Casual Luxury" is what this subsidiary of Gap is all about. Banana Republic, founded in 1978 in Mill Valley California, by Mel and Patricia Zeigler was all about casual wear that has a formal look to it. They created a new category of clothing called "urban performance wear" that completely changed the way people look at semi-formal clothing. It was called 'Banana Republic' to denote change.

Banana Republic has a line of stylish clothes for men and women that are both casual and semi-formal. At the time of its inception, it was a 'Safari and Travel' -themed clothing company. Travel, adventure, safari, camping and everything outdoorsy were written all over their designs. As Banana Republic grew, it became famous for the themed decoration in its stores, frequently featuring realistic objects, mock elephant tusks were hung, real Jeeps and foliage, old furniture and luggage were a part of the décor, in addition to things, like fog and steam.

Entering a Banana Republic store was an experience in itself. Moulded along the lines of a jungle outpost or something similarly wacky, it made use of the Zieglers' original jazz collection and jungle sounds blended to give a startling effect of "wild". Its zany catalogue presented high-end and unique items with chatty, fictional, stories from exotic places. Soon after, many qualified writers and journalists began to write in it. Camping stories, travel adventures, art works, and endorsements made up the text. Drawings were made in color. Moreover there were pictures of people in different places, wearing identical or similar clothes. The catalogue became as good as an adventure story.
This made Banana Republic a fun, wacky and gimmicky place with clothes and accessories that were trendy, comfy, and high quality.

After Gap Inc. acquired Banana Republic in 1983, they re-branded it as a typical luxury clothing retailer. The eccentric tourist-oriented items were phased out in lieu of the "casual luxury"-type items for which the brand is now famous. From wacky it went to banal to fabulous. Subsequently, to give it that distinctive up-market feel, Banana Republic procured and revamped historic buildings for its retail locations. With Gap input, sales increased dramatically and so did their line of merchandise. Clothing consisted of casual -wear, professional-wear and stylishly casual items made of lavish fabrics like cashmere and suede. Banana Republic introduced bath and body-care products like fragrances and undergarments. In time, stores included home accessories like bed linen, sofa cushion picture frames and candles, after which, Banana Republic created stores solely for men and women.

Their line for men includes clothes like apparel shirts, polos & tees, sweaters, pants, shorts, jeans, suits, blazers & outerwear, special sizes like big & tall were included to cater to a wider range of men, shoes, bags and accessories e.g. ties, cuff links, belts, small leather goods, hats, boxers, socks & sleep, fragrance & body care. For women, Banana Republic has work apparel, must-have casual wear tops, blouses and shirts, sweaters, dresses, skirts, pants, denim, shorts, cropped pants, suit collections, blazers, jackets and coats, loungewear and intimates, swimwear, all these were also included in special sizes of tall and petit be more inclusive, shoes and handbags which have collections like Bedford collection, Ashbury Handbags, Natural Beauty, Summer Brights and Metallic Moment, and products like tote bags, hobo bags, wristlets and wallets. Women's shoes include espadrilles and wedges, sandals, thongs, flats and pumps. They also have a wide range of fragrances for men and woman, scented candles etc.

With such a wide variety to choose from, it simply makes the experience of wearing Banana Republic more enjoyable.