This invigorating vitality and the essence of Frisco permeate Gap Inc. as we know it today. The clothes, whether from the elevated Gap Studio by Posen or the cheerful Old Navy, are tailored, yet relaxed and casual, sometimes boasting a burning intensity. He highlights a lush striped wide-collared sweater from 2001 and mentions launching his own reissue at Zac. Last April, there was also that fantastic ROYGBIV collection, addicted to Christopher John Rogers x Old Navy. And when Posen worked on his first Met Gala as the brand’s creative director, alongside actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph in 2024, he designed her a denim dress in vibrant light and dark blue, inspired, he says, by the color of the San Francisco Bay. (This year, he dressed Kendall Jenner in a winged twist on the classic Gap white T-shirt.)
Whether on the street or in the office, Posen is thrilled by the unbridled tailoring creativity in San Francisco, from the loud to the quiet. Yes, sometimes there are public displays of nudity, which he sweetly describes as “very eccentric people proudly existing in their full freaky regalia.” But he notes that “there’s also a general Californian casualness, a relaxed elegance—a kind of western minimalism” in San Francisco’s style. He describes going to the opera and wondering about people’s outfits: “Is it Ann Demeulemeester? Is it Yohji? Is it Rick? There’s this understated quality of double-faced boiled wool or the pure white ease of the perfect T-shirt. (But) I would never call it quiet because (San Franciscans) are not quiet people.”
As for the evolution of Posen’s personal style through SF: “I’ve never worn more linen in my life!” What more could you expect from a Gap person in the light, breezy City by the Bay?
This article appeared in the July/August 2026 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.