MANILA, Philippines - We’re outside the newest Gap Kids store at Megamall’s Atrium, where kids, adults and Sharpie-wielding street artists are writing all over the walls: it’s like an outbreak of little Banksys in Metro Manila. But that’s okay; these are special walls built for graffiti, set up alongside tables supplied with colored pens, crayons and white Gap canvas bags to decorate.
Street art is the theme here, and it ties in with The Gap’s latest kids’ and baby line, the Portobello Collection. That street in Notting Hill, UK is known for its funky fashion and finds. Kids in Megamall are letting loose with funky lines, customizing tote bags and expressing themselves in wild shapes and colors.
My daughter Isobel starts drawing a girl with large button eyes; I carry on the theme by adding a button tree. She doodles in a red ketchup sea, and I add a plunging parachutist.
According to Gap marketing officer Nikki Verzo, the latest line at Gap Kids and babyGap is all about combining chic and practical wear with nostalgic whimsy. “With the Gap Kids toddler line, everything falls back on denim. The fall collection is about neutrals with punches of oranges and pinks —it’s reminiscent of the brick colors of Portobello streets, punched with bright colors. It’s all key British patterns, with a ‘60s theme as well,” like the kids’ jacket with a union jack flag.
Graffiti-like patterns are screen-printed on classic graphic tees for boys and girls, paired with classic denim pieces that tie together the collection. For cool little boys, there’s plaid button-down shirts with cuffs. Little girls get more stylish weekend dresses with puff sleeves and smocking details. “Older girls’ items have bit more floral prints to them, but the UK theme is still key,” Nikki adds.
The latest Gap Kids — the fifth in Manila since 2007 — is 230 square meters, a big space for little people’s fashion.
“Denim is a big business for us. We try to revolve a lot of our marketing around the denim line, which is one thing that (former Gap chief designer) Patrick Robinson brought to the table. In old days, we were just a tee-shirt store, people would come in to get an inner blouse or inner camisole. So when we started bulking up our denim, that’s when other pieces started to come in, so we were able to concentrate on fit details, things that make the line different.”
The Gap has long been associated with “the basics,” but there’s an incentive now to make things more versatile. “Probably one reason they’re focusing on denim pieces, it’s easier to wear and update with more dressy pieces that modern men and women can wear,” says Nikki. “The tops are a little dressier now, some things that a modern man or woman can take from day to night.”
“In recent years, there’s been more competition from more fashionable brands going into fast fashion. But the reason Gap is still doing healthy business throughout the world is we’re able to offer the basics, yes, but also updated in a more modern way.”
At the end of an hour, the white walls are festooned with doodled characters and billowing shapes. The customized Gap tote bags — a gift with purchase of P1,000 for a short time only — and the graffiti event are a hit with passersby and shoppers. But then customers at local Gap outlets tend to be a little different, Nikki notes: “We have encountered customers — it’s funny — they even spend more on their kids’ clothing than on themselves.”
Maybe it’s about bridging the generation gap — through hip fashion.
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Gap Kids and babyGap are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Casual Clothing Specialists, Inc. (CCSI), a subsidiary of Stores Specialists, Inc. and is available at SM Mall of Asia, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Glorietta 4, Bonifacio High Street, and SM Megamall.