorial campaigns that evoke luxury brands like Loro Piana with higher-end garments that have been compared favorably with Ralph Lauren, The Row, and Burberry. The name is a political science term for a country whose resources (and often sovereignty) have been taken over by powerful foreign interests. Examples include the United Fruit Company's involvement in the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état and Dole's involvement in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893. History The original Banana Republic was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978. The couple worked for the San Francisco Chronicle; Mel was a reporter and Patricia an illustrator. They lived in an apartment on Russian Hill. In 1978, they quit their jobs and moved to Tamalpais Valley. They wanted to start a business for income. But first, Mel received a magazine assignment to explore Australia for a few weeks with other journalists. The couple was known for acquiring interesting clothing items that their travel-related jobs brought them in contact with. They eventually opened a store in the Mill Valley area of Northern California. They were known for a hand-drawn catalogue of items with traveler/explorer stories printed alongside, and their safari-themed retail locations. The Zieglers recount their adventures in the first ten years in their memoir, Wild Company, published in 2012 by Simon and Schuster.