Welcome to Spot Check, a column by The Business of Fashion breaking down the most talked-about fashion and beauty campaigns of the moment and why they worked — or missed the mark.
To highlight its denim assortment in August, Gap married Gen-Z and Millennial music, hiring Gen-Z-favourite girl group Katseye to dance to the Millennial anthem “Milkshake.”
And for the retailer’s latest spot, it went for another take on multi-generational appeal.
This week, Gap dropped its latest campaign for GapStudio, its premium arm that launched in April, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and her daughter Apple Martin. In a short video directed by creative agency Look and Julian Klincewicz, the pair talked about their relationship, personal style — Martin described her own as simple, “with a twist,” in the spot, reflecting the GapStudio pieces — and joked about the 1990s ensembles Martin snags from her mother’s closet. In the ad, the mother-daughter duo wear looks from GapStudio’s 38-piece autumn 2025 collection, designed by creative director Zac Posen, including seamed jeans, a crisp cotton shirt and a pink satin midi dress.
It’s just the latest example of the brand’s efforts to win back the customers who shopped at Gap during its 1990s heyday — to whom Paltrow was an undisputed style icon — as well as re-introduce it to those who, like Martin, wore the brand as a child.
“This generational gap bridging is really central to the brand, and something that we feel Gap can uniquely do,” said chief executive Mark Breitbard. “We’re appealing to a consumer that’s known us or grew up with us, and now the next generation is coming into the store. Often our best-selling styles are ones that mothers and daughters are both sharing.”
For Paltrow, Gap is “classic and effortless,” she said in a statement, adding that “Zac has brought a fresh perspective that makes the brand more wearable than ever.”
Casting celebrity children — known online as “nepo babies” — has become standard practice in fashion and beauty marketing, as it almost guarantees eyeballs. Increasingly, brands are tapping both parent and child for these ads: Mac Cosmetics’ “Born Famous” campaign, released in May featuring duos like model Amelia Gray alongside her “Real Housewife” mother Lisa Rinna, while Intimissimi tapped Heidi Klum, daughter Leni Klum and her mother Erna for a campaign last fall.
While casting a “nepo baby” is sure to stoke some commenters’ ire, there’s an intrinsic curiosity around seeing someone whose birth was once announced in the tabloids. There’s a natural story to tell within their family history, which can make these famous figures feel more relatable. Plus, it’s ideal for showing how a brand or product can work for people of a variety of ages: Through showcasing Paltrow and Martin’s existing mother-daughter relationship, Gap was able to drive home the point that it can speak to different age groups and the idea that the collection’s 1990s inspirations are relevant to young shoppers today.
“We felt that all the things that Gwyneth is doing, that Apple’s debut, that the combination is helpful from a brand relevance perspective as we’re reinvigorating the brand,” said Breitbard.
GapStudio has been at the centre of several of Gap’s buzziest marketing moments since its April launch — and even before its debut. (The inspiration for the line came after Posen designed a custom floor-length white shirt dress for actress Anne Hathaway, which subsequently went viral and sold out within a few hours.) The brand dressed Laura Harrier for this year’s Met Gala, driving $1.2 million in earned media value, according to influencer marketing platform CreatorIQ, and its first two collections were released alongside star-studded campaigns featuring top models of the moment, including Alex Consani, Anok Yai and Lila Moss — daughter of Kate.
While Gap’s turnaround efforts are getting people talking, sales growth was still flat in the second quarter. Breitbard said Gap sees room to grow with GapStudio in particular serving to generate brand heat and add dimension to its storytelling. The hope is for the halo effect from Gap’s premium line — also seen with brands like Uniqlo, which has released design-forward capsules by creative directors including Jonathan Anderson and Claire Waight-Keller — to help further cement Gap as a relevant cultural entity in 2025.
“It’s never been about ‘we’re going to build the biggest business we’ve ever built,’” he said. “It’s a part of the reinvigoration and the relevance story.”