Tyla brings breath of fresh air to stale Gap brand

Fashion and celebrity have always had a symbiotic relationship that has allowed the parties involved to reach the accumulated audience in one fell swoop. Whether it is unforgettable red carpets, magazine covers or, in the case of local musician Tyla, through fashion campaigns. 

The Water singer is fronting the 2000s-inspired campaign by American apparel brand, Gap. She told InStyle she likes taking her fashion influences from the late 1990s and 2000s “and switching it up so it is very new, fresh and of this time”.

“My look in this campaign was a bit more stripped back, very beautiful and easy and clean,” she said when speaking about the campaign set in a dance studio with throwback jams pumping throughout.

While Gap has looked to top music luminaries including LL Cool J, Madonna and Missy Elliot in the past, it has been struggling on all fronts of late. As part of their latest marketing strategy, their new CEO and former Mattel exec Richard Dickson is looking to older recipes, as he did for Barbie's renaissance.

Gap was famed for its denim offerings and expanded into casual apparel, eventually dominating with khakis. It would turn heads on the red carpet when celebs such Sharon Stone were spotted at the Oscars in 1996 in a Valentino skirt and a Gap mock neck T-shirt. Like many brands before it, CNN reported one of Gap's biggest shortcomings was its oversaturation into brick-and-mortar stores. As online shopping slowly took over, they felt the brunt of it in 2020 when they would have to close more than 30% of their stores globally.

Analysts have said they lost touch with their integral baby boomer audience as the likes of Zara and Levi's took over, especially in the retail denim space. The lack of creativity with its offering also saw many new fans turn away, even with their collaboration with rapper and fashion designer Kanye West.

Looking to prioritise digital, Gap taps viral sensation Tyla and British dance group Jungle, who also drew in millions of views online. The campaign promises to “create the most-loved essentials” that aim to “deliver culturally relevant experiences that celebrate individuality”. From the looks of it, Tyla and Jungle might be the beginning of the brand's new dawn.