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Door Handles That Never Forget

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 and other collectibles. 
tusks

 

The handles are heavy molded material, probably solid resin. They are marked on the bottom “BR 88”, presumably 1988, the last year of the catalog era and near the end of the safari-theme.

marks

 

While I had no reason to doubt the eBay seller I bought them from, I was thrilled to discover photographic support for their origin. This amazing photo was posted on the Ziegler’s Facebook page for Wild Company. It happens to be of the Philadelphia store, but I’m sure they were used on others. .

philly

Zoom in for a closer look.

couple

I’ll post more of my personal collection soon. Promise!

display

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About The Author

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

1 Comment

  • vertigodac on January 1, 2019

    Wow, Robyn, your collection looks amazing. I’d like to get some items from the actual store, too. What search terms did you use on ebay?

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