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Shopping Safari! “Banana Republic Guide” Employee Vests and Shirts

May 28, 2022 By Robyn Adams In Stores No Comments

One of the more fun items to collection are store employee “guide” vests and shirts. These are either hooded bush vests or Expedition shirts with a silk-screened stars and bananas emblem labeled Banana Republic Guide. Probably one of the coolest and highest quality retail “uniforms” ever!

I first heard about these when I found an old Craigslist ad selling one. The hunt was on! Eventually I had three different samples and I’ve seen other variations, including a black shirt.

This employee helping a customer may be wearing one of the official Banana Republic Guide vests, but we can’t say for sure. (1988 Press photo from my personal collection)

An unusual example on a white Safari Shirt.

This example is on a white Costa Brava shirt

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.