Gap is shutting down its Piperlime brand. “Piper what?” you may be saying. Exactly. The brand started as an online-only shoe store, then expanded to mostly selling items from designer brands that aren’t Gap Inc. brands. The brand was more upscale than Banana Republic, and that simply didn’t catch on with consumers.
If you haven’t heard of Piperlime, you aren’t alone. The brand opened a retail store in Manhattan in 2012, and is shutting down that location along with the online version.
Its main selling point seemed to be combined shipping with purchases from Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, and Intermix, and also the collections curated or designed and produced by Gap Inc. It turns out that Old Navy shoppers don’t really want to pick up $200 rompers while stocking up on $7 t-shirts.
“We plan to keep on pushing new ideas and look forward to seeing how we can apply what we’ve learned to the rest of the company as we continue to bring great products and shopping experiences to our customers,” new Gap Inc. CEO Art Peck said in a statement about the brand shutdown.
Piperlime will wind down by the end of February, but there’s no mention of this on the retail site yet.
GAP INC. TO CLOSE ITS PIPERLIME BRAND, INCLUDING THE ONLINE PLATFORM AND SINGLE STORE IN NEW YORK [Press Release]
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist
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