According to the Cut, Patrick Robinson has been dismissed from his job as executive Vice President of Gap Global Design for Adult and Body.
From left: Rachel Roy, Patrick Robinson, Iman
The designer, who trained at Giorgio Armani, Anne Klein, Perry Ellis, and Paco Rabanne, began his career at the San Francisco based mass retailer in 2007. In the past three months Gap executives have been evaluating his performance–in the end they decided it was time for him to go.
Gap released a statement this morning, saying, “Patrick has been a dedicated and passionate advocate for Gap brand and our customers over the last four years, and we’re grateful for his hard work, especially related to our 1969 denim…Our leaders of the new Gap Global Creative Center are taking the necessary steps to compete and win around the world.”
Sad news.
Best of luck to Patrick! We’re sure he’ll land back on his feet very soon.
May 5, 2011 11:28 am
The nature of the beast. One man’s trash is another’s treasure.
May 5, 2011 11:28 am
Wow, that’s sad.
May 5, 2011 11:30 am
This among other things is the exact reason why we must create our own opportunities. We work for people and they get the whole pie and give us crumbs and are at liberty to let whomever go whenever. Be your own boss like Jerry Jones so no matter how bad people think you are nobody can fire you LOL
May 5, 2011 11:54 am
Why did they have to announce he was fired? Don’t they usually give a nice little story for the person or give them the chance to resign…
May 5, 2011 12:01 pm
This is a little sad to hear, but I’m happy that he will get the opportunity to do his own thing. In my opinion, Gap limited him.
May 5, 2011 12:21 pm
Hmmm…he will bounce back eventually.
May 5, 2011 12:46 pm
This may be a good thing for him. He can start his own business. He has plenty of contacts he’ll be fine. I’m not concerned about him he’ll land on his feet.
May 5, 2011 12:52 pm
I totally agree with Miss Smith. A man with such a strong design background should not work at company that produces basics. He is not a basic designer. I wish him luck!
May 5, 2011 12:55 pm
whoa! i liked what he had been doing with gap designs as of late.
May 5, 2011 2:11 pm
I wouldn’t count him out or fault him for Gap not doing well. The Gap brand hasn’t done anything special or ‘wow’ in forever. I got some great sweaters on sale a couple weeks ago though! lol Good luck to him in his future endeavors.
May 5, 2011 4:41 pm
Ha! Gap as a whole has been struggling for years…this maybe because of the fact that when you buy their stuff you like it in the dressing room and then at home – not so much…anywhoo…he’ll do fine.
May 5, 2011 5:17 pm
This one caught me off guard . . . wonder who is going to replace him? He is a “talented designer”! Will GAP, be saying OMG in the future?
May 5, 2011 10:41 pm
Not surprised. The Gap tried to go back to its roots much too late, and people who wanted preppy, classic clothing had already moved onto J. Crew, Hollister, A&F, etc, the hipster cred Gap fostered in the 90s shifted to Urban Outfitters, and fast-fashion from H&M, Forever 21, etc snatched the rest of the audience.
May 5, 2011 11:03 pm
I can’t say that I’m surprised. I don’t know the specifics of their sales while he was there but just thinking about their collections over the years, I can’t say I’ve been wowed by anything. When I was 19, 20, Gap was my go to place for everything-it was a brand that many people could rely on. Over the years though, tin addition to them struggling with their identity, the fit of their clothing changed, so it became harder and harder to find something that worked, and you couldn’t really mix and match the clothes (unless you wanted to be a walking billboard for the brand, lol). I still get pieces here and there but it’s not what it used to be. I am interested to see what he does next because like people have stated before, he’s a talented designer. Maybe he will launch his own line or find a brand that he can be a little more creative with.
May 6, 2011 12:32 pm
I really like the concept of Rachel Roy’s dress. But it would have looked better if the bottom was a pencil skirt.
May 6, 2011 2:01 pm
Seemed like he was a savior to Gap. I started paying attention once he joined the team. I dont know if there is any hope for Gap these days.
May 6, 2011 2:51 pm
The only things I shop for at Gap are work basics. How specific is that? If I need cheapie basics I go to F21 or Old Navy (which, of course, is the same as Gap). But if I want something nicer for work I’ll go to the Gap. Once a year. Maybe.
April 2, 2012 4:19 pm
Patrick is a super talented designer and former classmate of mine at Traphagen School of Fashion (now closed), however, he ‘never’ acknowledges that he attended the school which graduated ‘Greats’ likes Galanos, Beene, and McFadden to name a few. For that, I’ve always had an issue with him, but ALWAYS cheered that did well. He’ll be back and even better then!