Living It Up the Gymbo Way

When approaching the Gymboree Corporate offices off of Howard street in San Francisco I was surprised to be on ease at having my interview with the president of Gymboree. Even though I had met Kip Garcia before, it had been in a much more informal matter at a store opening. Now approaching the offices however I felt very at ease, just to find out how “ at ease” the company really is. When speaking to an employee I noticed that there were Nerf guns all around. I asked her to explain to me why it seemed that everyone had their own personal toy weapon, and she explained that the whole floor would occasionally brake out into random Nerf gun wars. That was when I knew I had nothing to fear about my soon-to-be interview.

I wanted to really find out how Kip came to be what he is now. I simply asked him how he started out in the industry, and what had made it an appealing work choice. Kip first started out as an executive trainee at Mervyn’s, from there he became a buyer, and he worked himself all the way up the ranks. A year after working for Mervyn’s he decided to venture out in the fashion industry and start up his own company, but with a bad company it did not last that long. Soon after he started to work at the DFS Galleria, which has all types of brands. He said that at the time there primary customers were travelers and the number one was the Japanese. After working there he eventually came to be the Vice President of Gap Kids in Merchandising. Now, he is currently President of all 5 brands that branch off of Gymboree including Janie and Jack, Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet, Crazy Eight, and Shade. After hearing about his extensive background I needed to know why the fashion world appealed to him so much, and he simply said,” I caught the bug.” Some bug I tell you because he has made it very far since where he was in the beginning. With neither a degree in fashion he said that he just liked working with the product. The passion I felt from the words he said made me appreciate how some people really love doing what they do for a living, and I can only hope that for anyone in the work industry. With all the history behind us I was curious as to how he spent his everyday in the office.


Kip explained to me that by being the President of the company he was in charge of both the merchandising and fashion design teams of the company. He explained that he spent everyday analyzing and following up on the current trends. Gymboree goes by a nine months advancement system. So whatever clothes are being designed in the moment will not appear in the stores until the following years season. When I had walked into the room I had noticed the poster boards up all around the room, which had the different patterns and designs for Back To School 2012. It made me realize that Kip not only works day by day but practically in the future, helping those around him forecast what will be the new line in 2012. As I was speaking to him about the new line I wanted to really know how the economy was impacting the stores, and their clothing.

I found out that Crazy Eight was doing great. Being one of the lower priced children stores Gymboree manages Kip said it was the “ Fastest Growing Brand in the Economy.” The bad economy however was impacting business, and it did mean that Gymboree needed to expand its factory base. My main question was if the quality in the clothing had changed, because I have always known that Gymboree was known for the high quality fabric is uses. He said that even though they had to change factories that the quality department had made sure to keep Gymboree at it’s best quality possible. His main fraise was “great quality for the price.” When saying that the stores were put on purpose next to some competitors like the Children’s Place I was curious as to why. Then he explained that by doing so the stores get traffic from all the mommies that move from store to store. Even though Janie and Jack is high end they still have competitors, but mostly with little baby boutiques and high-end department stores. I seemed to be hearing a lot about his kids clothing so I was interested in hearing how the new Shade Company was doing. This online store developed around Gymboree moms in their mid 30’s, who wanted to look “ put together, and perfect” , was first coming out the day of my interview. The site had opened that morning so there is only the future to tell how the success and growth of the company will be. However, Kip did say that if Shade was doing very well there might be an actual store for it in the future. The next step, being a store, also included adding different categories like accessories to this classical feel of this clothing. He said that Shade needed to be Fashionable, Fit, Flattering, and valuable. When asked what was word he thought of when thinking about Gymboree, Kip corrected me and said,” It’s a phrase, Letting kids be kids.”

Kip wanted himself and his company to take to heart being a kid, and making it more about family. This and snack time made for some very fun employees. That is what he said he encourages, that sense of fun. Kip professed that,” It was kid’s clothes, not rocket science.” That too me made him very down to earth, and I felt happy to have met and been able to speak with someone so warm and welcoming. You can now keep in touch with the company through Facebook and the Gymboree forum, Gymborebels. All in all I was happy to have gotten this insight on the fashion industry. From coming such a ways Kip Garcia really seemed to be happy doing what he does, and being able to share with me was a great inspiration. For the future who knows what will happen, maybe one of Kip’s fashion forecasters could tell us, but for now we will just have to see.

Fruit Parfait

Naomi Campbell represents the painting Odalisque, and this photograph portrays history. In doing so, it shows the indulgences that came with being of higher status. The funny thing however is that in history to look straight at the painter, or in this case the photographer, was considered porn. So is this a photo representing a fruit parfait or an eggo?

Flat Circle?

They say that trends come from previous things seen in history. For example how the neon trends of the 80s are back now. Well when walking through the streets of San Francisco it did not come by surprise that many people were giving their own little twist to the fashion world. One man however who was calmly leaned up against a newspaper stand stood out to me through the hustle and bustle of the city life. Around me I saw tourists waiting to enter the classic cable car, there was music near by from a street musician, but this man with his earphones on was calmly just observing the crowd. Little did he know that while he was studying others I was admiring the fabulous hair cut he owned with poise, and in less then a blink of an eye I was asking him if I could take a picture of what I think is coming back in style.
There with his Vans shirt and massive earpieces, he stood with the classic 90s flat top hair style, but with his own twist on it. .It reminded me of a mix between Will Smith and Will.I.AM. It got me thinking, is the Flat top hair cut coming back into style. So after a brief
conversation with him I later returned home to find that many designers were actually using this to put some edge on the runway. The cut both edgy and mysterious almost reminded me of the cute pixy cut all the stars are wearing. As I thought before, was the Fresh Prince of BelAir coming back into style? It kind of made me laugh because really those were some great times but it also made me appreciate how people use any bit of themselves to express who they are.

