Daily Front Row

2012 September 17

Filling the Gap with Rebekka Bay

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(NEW YORK) Gap Inc. has tapped Rebekka Bay as creative director and executive vice president for global design, replacing Patrick Robinson who was dismissed in 2011 following lackluster sales. Effective October 1, Bay will report to Gap North American president Art Peck and Gap International president Stephen Sunnucks. She will be based in New York and at the 1969 Gap jeans brand office in Los Angeles. Her responsibilities will include overseeing the creative direction of women's, men's, 1969, accessories, and body lines. Consider the position tailor-made for Bay, who is most widely known for developing and launching H&M-owned brand COS where she was creative director from 2006 to 2011.

"We’ve taken the time to identify the right creative leader for Gap and we’ve found that in Rebekka," said Gap Inc. president Stephen Sunnucks in a company release. "We’re confident that Rebekka’s approach to design along with her considerable international experience will allow her to help us build upon the momentum we’re delivering in the business today.”

Bay is one of several recent key Gap Inc. appointments including former J.C. Penney president Michael Francis, who recently decamped to become Gap's new marketing creative advisor. Francis is slated to begin with Bay in October.
ASHLEY TSCHUDIN