Clothing Accessories

Banana Republic. A republic of style

Banana Republic offers clothing, fragrances, accessories, and home goods. Items for travelers and everyday wear, formal and evening outfits. But it all began with a jacket. More precisely, with three jackets in the style of Britain's colonial forces in Burma, which journalist and traveler Mel Ziegler picked up in Sydney.

16.05.2025

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Military surpluses, low prices, jungles and jazz

At the dawn of Banana Republic. Military surplus, low prices, jungles and jazz

Mel was skeptical about decorative buttons and zippers, and also categorically did not want to wear the then-popular bright polyester with a sheen. In Australia he liked a more restrained material, which he showed to his wife, Patricia.

Pat resewed and recut the material, reinforced the elbows with patches, added horn buttons, and the final touch was a stylish wooden fastener. Mel was pleased, but it turned out that the new jacket appealed not only to him, but also to a bunch of his friends and acquaintances.

Pat and Mel were surprised to find that even without a “fashionable label,” quality and comfortable clothing could have a very, very wide audience. This discovery gave the couple the idea of buying up the remnants of military uniforms that had accumulated in London, Madrid, South Africa and even African countries. Then to alter all of it and resell.

At first the reworked vests and tunics with the collar ripped off were sold at flea markets and street stalls, and when the business gained momentum, a little shop appeared in Mill Valley.

The Zieglers did not have extra money, so they painted the walls “like a zebra” and arranged the interior. The legend of the shop was the image of a post office deep in the jungle, and the background — jazz records from the 40s and 50s.

The catalog came out the same way: Patricia drew the clothes by hand, and Mel composed original descriptions for each model with information about the origin and recommendations for wearing.

In 1978 the Banana Republic brand appeared. The Zieglers’ men’s clothing of that period attracted travelers, tourists and similar audiences. Everything changed when the Zieglers sold the business to The Gap, focusing on the art aspect of the business.

Banana Republic now. From a little shop to a chain and a website

Although The Gap managed to buy Banana Republic at its peak, the Zieglers and Gap management understood that the fashion for military and safari style would not last forever. This led to the “great reconstruction” of the stores and the appearance of a wider assortment — Banana Republic for women. Now the brand offered workwear, casual clothing, luxurious cashmere and suede pieces, as well as festive and formal outfits. The clothing featured brighter colors, and the Banana Republic assortment was expanded with perfumes, eau de toilette, and underwear. Later, home goods also appeared, for example:

Bed linen
Candles
Picture and photo frames
Embroidered and printed pillows

Banana Republic perfume first appeared in 1995; the fragrances are regularly updated (the latest one was released in 2020).

Profitably buy Banana Republic handbags and accessories in the USA

Banana Republic for women

Cardigans and sweaters, jumpers and jackets made of viscose, wool and cashmere. Classic shirts and blouses. You will find all of this in the women’s section of the official Banana Republic website.

We recommend checking out the New Arrivals section with all sorts of current new items. There are also discounts, for example this merino wool cardigan is now available for $39 (2 900 rubles) instead of $76 (5 500 rubles).

The season’s trend is a pastel palette — ochre, nude, brown, white, beige and so on. For example, this hooded sweater made of merino wool will cost you $110 (8 100 rubles). By the way, at the bottom of the page there is a Wear it with section with ready-made looks selected by Banana Republic experts, with prices for each item in the look. There, in a special tab, you will also find discounts.

Sweater dresses are also relevant, for example this one now costs only $49 (3 600 rubles) instead of $129 (9 500 rubles). And of course denim. The Banana Republic website offers these types of jeans:

Legging
Skinny
Slim
Straight
Farle
Wide

Of course it is impossible to cover everything in one article — the site’s assortment is too extensive, and there is so much we would like to describe: accessories, jackets, coats, outerwear, shoes, clutches, glasses, jewelry. It is worth taking a look at them too.

Banana Republic for men

Classic and casual shirts, fitted and relaxed shirts, polos, t-shirts, sweaters, tank tops, sweatshirts, cardigans, jackets, coats, vests and down jackets. Jeans, chinos and casual pants. Blazers, cashmere sweaters and classic suits, pants and ties for lovers of business style at a nice price. And, of course, shoes, glasses, belts, scarves, hats, caps, gloves, wallets and bags — you will find all of this in the men’s section.

For example, this elegant Italian Sharkskin suit can be purchased for $400 (30 000 rubles, excluding duty), while a more relaxed SUPIMA blazer costs $150 (1 100 rubles). In our opinion, it is worth browsing the section with casual pants and chinos. The available fits are: