In Focus

Donald G. Fisher & The Gap

NOTE: All this month in the Chicks' Eye View we will be featuring the richest of the rich from the Forbes List of the World's Richest People. Just who are they and how'd they get to be so filthy rich?

Hang on. Lemme just lick the rest of the frosting off my fingers. See, a couple of days ago we celebrated my oldest daughters 6th birthday, and God forbid I could let the kids finish off the rest of that glorious bit of heaven. Nope, I'm in there every opportunity I get and then I complain about the beeping sound I hear in my mind every time I walk backwards. I cry every time I sneak off to try on my "regular" clothes, and then I cuss fiercely as I agonizingly step back into my maternity garb. More than anything I want to feel the delectability of my favorite Gap jeans against my skin. I want them to sag a bit around my gluteus maximus (emphasis on MAX) and hang a little long so every now and again the bottoms slide in between my foot and the heel of my flip flop. It's no big secret the way I feel about the Gap, which was proven to me again when my newest daughter arrived 3 weeks ago. My closet could have passed as a Flagship Gap store from all the gifts we got from Baby Gap. So the decision to research Donald G. Fisher, founder of the Gap, Inc., was a no-brainer for this Gap Chick. And par for the Forbes Wealthiest Americans course, there was no shortage of interesting, yet controversial information on the retail giant.

A native of San Francisco, Fisher and his middle class family began their professional careers in Real Estate. Fisher attended Lowell High School and eventually the University of California at Berkeley. The popular all-American swimmer, star water polo player, and Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity brother continued on in the family business until the late 60's when he stumbled upon an idea that would soon change his life.

At 6'1" Donald Fisher and his 34-inch waist was used to wearing Levi's. The problem was that it seemed impossible to find a pair that he could wear comfortably; they simply didn't fit right. In his quest to develop jeans that fit various body-types he also realized America's growing interest in retail stores. So, he and his wife Doris opened up their first "Gap." Doris was credited with coming up with the name, which at that time was commonly used when describing the generation gap. The couple sold Levi's jeans and records and tapes until Fisher reached his ultimate goal and began selling his new Gap jeans. His brilliant marketing plan targeted youth and had them convinced that wearing khaki's could be seen as a form of rebelliousness. They sold like crazy.

In the 1980's (probably after the introduction of parachute pants...  ish, remember those?), the Gap began to struggle. Fisher decided it would behoove himself and his stockholders if he could put someone else in place to take over; they desperately needed some freshness. Millard Drexler was then hired and in 1983, the Gap, Inc. purchased the failing Banana Republic chain and turned it into an upscale Gap. Then with the addition of Old Navy, The Gap, Inc. became the first company to cover essentially all demographics. The rest is history.

One sec while I unbutton my pants. There. Now I can breathe.

Anyway, if you ask people from Fisher's past about the middle-class kid from San Francisco then and the billionaire of today, you'd more than likely be told he hasn't changed one iota. They say he's still as down to earth and genuine as he was way back when. And now that he has Millard Drexler at the helm of his company, he's found time for other things, like politics and Modern Art. He also still has an enormous financial stake in real estate as well. And even though he may not be "out there" per se as the front man for the Gap, he still manages to find ways to remain very much in the public eye.

In 1992, Fisher was the target for human rights groups everywhere. They had discovered that in Saipan, the Gap was employing workers in slave-like conditions for little money. After much intense scrutiny Fisher decided to take action. His company became the first to employ independent monitoring of the factory... and the human rights groups backed off.

In the city of San Francisco, not much happens without the "approval" of Mr. Fisher. Not surprisingly, his close ties to the San Francisco community have had him concerned with the lack of newer businesses coming in to set up shop. So in 1995 he founded San Francisco Partnership to aid in attracting businesses to the area. He is very vocal in his disdain for the unbelievable high taxes businesses incur. So in a move many found hypocritical for such a supporter of the Bay area, Fisher decided to reincorporate his company in the state of Delaware, a place where he could enjoy many tax loopholes. Is that really hypocritical when for years he has expressed how discouraged he is with the city's unwillingness to make themselves a viable place for businesses? Perhaps he did it to prove a point and take a stand for principle's sake (and what the hay, save a few bucks for himself and his stockholders while he was at it).

I love the Gap. And I kinda like what I read about Donald G. Fisher, too. His inability to find a pair of jeans that fit some 30-plus years ago has, I am sure, helped zillions of people everywhere put their jeans on with a smile. While some people may put a picture of a swimsuit model on the refrigerator to remind them not to overindulge, I put a picture of myself in my favorite Gap jeans on mine.

I guess I should have put one on the cake box, too.