Banana Republic. Stylish republic
Banana Republic is clothing, fragrances, accessories, and home goods. Items for travelers and everyday wear, formal and evening outfits. And it all started with a jacket. More precisely, with three jackets in the style of British colonial troops in Burma, which journalist and traveler Mel Ziegler picked up in Sydney.
16.05.2025
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At the dawn of Banana Republic. Military surplus, low prices, jungles, and jazz
Mel was skeptical of decorative buttons and zippers, and also категорически did not want to wear the then-popular bright shiny polyester. In Australia, he liked a more understated fabric, which he showed to his wife, Patricia.
Pat resewed and recut the fabric, reinforced the elbows with patches, added horn buttons, and the final touch was a stylish wooden fastener. Mel was pleased, but it turned out that the new jacket appealed not only to him, but also to a whole bunch of his friends and acquaintances.
Pat and Mel were surprised to discover that even without a “fashion label,” high-quality and comfortable clothing could have a very, very broad audience. This discovery gave the couple the idea to buy up leftover military uniforms, of which quite a lot had accumulated in London, Madrid, South Africa, and even African countries. Then alter all of it and resell it.
At first, altered vests and military tunics with the collars removed were sold at flea markets and swap meets, and when the business gained momentum, a little shop appeared in Mill Valley.
The Zieglers had no extra money, so they painted the walls “like zebra” and arranged the interior themselves. The shop’s signature image was a post office in the depths of the jungle, and the background was records with jazz from the 40s and 50s.
The catalog turned out the same way as well: Patricia hand-drew the clothing, and Mel composed original descriptions for each item with information about its origin and recommendations for wearing it.
In 1978, the Banana Republic brand appeared. The men’s clothing from the Zieglers of that period attracted travelers, tourists, and that sort of crowd. Everything changed when the Zieglers sold the business to The Gap, focusing on the art side of the business.
Banana Republic now. From a little shop to a chain and website
Although The Gap managed to buy Banana Republic while it was on the rise, both the Zieglers and Gap management understood that the fashion for military and safari style was not eternal. This led to the “great restructuring” of the stores and the emergence of a broader assortment — Banana Republic for women. Now the brand offered clothing for work, casual, luxurious cashmere and suede models, festive and formal outfits. The clothes took on brighter colors, and the Banana Republic assortment was supplemented with perfume, eau de toilette, and underwear. Later, home goods also appeared, for example:
- Bed linen
- Candles
- Picture and photo frames
- Pillows with embroidery and prints
Perfume from Banana Republic first appeared in 1995, and the fragrances are updated regularly (the latest was released in 2020).
Banana Republic for women
Cardigans and sweaters, jumpers and jackets made of viscose, wool and cashmere. Shirts and blouses in classic design. All this you will find in the “women's” section of the official Banana Republic website.
We recommend taking a look at the section New Arrivals with all kinds of current novelties. The section also has discounts, for example this merino wool cardigan is now available for $39 (2 900 rubles) instead of $76 (5 500 rubles).
The season's trend is a pastel palette — ochre, nude, brown, white, beige and so on. For example, such a hooded sweater made of merino wool will cost you $110 (8 100 rubles). By the way, at the bottom of the page there is a section of ready-made looks Wear it with, selected by Banana Republic experts with the price indicated for each element of the outfit. There, in a special tab, you will find discounts.
Sweater dresses will also be relevant, for example such will now cost only $49 (3 600 rubles) instead of $129 (9 500 rubles). And of course denim. On the “Banana Republic” website there are such types of jeans:
- Legging
- Skinny
- Slim
- Straight
- Farle
- Wide
Of course it won’t be possible to cover everything in one article, the site’s assortment is too rich, and there is so much one wants to describe — accessories, jackets, coats, outerwear, shoes, clutches, glasses, jewelry. It’s also worth taking a look at those.
Banana Republic for men
Classic and casual shirts, fitted and relaxed shirts, polos, t-shirts, sweaters, tanks, sweatshirts, cardigans, jackets, coats, vests and down jackets. Jeans, chinos and casual pants. Blazers, cashmere sweaters and classic suits, pants and ties for lovers of business style at a pleasant price. And, of course, shoes, glasses, belts and straps, scarves, hats, caps, gloves, wallets and bags — all of this you will find in the men’s section.
For example, such an elegant Italian Sharkskin suit you can buy for $400 (30 000 rubles, excluding duty), and a more relaxed blazer SUPIMA will cost $150 (1 100 rubles). In our opinion it’s worth checking out the section with casual pants and chinos. Available there:
- Skinny
- Slim
- Athletic tapered
- Straight
- Jogger
A nod to the brand's earlier style will be this kind of shirt jacket for $100 (7 400 rubles).
It's definitely worth checking out and browsing the pages bananarepublic.gap.com yourself to see the entire range of the popular boutique.
Our postal service Pochtoy.com will help you with delivery from America. On the site you will find our favorable rates, and our specialists will be happy to answer your questions or help with order tracking if necessary. By the way, not so long ago we started delivering perfumes from America. That is in addition to jeans or fashionable boots, you can buy perfume. For this we have created a separate tariff, the cost of which is 16,99. It includes delivery of up to five bottles in one package. And you can find out more about the service here.
