Gap Co-Founder Doris Fisher Dies at 94

Doris Fisher, the co-founder of Gap Inc. who helped transform casual American fashion into a global retail powerhouse, died Saturday in San Francisco at age 94.

A Gap spokesperson confirmed her death on Monday, noting that Fisher passed peacefully surrounded by family. The company did not disclose a cause.

Fisher launched the retailer in 1969 alongside her late husband, Donald Fisher, after he grew frustrated trying to find jeans that fit properly. The couple raised $63,000 to open their first store at 1950 Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, stocking Levi's jeans for men, vinyl records and cassette tapes aimed at counterculture youth. Fisher coined the name "The Gap," drawing from the generational divide between baby boomers and their parents, which helped target a booming teenage market.

The venture quickly expanded amid surging denim demand in the 1970s. Gap Inc. grew into a specialty apparel giant emphasizing simple, accessible styles like khakis, T-shirts, jeans and sweater sets. It acquired Banana Republic in 1983 and later launched Old Navy and Athleta. Today, the company operates about 3,570 stores worldwide, including more than 2,500 company-run locations and over 1,000...