Interview

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As reality TV sage Heidi Klum so famously puts it: In fashion, one day you're in, and the next, you're out. These days, Patrick Robinson is in at the Gap, where he's been executive vice president for the ailing giant since last May. While some people might show the strain of trying to revive the megabrand that dominated the casual clothing market throughout so much of the '80s and '90s, Robinson shows no fatigue, instead exuding a laid-back charm characteristic of his Southern California roots. After serving in high-profile positions starting with Armani back in the early '90s and ending with Paco Rabanne in 2007, the 41-year-old Robinson feels he's found a home at Gap that returns him to his love of classic American sportswear. Whether he can turn the corporate ship around remains to be seen-his first full collections are for fall 2008-but his sunny, can-do attitude will only help. Really, what could be more all-American than that?

ARIANA SPEYER: Gap has been flailing a bit lately, and you were brought in to revitalize the brand. How did you approach the task? Did you go back to the archives? Did you focus-group?

PATRICK ROBINSON: I didn't go back to the archives or focus-group. I grew up with Gap-I am the focus group. You're not coming to Gap to buy a funny fashion ball gown. You're coming to Gap to find khakis. It's not like it has to be hard. You grew up with it. I grew up with it. Everyone grew up with it. And we know what it has to be. Just get back to doing that and doing it well. And you're not going to be fooled-the polo has to fit right, the khakis have to be cool, the fabrics have to be right. That's Gap.

AS: But fashion consumers these days are jaded. It's not like it was when Gap started in 1969, before more trend-conscious European chains like H&M and Zara became so dominant. Why do you think Gap can reach people as opposed to all these other brands that are trying to grab their attention?

PR: Well, Gap's different, because Gap's not taking fashion from the runway and reproducing it and putting it out there. And there's nothing wrong with that. All of these brands have figured out that it's not so much about your brand and its heritage as about servicing a need for fast fashion. Which was cool, because it did make fashion accessible-it created some excitement. It was no longer just these luxury brands that maybe you could buy a bag or a perfume from. But when Gap played in that field, you know, it wasn't the right field to play in.

AS: So where do you see Gap fitting in?

PR: I see it very clearly that the heritage of Gap is truly thinking about all the classics. You go there to buy a great pair of denim jeans, or khakis, or a peacoat, or a raincoat. I'm going to buy my T-shirts there. I'm going to buy my underwear there. I'm going to buy a great peasant shirt. All the things that we can say are classics that we've made new-by making a change in proportion, a change in color, a change in the print, a change in the patterns, and putting it together in an interesting way. You won't find that at H&M or at Zara or at Target, because they're playing to a different drummer. We're serving people, instead of saying, "This is the look, and it's only going to be cool for six months."

AS: You've been in fashion your whole life, graduating from Parsons in 1989. How did you know this is what you wanted to do?

PR: When I was growing up in Southern California, I started a little surfwear company. I grew up surfing every day, which I wish I could do in New York.

AS: There's always Rockaway Beach.

PR: Looks cold and the waves are small! I'm a surfer snob. But it was heaven when I was growing up. I'd go before school, during school, after school-but after school was always the best, because you'd paddle out and watch the sun set. I used to go to the Quiksilver warehouse. It was a small, one-story building where you could actually buy shorts. I looked at that and I thought, Oh, I can do that. So I started this cool little surf company, making surf trunks and selling them to all the kids at school.

AS: That's pretty industrious for a teenager. Did you make the trunks at home?

PR: I sewed them myself. I just did it. So that taught me what I wanted to do and taught me my craft. I always thought I wanted to be a sculptor, because I loved building things. I even sculpted my own surfboards, that sort of thing.

AS: Was that a hard transition, to come to the East Coast?

PR: I didn't own an overcoat before I went to Parsons. But Parsons was the best choice. I also applied to do premed. My father was a doctor, so I applied thinking that's what he'd want me to do. He actually talked me out of being a doctor.