Banana Republic stores were each lavishly decorated with authentic vintage items as well as custom made items that reflected colonial safari and travel themes. Each store famously had a surplus Army Willy Jeep in the window, and often large museum quality animals such as elephants. The shoplifting detectors were disguised in large tusks framing the […]
Such a classic look from BR, this women’s Touring Jacket paired with a matching long skirt, the fabulous money belt and the famous Traveling Boots. The jacket differs from the classic safari jacket in the lack of breast pockets and a more tailored, elegant look. A khaki twist on the Amelia Earhart style. From the […]
This weekend I picked up an incredible collection from a follower of the blog. I believe I have a near complete run of Banana Republic catalogs, which is quite hard to accomplish! Catalogs 1-16 are just astonishingly rare, and some of these I have never seen before, others I had images for but no way […]
A very nice article was published in March 2018 on Seamwork by Betsey Blodgett. It includes a few photos from the eras of Mel and Patricia that we haven’t seen before. Particularly the photo of the store with an airplane in it! Check it out!
“A portable outside pocket that lets you keep passport, currency, traveler’s checks, credit cards, and tickets on your person. Side and bottom gussets, so you can easily add a souvenir.” The leather and linen look was so popular and with good reason. These Italian crafted bags are both stylish and utilitarian. The slim design of […]
From Holiday 1986, the Ex-Hunting bag is a generous leather purse made in Italy, inspired a hunting bag found in Milan. Thanks to blog reader Lauren for sharing hers with us!
Sporting eleven pockets in high quality Egyptian cotton this sport coat was designed to look good under any circumstances and carry just about everything you’d need to overthrow a small country. Current Ebay Auction
This attractive and practical english leather wallet and keychain belt is so perfectly Banana Republic Travel and Safari I’m surprised it wasn’t a staple of the catalogs for years. Instead this was only seen Summer 1986, Fall and Holiday, and Spring 1987. From the catalogue: “A liberating alternative to the cumbersome handbag-cum-wallet system: and inch-wide […]
My favorite things to collect are actual pieces from Banana Republic stores. The most interesting piece I have literally opens the door to my collection. These tusk shaped door handles were taken from a BR store when they transitioned away from the safari theme. I attached them to an Ikea display cabinet that houses my catalogs, artwork […]
This remarkable photo was sent in by designer Louisa Voisine, who organized fashion shows in the mid-80s to promote BR to the entertainment industry at the Beverly Hills store, creating the BR Studio Services Department. The late model John Allen McClatchey III is posed with a Gamekeeper’s Bag. The Gamekeeper’s Bag is a jute mesh […]
“Hi Abandoned Republic! I’ve the day off so wanted to get these treasures to you ASAP. They sort of tell a story of a starving artist (me) negotiating the perilous deep waters of the business world in the big city of San Francisco during the early 80s. “ –Kevin From the archives of staff artist Kevin Sarkki we […]
Mel and Patricia Ziegler did a Wild Company book signing at Book Passage in San Francisco’s Ferry Building last night and I was in attendance in full BR regalia along with my very supportive friend Julie who insisted I say hello before their talk. I must admit I was a little nervous to introduce myself. […]
These original BR product illustrations were provided by Production Artist Mike Madrid. The black and white images would be duplicated as photostats which would then be hand tinted for the catalog.
