Gap teams up with New York-based designer Sandy Liang

American retailer Gap has unveiled a new collaboration with New York-based designer Sandy Liang, inspired by “modern girlhood and self-expression”.

The limited-edition collection for women and kids launches on October 10 and is rooted in a shared nostalgia, merging Gap’s heritage and timeless aesthetic with Liang’s signature feminine edge, reimagining some of Gap’s iconic styles, from bow-adorned denim to outerwear.

The result is a collection designed to have “cross-generational appeal,” added Gap, as it is both playful and wearable.

Mark Breitbard, president and chief executive of Gap, said in a statement: “Each collaboration has its own handwriting - its own story. Sandy Liang has cultivated both an engaged community and an iconic design perspective, which has allowed her to reimagine our heritage pieces into something entirely new, yet familiar.

“It’s exactly the kind of creative partnership that keeps Gap at the forefront of culture.”

Liang’s collaborative collection is the latest designer partnership from Gap as part of its ongoing transformation. In recent years, the retailer has collaborated with Los Angeles-founded golf lifestyle brand Malbon Golf, Los Angeles-based Cult Gaia, London-based skate label Palace, Californian clothing label Dôen, and New York City-based LoveShackFancy, as well as capsule collections with beloved children’s character Paddington Bear and a line with Wicked to celebrate the movie adaptation of the musical.

Sandy Liang unveils collaboration with Gap rooted in nostalgia

The Gap x Sandy Liang collection is inspired by Liang’s own memories growing up with Gap, featuring playful motifs and whimsical design details aimed at transforming everyday staples “into modern collectibles”.

Denim serves as the anchor of the collection, with versatile silhouettes that merge Liang’s aesthetic with Gap classics, such as the pleated denim miniskirt (88 US dollars), the vegan fur crop denim jacket (128 US dollars) and low-rise ’90s loose carpenter jeans (108 US dollars).

Other highlights include Gap’s iconic fleece refreshed with Liang’s reinterpretation of the classic arch logo on the extra-heavyweight logo oversize hoodie (118 US dollars) and the heavyweight bow oversize hoodie (108 US dollars). While outerwear includes a reversible vegan leather sherpa jacket (268 US dollars), a vegan fur half-zip pullover (198 US dollars) and a trench coat (228 US dollars) finished with Liang’s signature bow detailing.

The collaboration also features online exclusives for baby and toddler, including mini matchbacks inspired by women’s fleece and outerwear styles, as Gap looks to extend the collaboration across generations, with Liang’s son, Rainer, also appearing in the campaign.

Commenting on the collaboration, Liang added: “Growing up, Gap was the pinnacle of fashion. It’s incredible that I get to co-create with such an iconic brand that I treasured so much as a child, yet is still so relevant today.

“‘Sandy’s Dream Closet’ illustrates how wearing Gap made me feel growing up as I imagined being an adult one day and who I could be. I wanted to take the pieces that meant something to me as a kid and reimagine them through my lens today — celebrating girlhood in all its forms, while honoring the iconic styles that make Gap so timeless.”

The Gap x Sandy Liang collection launches October 10 at 9 am ET on gap.com and in select Gap stores, including The Grove in Los Angeles, 2 Folsom in San Francisco, Flatiron and Times Square in New York and Tyson’s Corner, as well as Liang’s flagship in New York City.

The collaboration will also be available in international markets, including the UK, the Middle East, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, Mexico, Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, and on zalando.com. Prices range from 15 to 268 US dollars.