Gap vintage craze comes to the rescue as current sales decline

Look deep into your wardrobe and you might be surprised to find some valuable fashions there. Not a forgotten Chanel jacket or a pair of Louboutins, but old sweatshirts and jeans. A new trend for vintage Gap has seen demand for '90s and 2000s clothing from mass-market stores soar.

In the Depop resale market, searches for "vintage Gap" increased 114% in June. On eBay, the number of items sold with "Y2KGap" listed has more than doubled in recent months. The retailer itself has also responded to the trend by launching its own vintage Gap collection online last month, unearthed by Sean Wotherspoon, an American vintage collector and retailer.

He gathered his range from clothes made during the three decades of the 80s that he found in Gap's archives, but also in flea markets and second-hand clothing stores around the world. Wotherspoon, a lifelong Gap fan whose mother worked at the local store when he was growing up in Ashburn, Va., said he wanted to show how many staple styles came from the chain. The range included men's clothing and women's clothing. His collection is sold out and more collaborations between Wotherspoon and Gap are planned.

"The first phase of our partnership with Sean began in June and his carefully selected pieces around the world were so well received by customers that they sold out within the first two days online," says Christopher Goble, Head of Merchandising at Gap.

C The sales highs are partly due to a fascination with style and culture for decades. With denim, cargo pants and tracksuits all the rage, it would be odd if shoppers weren't looking to purchase these items from one of the most successful stores of the era. "Gap at that time was affordable and high quality," says eBay's Preloved Style Director Amy Bannerman. "This has always been one of my favorite places to buy t-shirts that stand the test of time. I have one I bought there about 16 years ago."

Founded in 1969 by Doris and Don Fisher in San Francisco, The Gap sold jeans and records. Its name was a play on "the generation gap". the store was an instant hit and throughout the 70s and 80s the range expanded internationally.It was renowned as the place to buy quality basics at a price parents liked, but with enough style to appeal to kids. 969." src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/99bfaad4aab47a2a23c86d16b3764449c7d2d73d/0_396_5678_3407/master/5678.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none" width="445" height="267.015674533 28636" loading="lazy" class="dcr-evn1e9"/>

In the 90s, there was a trend in fashion to mix designer brands and the high street that took Gap to a new level. Models like Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell wore Gap head-to-toe on the cover of the 100th issue of American Vogue in 1992. The compa...