Gap Cofounder Doris Fisher Dies at 94; Helped Grow Jeans Store Into Fashion Powerhouse

Doris Fisher, cofounder of Gap Inc., the longtime American clothing brand known for casual, affordable family fashions, has died at 94.

The news was announced by Richard Dickson, Gap president and CEO, in a May 4 company statement. He referred to Fisher as “a true original.”

“Many of us were fortunate to have known Doris personally, an extraordinary human being whose brilliance, quiet determination, and heart shaped everything from Gap Inc.’s indelible influence on fashion and retail to philanthropy and the San Francisco art scene,” Dickson said.

Fisher and her husband Donald Fisher, who died in 2009, opened the first Gap store in 1969 in San Francisco, selling only men’s jeans and music tapes. She drew on the idea of the “generation gap” to name the brand, appealing to a growing base of teenage consumers.

In 1970, the couple opened a second store in San Jose, California, and began selling jeans for women. By its third anniversary, Gap had grown to 25 stores, and in 1974, stores began offering original Gap-labeled clothing products.

The Gap Stores, Inc. went public in 1976. The company acquired Banana Republic in 1983 and expanded internationally to Canada and the UK during the 1980s. It launched Gap Kids in 1986 and Old Navy in 1994 as part of its move into more value-oriented retailing.

Dickson said that together, the Fishers revolutionized fashion retail by introducing not only new brands, but new perspectives on everything from denim and khakis to white shirts and safari jackets.

During that time, supermodels graced the cover of Vogue wearing white denim Gap jeans and white shirts, while actor Michael J. Fox made the store’s Gap Pocket-T-shirt famous by wearing it in the first “Back to the Future” movie.

From 2000 on, the company began acquiring other brands such as Athleta, a women’s activewear catalogue, Janie and Jack, a high-end children’s store, and Intermix, a 32-store chain of luxury boutiques across North America.

Today, Gap operates nearly 3,500 stores in about 35 countries, including 2,474 company-operated locations, according to the company. These include Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. Gap sold its Janie and Jack stores to Go Global Retail and its Intermix chain to Altamont Capital Partners in 2021.

According to Gap’s website, Fisher served as the company’s merchandising consultant until 2003 and remained an honorary lifetime director on the board of directors until her death.

Dickson ended his statement by saying, “The team will share details soon on our plans to celebrate Doris’s life, together as one Gap Inc. family.”