“I think of myself as a traveler in the same way other people think of themselves as Democrats or Republicans or vegetarians.” Mel Ziegler once said. Just one of many wonderful quotes in this fascinating article from a 1988 issue of Conde Nast. Published immediately after the Zieglers left Banana Republic, it’s a look at […]
To see a relic from the founding moments of Banana Republic is a really special thing. So much so, at one point I mentioned to Patricia Ziegler that I’d “KILL to find a Spanish Paratrooper Dress”. Months later, she sent a message: Patricia HAD one in her collection. She asked if I wanted it! Days […]
This photograph of endless stacks of surplus clothing was included in the collection Patricia Ziegler sent. It was taken at Cobles in London. The Zieglers went abroad searching warehouses in England for a great price on great quality surplus goods. Mr. Cobles is featured prominently in the Zieglers’ book Wild company. Here, Mel writes”…the courtly […]
Patricia and Mel Ziegler sent a box of treasures for Abandoned Republic! Here’s a very geeky video of me opening the “Mysterious Box From Mill Valley”. Unbelievably cool stuff is inside!!
One of the great joys of running Abandoned Republic is when we attract the attention of former employees who are eager to tell their memories of Banana Republic Travel & Safari Co. Recent posts about the Beverly Hills store prompted Lisa Ihnken to get in touch with us. Lisa was at ground zero, working at […]
Banana Republic had a Southern California Studio Services Department that served the needs of the film and television community. Born at the Beverly Hills store and then later headquartered in Beverly Center, the department was headed by Louise Voisine who wrote me: Developing the Studio Services Dept. was a dream. I already knew alot of […]
This week I received an unexpected invitation from the Banana Republic Creative Team to visit the Banana Republic Archive in New York City. It turns out the team has loved following the Abandoned Republic blog and Instagram and they really wanted to meet me and share the archive. It was a whirlwind trip, and we […]
ON June 17th, 2021 Banana Republic launched “BR Vintage”, selling actual vintage BR clothing from the 1980s and 1990s. A most unusual development, they selected items from the same sources we collectors do: eBay, Etsy, Poshmark, etc and resold them on their website at astonishing markups. A Hooded Bush Vest for $175, a Bombay Shirt […]
It’s unusual, of course, to see photography paired with Banana Republic clothing. The March 1988 Trips Magazine however, had a 16 page spread of artfully treated photographs of models wearing BR clothes from the Spring/Summer 1988 line. The photos are taken in San Francisco (including one shot in front of the Polk Street store) and […]
Tara Sendelback of GPF in the Travel Books section of Banana Republic (March, 1988) – Photo by Richard Lee, Detroit Free Press. Photo Courtesy Neal Moore Collection. Banana Republic launched the Bookstore Catalogue in 1986, and there were five editions in total, the last coming in 1988. At the same time, bookstores were opened in […]
This article is a guest post by writer and Banana Republic fan Neal Moore. Our deepest thanks to Neal for allowing us to republish this article and the photos from his collection. Follow Neal’s adventures at 22 Rivers. I picked up my first copy of TRIPS magazine at a “safari & travel” Banana Republic store […]
Banana Republic stores often had large fiberglass (or resin) animals on display. I have been told they were produced by artisans that usually worked for the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, although the quality is a little less realistic. Presumably there are examples of this scattered across the country as store fixtures were sold off […]
I was given these two colored pencil illustrations from the catalogs drawn by artist Nick Backes that show the marvelous detail and large size (7″x10″ and 6″x14″). Thanks for the donation from Mike Madrid! These are both from the Summer 1985 catalogue. From Holiday 1985, these incredible colored pencil illustrations of the Kashmir Sweater by […]
This 1986 Employee Newsletter has a blurb about actor Jeff Goldblum buying an Army Air Corps Jacket to use in his upcoming movie “The Fly”. Sure enough, he wears the jacket in several scenes. There’s even a scene where actress Geena Davis purchases the jacket, but sadly its set in a menswear shop and not […]
We are doing a bit of archaeology with this blog, trying to help figure out where certain things fit in the BR timeline, which is especially helpful when collecting BR. A great clue to the puzzle is the label or tag in the clothing itself. Here is the breakdown of BR labels as I understand […]
I jumped at the chance to buy a 1986 Mel Ziegler letter on BR letterhead and I’m really glad I did. First, it’s just a great look at what a classy company they were and how Mel’s gift for language never fails to charm. It’s so warm and witty. Secondly, this particular letter points directly […]
A favorite item is the Authentic Swedish Bandolier. Banana Republic was selling these “authentic relic” surplus bandoliers in their catalogs from Holiday 1984 until Fall 1985. UPDATE: Discovered the Bandolier was offered as early as 1979!! See below. From the catalog: “One never has enough pockets on safari. This leather bandolier with canvas insets offers […]
Sold in the 1984 catalogs, these posters showcasing catalogue covers are really wonderful collectibles that appear now and then on eBay. Advertised were catalogs 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21, but I also came across one from catalog #22, presumably sold in stores. My copy of the African Safari poster was signed by Patrica […]
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!
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 […]
Kevin Sarkki emailed me out of the blue and said he’d found some exciting stuff in his archives for us. I told him I squealed when I saw the photos of the Zieglers in their offices at Banana Republic. The photos are everything you’d want to see. Mel is in full regalia in command at […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
This book was published by Ballantine Books in 1986 and it’s a must have for any vintage Banana Republic fan. It’s everything you love about the catalogs in long form. BR Greatest Hits Vol. 1… The clothing illustrations are large and plentiful and the writing is more expansive. The sense of nostalgia and the culture […]
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 […]
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.
Newly Updated! 1985-1988 Available.
