Gap links with dance group in UK

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 18, 2022

Gap may have closed its UK stores but the retailer still has a strong presence in Britain via its link-up with Next and it remains active as far as marketing to UK consumers is concerned.

Its latest initiative is a partnership with East London community dance group Rain Crew to celebrate its summer collection.

The company said the dancers “were enlisted to showcase their skills in a dance battle while wearing Gap’s elevated Summer essentials across denim, tees and 90s iconic logo hoodies and sweats, perfect staples for a British summer in the city — against an East London landscape”.

Led by Creative Director Maren Ellermann, Rain Crew aims to “build an inclusive community through dance that helps people proactively celebrate and share their authentic selves”.

For the Gap collab they were directed and photographed by Will Hartley, with video by Tom Farmer and styling by Lucy Reber. 

The company is promoting the link-up on social media with consumers able to tap to shop the various styles being worn by the dance group.

Dance link-ups have proved increasingly popular for fashion brands in recent years, from ballet through to more urban styles, and one thing that’s also key is the community element.

And of course, Gap has a strong history with dance-linked marketing. Sone of its best-ever ads in its late 90s/early noughties fast growth phase featured the exuberance of dance as a key selling point.