In her 17 years at Gap Inc., Meena Anvary has been charged with future-proofing its brands. But her latest role as Banana Republic’s chief marketing officer (CMO) took her on a journey to the past, into its 1980s archives, where safari jackets, travel diaries, and a spirit of wanderlust once defined the label.
Now Anvary and her team are dusting off that heritage for a new era, a marketing pivot she hopes will let the brand reclaim its status as a premium shopping destination.
“We’ve been redefining and sharpening our purpose and positioning,” the marketer told ADWEEK. “We’re a premium lifestyle brand, and from a purpose standpoint, we want to inspire a mindset of exploration. When you look at the Banana brand codes from bygone days, it was all about adventure and a sense of curiosity.”
Earlier this year, this resulted in a buzzy White Lotus tie-up, which drove 3 billion impressions across the brand’s media platforms, as well as a more recent “Endless Summer” campaign, which could easily be mistaken for a Harper’s Bazaar Hamptons editorial.
The push to revive Banana Republic’s premium positioning comes at a precarious moment for retailers. U.S. apparel spend fell 22% in the first three months of 2025 as consumers prioritized essentials over discretionary fashion, per data from financial services firm Empower.
In her pivot, Anvary is guided by what she calls the “Richard Dickson playbook,” a reference to the turnaround being orchestrated by the CEO, who took the helm of parent company Gap Inc., in August 2023.
“It starts with the product, then filters down to experience, branding, marketing, and positioning,” she explained.
Product First
Two years into his tenure, Dickson—who also serves as president at Banana Republic and was the architect behind Barbie’s comeback while at Mattel—has reversed an 11% decline at Gap’s flagship label when he joined, posting a 1% gain in the first quarter of 2025.
At Gap, he has paired fresh linen-and-denim-led design with remakes of its iconic ’90s and ’00s dancing ads, now starring Gen Z names like Tyla and Troye Sivan. He also brought on Zac Posen as creative director across Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy.