Michael McCall has worked with Banana Republic since it was purchased by Gap, Inc. in the 1980s. We have worked closely with their growing in-house design team to transform their retailing concept and redevelop the conceptual and spatial character of their stores. For a long time we worked with Banana Republic to develop an internal recycling program for their store locations; From specifying environmentally friendly materials in the store design like sustainable harvested wood flooring to installing bins in the stock rooms to recycle all trash. We were among the first to investigate the theatrical dimensions of shopping, taking normative retail design and turning it on its head. The success of those designs helped transform the identity of the brand, and made Banana Republic one of the most successful clothing retailers of the decade.

How do you design a store that works just as well on Main Street America as it does in the heart of a busy metropolis? Working closely with our client and consultants, we took careful consideration of materials, construction processes and time, making selections that were appropriate to the conditions at hand while developing new possibilities for each store. We worked toward flexibility and responsiveness to the conditions of the site, using our experience to guide us along the way. Ten years later, the result says it all: thousands of Banana Republic stores across the US, Canada and abroad offer testament to the success of the design, and the management that went into delivering the project.