She wanted to be an architect when she grew up but clothes are faster than buildings. Designer Rebekka Bay explains her plans to reinvent Gap for an anxious, uncertain generation
You can measure the scale of Rebekka Bays job by the mighty view from her desk. We are on the 11th floor of the Gap headquarters in Tribeca, New York, where, as creative director, she commands her empire from a glass-walled corner office. Supersized marble meeting table; shelfie-ready stacks of art reference books; a Frank Stella print in the waiting area outside. And a view to the south-west, over the Hudson river, that is so beautiful at sunset that between five and six oclock, I dont do any work. I just stare at the light.
Sunset downtime notwithstanding, Bay, 44, has her work cut out. Her pedigree as the creator of H&Ms upscale, minimalist offshoot label Cos won her the Gap job, which she took on two years ago. It was a huge jump in scale, and profile. Cos is sold in 90 stores; Gap is sold in 1,700 stores worldwide, its performance under the spotlight of business pages globally. The size of the business means long lead times, so that the first collection overseen by Bay hit stores only this spring; this month sees the launch of the autumn collection, the first for which Bay has had her full team in place.
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