Page 2 and 3 of the Fall 83 catalog. The introduction is word for word the same as the message from the founders in later catalogs. The company has 4 stores now (there would be 95 in 5 years). These rare monotone catalogs are filled with items not seen in the more common catalogs, such […]
“Voices From Africa” presents Banana Republic at it’s height, in my opinion. The company is robustly expanding and catching on across the country and the world, and the artwork and product are top notch, but still funky and authentic. This catalog so perfectly sells you on the heart of the BR concept, exotic wanderlust, counterculture […]
In this last part of the interview Mike talks about the end of the catalog era at Banana Republic and life at BR after the departure of the Zieglers. We all look forward to hearing much more about this time in the Ziegler’s upcoming memoir Wild Company. See also the History section for a selection […]
When I started, the process was a little piecemeal. The illustrators weren’t given that much direction, and we would have to try to make the pages work with what we got from them. Also, the merchandisers weren’t actually working on the catalog and they’d have unreasonable expectations of how much can fit on a page. […]
Several months ago I sent a note to Ward Shumaker, the San-Francisco-based illustrator who did a lot of work for Banana Republic in the catalog days. He in turn put me in contact with catalog Production Artist, Mike Madrid. Mike got his start at Banana, and stayed on through the end of the catalog era, […]
Got some amazing news this weekend in the form of a message posted to our Facebook wall: “Thank you Abandoned Republic for being keepers of the flame. Coming soon from Simon and Schuster and now available for pre-order at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com the long-awaited memoir from the founders of our long lost […]
Maria, a fan of my Facebook page posted this picture yesterday to show off her 1980s Banana Republic jacket. It wasn’t one I immediately recognized. It’s not the Bush jacket, or the Correspondent’s jacket, and certainly isn’t a Safari jacket. But it had a BIG LABEL, so we know it’s an older piece. Obviously, it’s […]
I was first introduced to Banana Republic by my Dad, Roger, in 1984 or 85. He had been living in the Western Alaskan bush teaching school in Yupik eskimo villages since 1977 and returned to New Mexico for summer visits every year. I’m not sure, but I imagine he had some BR clothes shipped to […]
A 2012 eBay auction brought us a rare example of a true surplus item as sold in BR stores. This amazing Italian Army Field Jacket complete with authentic label dated 1976 (see below) still has the price tag attached. Notice the angled pockets on the chest. I can’t help but think that is is the […]
This is an interesting catalog cover because it was actually done THREE different times. The 1984 Holiday cover is a color version of the 1982 cover drawing. What’s really interesting is that the cover was repainted entirely for the 1986 Holiday Update! The 86 version is not the exact same drawing, but it’s a […]
This catalog archive has definitely inspired me to start collecting vintage Banana Republic stuff, but it’s also put me in touch with other Banana Republic enthusiasts which has been a real treat. Vintage clothing collector JT shared his Banana Republic collection with us, stylishly displayed on a leather armchair straight from the Bengal Explorer’s Club […]
I added this catalog to my collection recently. I hadn’t seen it before, though after I bought it I saw it go for half the price and without the yellow banner. But the yellow banner is kind of cool. Obviously catalogs bound for a certain region had a special cover made to announce the opening […]
It’s been too long since I’ve added a new catalog to the archive! So many projects, so little time. Enjoy this one, it’s a great example of why you loved Banana Republic in the first place. Great clothes, artfully presented, with a heavy dose of wit, humor, and wanderlust. “Voices From Africa” presents Banana Republic […]
The 1985 Holiday Catalog has been scanned , tagged, and added to the archive. Enjoy!
I asked Kevin Sarkki for the backstory on the 1985 Catalog Cover and provided him with a key to identify the people in the image. For more about Kevin check out the interview with him. “The Holiday 1985 cover was perhaps the most collaborative cover. The logo/masthead featured Primo Angeli’s design punctuated by Patricia Zeigler’s […]
This gallery was made possible by former Banana Republic staff artist Kevin Sarkki who generously scanned his personal archive. An interview with Kevin is coming soon. The original Banana Republic catalog was printed as a duo-tone, an inexpensive two-color printing technique that fit the funky style of a surplus clothing company. The early catalogs were […]
Scanning catalogs, as I do on an almost daily basis these days, I noticed that the Holiday 1985 Catalog credited the cover art to a a 25 year old staff artist named “Kevin Sarkki.” A quick Internet search led to an email exchange with Kevin, who was indeed a Banana Republic staff illustrator from 1982-85. In fact, […]
This second batch of duotone covers from early Banana Republic are all by BR co-founder Patricia Ziegler. The animal spots make a return for the 1981 Gift Catalog. What really stands out there is the appearance of the 2nd BR store ever–the San Francisco location at Polk and Green. I visited this store in the late […]
Unbelievably exciting stuff to post! This weekend I got in touch with an artist credited on a 1986 catalog. Kevin Sarkki, it turns out, was the very first artist hired by Banana Republic back in 1982. I’ll be posting a fascinating interview with Kevin soon, but for now I’m excited beyond belief to share […]
Added 2 new covers to the covers gallery today. I’m pacing myself now, having added 2 complete catalogs to get the ball rolling. From here on out I think it’ll come in small bites, so keep coming back. Subscribe to the blog or join the Facebook page to get a hit of old BR when […]
There’s lots of interesting bits in the catalog that show BR growing and changing along the way. Hiring notices, store location lists, statements of philosophy, etc. Rendered as always in their unmistakable style.
Why go to all this trouble to make a Banana Republic Catalog archive? The short answer: Because it’s too wonderful not to exist. There has to be one somewhere, and frankly, I’m appalled it took this long to make it happen. C’mon, people. Our culture needs preserving! My story is this: I loved Banana Republic […]
