Beloved Gap co-founder Doris Fisher, who started an iconic brand with her husband, dies at 94

Doris Fisher, who founded the iconic clothing chain The Gap with her late husband, has died at the age of 94.

A Gap spokesperson confirmed Monday that Fisher died Saturday surrounded by her family, but a cause of death was not specified.

Doris and her husband Don co-founded the brand after Don couldn’t find jeans that fit in 1969, the retailer said.

The company eventually grew into a $15.4 billion company with more than 3,500 stores worldwide, including subsidiaries Banana Republic and Old Navy.

A statement from her family said: “She lived her values ​​with purpose and integrity and believed that partnership made life richer.

“As a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, her love shaped generations. She was a builder through and through – she formed organizations, invested in people, created opportunities – and she carried this spirit into every part of her life.

“We believe her legacy lives on not only in what she created, but also in the way she lived.”

The Fishers opened their first store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, California, originally selling only men’s Levi’s jeans and record tapes.

A Gap spokesperson confirmed Monday that Fisher died Saturday surrounded by her family

Doris and her husband Don, both seen here in 2007, co-founded the brand after Don couldn’t find suitable jeans in 1969

The brand became the foundation for a global empire and reshaped American fashion with a focus on casual looks.

Fisher was the company’s fashion merchandiser for nearly four decades, while her husband focused on the business side.

The company says it came up with the company’s name specifically to bridge the “generation gap” between parents and children. Don Fisher passed away in 2009.

Gap CEO and President Richard Dickson said in a statement: “There is simply no equal like Doris Fisher.

“In Gap speak, she was a true original. Doris was a full partner in the founding of Gap Inc and a pioneering entrepreneur at a time when this was highly unusual for women.

“She understood firsthand the value of self-expression, diversity and inclusivity.”

The company also noted that Fisher’s influence extended beyond merchandising and store design.

She helped shape the cultural tone of Gap advertising and product development, while maintaining a “steadfast” presence in the company’s expansion and pushing the company to focus on customer needs. Gap went public in 1976.

The Fishers opened their first store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, California, originally selling only men’s Levi’s jeans and record tapes

A store window at the Gap’s San Francisco headquarters is seen here in a 2004 file photo

Fisher is seen here next to former California first lady Anne Gust Brown after she was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2011

The Fishers were also involved in philanthropic efforts. The couple amassed one of the largest private collections of modern and contemporary art in the country, Gap said.

In 2009, the family donated more than 1,100 works to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, one of the largest donations of its kind.

Fisher was also an advocate of educational opportunities for disadvantaged students. She served on the board of the Knowledge Is Power Program, known as KIPP, a network of high-performing charter schools focused on creating opportunities for underserved students.

Doris Feigenbaum was born in San Francisco in 1931 and grew up in a family “steeped in values ​​of entrepreneurship, culture and community service,” according to Gap.

She graduated from Stanford University in 1953, where she studied economics.

She is survived by her three sons – Robert, William and John – all of whom continued the family’s business and philanthropic commitments with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, KIPP, Stanford University, The Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the San Francisco Symphony and The Gap Foundation.

She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, the company said.