Co-founder of Gap, Doris Fisher, dies at 94
A pioneer in modern American retail has died.
Doris Fisher, who co-founded Gap Inc. in 1969 with her husband, the late Donald G. Fisher, died Saturday in San Francisco at the age of 94. The pair founded the company in 1969, opening a store in San Francisco after a frustrating shopping experience when Don couldn’t find a pair of jeans that fit.
The one small store would serve as the foundation for what would grow into a global empire with multiple banners. Under their leadership, Gap Inc. expanded to include Banana Republic and Old Navy. Currently, the company operates about 3,570 stores worldwide, including more than 2,500 company-run locations and more than 1,000 franchised stores.
It was Doris that came up with the name “The Gap,” a reference to the “generation gap” that, was much in the headlines at the time of the founding of the company, which was targeting the fast-growing teen market.
“As one of fashion’s great power couples, Doris and Don created a remarkable company that revolutionized fashion retail,” Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson said in a statement. “They introduced the world to some of America’s most iconic brands, including energetic new perspectives on everything from denim and khakis to white shirts and safari jackets."
Fisher served as the company’s fashion merchandiser for nearly 40 years. She remained on the board until 2009, and later held the title of honorary lifetime director.
Born in San Francisco in 1931, Doris Feigenbaum grew up in a family steeped in values of enterprise, culture and community service. Her legacy in retail was matched by her deep commitment to the arts.
Together with her husband, Doris amassed one of the largest private collections of modern and contemporary art in the country. In 2009, the family pledged more than 1,100 works to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, one of the largest gifts of its kind. They also donated more than $70 million to the Knowledge Is Power Program, which operates 279 tuition-free charter schools that serve hundreds of thousands of students in the U.S.
Doris also established the Gap Foundation, integrating corporate philanthropy into the company’s culture.
“There is simply no equal to Doris Fisher,” added Dickson. “In Gap-speak, she was a true original. Doris was a full partner in Gap Inc.’s founding and a path-breaking entrepreneur at a time when that was highly unusual for women. She understood first-hand the value of self-expression, diversity, and inclusion. And she worked tirelessly to ensure that Gap Inc. always did more than sell clothes.”