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December 5, 2020 By In Stores No Comments
This 1987 magazine ad is a deluxe one with unique full-color art not seen in the catalogs. Most ads repurposed catalog black and white art.
This print ad uses the cover artwork for the 1984 Winter catalogue to advertise the opening of the Dallas Galleria store. “Come In for a free catalogue.”

Early on, advertising in magazines like the New Yorker played an important part in getting the word out about the company, and attracting catalogue subscribers. Usually, the artwork used was repurposed black and white drawings from the catalogues, but sometimes the art was unique.

Banana Republic print ads are collectible, there are a great number of them in wide variety on eBay. These are just a few examples.

This black and white artwork is unique, not repurposed from the catalog, likely because the catalog artwork was full color, not black and white with color added.

About The Author

Robyn Adams
Robyn’s fascination with Banana Republic began in 1984 when her Alaskan adventurer father began buying their clothing and giving her their catalogs. She loved the clothes, and as an artist, she was drawn to the illustrations. Robyn went on to study illustration at an art college in Banana Republic’s hometown of San Francisco, CA, and she worked for years as a background artist for animation. She is now based in Oakland, CA and works as a graphic designer and illustrator. She has been collecting and archiving at Abandoned Republic since 2011.