From their collaborations with music, fashion and film icons to their innovative and intricately choreographed commercials, there is no denying that Gap is having its moment in the spotlight. The classic denim brand might have been around since the sixties, but there is certainly nothing vintage about the way they handle their marketing. With ad campaigns featuring stars like Troye Sivan, Katseye, Malcolm Todd, Inde Navarrette and Hailey Bieber (just to name a few), it is clear that Gap is keeping its finger on the pulse of their Gen Z audience and absolutely crushing the denim game while doing it.
Gap is no stranger to launching campaigns that catch the eye of the youth. Since the 1980s, Gap has been collaborating with high profile celebrities and pop culture icons to shift the world of fashion. In the early 2000s, Gap debuted “Digital Love,” “A New Groove,” and “Pardon Our Dust,” which featured celebrities like Daft Punk, Missy Elliott and Madonna. These music video commercials are still seen in Gap’s advertising style today, with Troye Sivan’s “Get Loose” initiative taking the internet by storm in August of 2024. Despite their boom in success, Gap truly had their moment in the summer of 2025, after American Eagle’s “Good Jeans” campaign scandal.
American Eagle’s “Good Jeans” campaign, which launched in July of 2025, received major internet backlash for its distasteful wording. The advertisement initiative, which starred “Euphoria” and “Anyone But You” actress Sydney Sweeney, featured the campaign slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Good Jeans.” The advertisement was immediately received with major criticism online for its off-putting play on the word “genes,” as it was seen to have been hinting at eugenics, racist ideas, and genetic superiority. In August of 2025, Gap responded to American Eagle’s campaign by releasing their “Better in Denim” ad, which featured the K-pop girl group Katseye dancing to Kelis’s “Milkshake” with choreography by Robbie Blue. Katseye is often described as a “global girl group,” as its members are made up of girls from all around the world, including the United States, the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland. The Gap advertisement directly combatted American Eagle’s controversial initiative, promoting jeans that everyone of all races, genders, and backgrounds can wear and feel good in. Gap is no stranger to promoting inclusivity, either. In 2017, Gap launched “Bridging the Gap,” which promoted diversity and inclusivity while featuring Christie Brinkley, Alex Wek, Priyanka Chopra and other models of all different races.
Since Gap released their “Better in Denim” campaign with Katseye, their sales have increased by 5 percent, which is the most their sales have increased since 2017. After debuting “Better in Denim,” Gap has also come out with several other marketing initiatives, including a commercial with Malcolm Todd and Inde Navarrette, and “The Hailey Jean,” a collaboration with style icon and global “it girl” Hailey Bieber. Although Gap has been around since the 60s, they persistently dominate the world of denim, as they continue to promote inclusivity, diversity, and feeling good in your own skin.