For example Will I AM, who is
known for his outgoing personality, has been photographed numerous times with the same look as this man was. Just the thought of how trends make a full swing around from history was sort of interesting to think about.
In Conclusion, from going from the streets of San Francisco to home I feel I have taken a small time traveling trip back into when overalls and flat top hair were in. It is nice to know that some people learn off of others what you would never expect to be seen nowadays. It also made me admire what could be in the future. Will the 90s come back into play or was this just a mere coincidence> Did this haircut really make the full 360 swing? We will just have to see.

The Big Black L

Is this a picture in a fashion spread or an edgy campaign for anti-smoking? The dirty look that the model is representing can symbolize how the tar of a cigarette can affect a lung. The see-through ensemble acts as a representation of how the lung becomes one with the nasty effects of smoking.
Pack of cigarettes= $5
Lung Cancer Research= Billions of Dollars
Smoking to give off the “Cool Vibe”= Priceless.

Withering Flower

Where do designers get there inspiration from? From this vintage Balenciaga one might infer that this couture dress could have been designed after a flower. Its long simplistic bottom reminds us of the stem of the flower. The “Chou wrap” acts as the petals of the flower. Does the color have anything to do with it though? By looking at a flower on a gloomy day or when it is dyeing there is a dark overlay on it. Maybe this is Balenciaga’s way of demonstrating what mother earth has to offer.

Inspiración

For any profession someone who wants to develop their skills would look towards inspiration to what they feel will help them with their work. From an athlete to an artist inspiration can help you develop a successful career. At the de Young Museum a thriving artist can visit and get inspiration from the plethora of paint and design on the walls. A young designer for example could get their inspiration from the Balenciaga Exhibit. But the million-dollar question is, “where did this acclaimed and out of the box designer get his inspiration from?”
Throughout the exhibit many can learn from the captions on the walls that much of his inspiration came from his spanish background. Just by admiring the clothing you can see all around that many of his designs have the “Spanish touch” mounted all over them. From elegant evening dresses to cocktail ensembles, much of these pieces of clothing were inspired by Balenciaga’s home country. Since he grew up and lived most of his life in Spain, until moving to Paris in 1920, much of his clothing was inspired by the numerous aspects of Spain. For example the dress shown to the right was inspired by the music and dance culture of the Flamenco dancers. The flow of the dress mimics the style of clothing that a Flamenco dancer wears during a performance. With the Balenciaga twist it still mirrors the same shape and dramatic look. Along with using Flamenco as an inspiration Balenciaga also used Basque Folk dance, and Andalucía dance. Not only does this dress represent the Spanish dance culture, but it presents one of Balenciaga’s key colors. In most of his designs Balenciaga drops the color black into the river of emotion of his dresses. The de Young Museum notes that this color has some meaning of inspiration in his work.

At the age of 11, death visited the home of Balenciaga. As a child Balenciaga had to learn what it was to mourn a loved one, in his case his father. Death can take a toll on a child, and who knows what Balenciaga would have done or designed if he had not witnessed such a dramatic experience early on in his life. In a way the color black that is expressed in his clothing is more of a representation then an inspiration. Black represents sorrow, from that you can come to a conclusion that he is trying trying to make a serious impression in his clothing. This color is one of his key aspects of design. In many of his pieces, black is part of the reason the piece of clothing is so dramatic and moving. Along with the innovative and radical silhouettes his clothing expresses, one need not ask why Cecil Beaton once said, ”Balenciaga is fashion’s Picasso.”

Balenciaga must not have a story for every piece he ever designed, but its quite apparent while walking through the dark aisles of the exhibit that Balenciaga not only wanted his dresses or ensembles worn, but to show or represent a part of his life. For example his Evening Dress in the summer of 1956 bore the red carnation. This carnation is the national flower of Spain, and a major symbol of the Bullring. This reoccurring pattern on the dress, which was created by Abraham, could be inferred that the dress symbolized the tribute thrown at the feet of a victorious matador. Along with his loyalty to his country he imprinted to many aspects of a Spanish life into his clothing. The matador was a large symbol for Balenciaga because many of his pieces come from the fit and design of the Matador. For example the piece pictured to the right is obviously inspired by the fighter of the bulls. This piece among others shows the immense love Balenciaga had for his country.

Through out the entire exhibit you are surrounded by inspiration, but if you look deeper into the fabric you start to imagine how this garment or dress came to be. From colors to patriotism Balenciaga made it apparent where he was most inspired. Not many can say that they are so inspirational that they have their own exhibit at the De Young, but its only obvious that this exhibit among beautiful is also some type of inspiration to a young artist or designer. Inspiration is a key part in making something successful, and one should learn from Balenciaga that any experience or aspect of their own life should be represented in their work. This is only making the piece more personal and impactful. Overall the exhibit was phenomenal, but the message and hidden stories behind each tassel or bow proves why Balenciaga is so renown. Without reason there is not much to aspire too but when leaving the narrow shadowed walls of the exhibit there is no way of not thinking to yourself, what is my inspiration?