American businesswoman Doris Fisher, who co-founded the iconic clothing retail chain The Gap Inc. with her late husband Don in 1969, has died at the age of 94, UNN reports, citing the AP.
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Fisher died Saturday surrounded by family, a Gap spokesperson confirmed Monday. The San Francisco-based company did not specify a cause of death.
According to the retailer's representatives, the couple founded The Gap after a frustrating shopping experience when Don Fisher couldn't find a pair of jeans. The Fishers opened a small store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco. Initially, it sold only Levi's men's jeans and cassette tapes. But the brand became the foundation for a global retail empire and transformed American fashion by focusing on simple, everyday casual looks—from khakis and jeans to T-shirts and sweater sets.
The chain eventually expanded with other brands—Banana Republic and Old Navy—and now generates more than $15 billion in sales worldwide.
Fisher served as the company's fashion merchandising manager for nearly four decades, while her husband handled the business side. The company stated that she came up with the company name specifically to bridge the "generation gap" between parents and children. Don Fisher died in 2009.
"There is simply no one like Doris Fisher," Gap CEO and President Richard Dickson said in a statement released Monday. "In Gap parlance, she was a true pioneer. Doris was a full partner in founding Gap Inc. and a trailblazing entrepreneur at a time when that was extremely unusual for women. She understood firsthand the value of self-expression, diversity, and inclusion."
Dickson, who is leading a turnaround effort after several years of declining sales, also noted that Doris Fisher "worked tirelessly to ensure that Gap Inc. always did more than just sell clothes." Gap hired Dickson in July 2023.
Gap noted that Doris Fisher's influence extended beyond merchandising and store design. She helped shape the cultural tone of Gap's advertising and product development, while maintaining a "constant" presence during the company's expansion and pushing it to focus on customer needs. Gap went public in 1976.
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