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.
She died “peacefully, surrounded by her family,” the company said, without giving a cause or date of death.
“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.
“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.”
Fisher and her late husband, Donald Fisher, opened the first Gap store in San Francisco in 1969.
The couple made their mark on casual American style, putting a focus on ready-to-wear, affordable items like jeans, T-shirts and sweatshirts.
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.
The Fishers’ retail philosophy, The Times said, “was to make shopping easy by keeping sizes well organised and stores well stocked.”
The company went on to expand to include other iconic brands, including Banana Republic and Old Navy.
Today, Gap operates about 3,500 stores worldwide, including company-operated and franchise locations.
“Never content with what is, Doris continuously imagined what might be and then made it happen,” Dickson said.
“In fact, a great deal of Gap Inc. culture at its best derives from Doris’s influence.”
She is survived by her three sons, Robert, William and John.
AFP
