In a bold move that merges nostalgia with the contemporary zeitgeist, Gap’s spring campaign featuring Tyla has ignited a wave of excitement across the internet reminiscent of the brand’s ’90s heyday.

With its reimagining of “Back on 74,” a video from British band Jungle that inspired a global TikTok dance craze, Gap has not only reprised its past, but also foreshadowed its future, capturing the essence of cool in a single campaign.

@gap Introducing #Linenmoves. @Jungle4eva’s worldwide hit “Back on 74” re-imagined with @Tyla. Featuring brand new choreography by @ShayLatukolan. Celebrating the moves that unite us. For individuals who make every move their own. #backon74 #junglebackon74 #backon74? #backon74edit #shaylatukolanchoreography ♬ Jungle Back On 74 – gap

What makes this work stand out (and a standout!) is its ability to transport us back to a time when Gap was more than just a brand—it was a cultural touchstone.

The familiarity of the A-list-led music video taps into our collective consciousness, evoking fond memories of an era when every celebrity wanted to be in a Gap commercial, and the gifting season didn’t begin until the brand released its annual holiday commercial.

But this work still feels fresh, new and forward leaning. That may be because the brand didn’t settle for nostalgia. Instead, it embraced innovation and creativity to redefine its place in today’s cultural landscape.

In addition to featuring Jungle and Tyla, Gap tapped Charlie Di Placido and J Lloyd, who co-directed the original “Back on 74” clip, and choreographer Shay Latukolan, who created the iconic dance.

As marketers and content creators, we can parse lessons from Gap’s campaign, including the potential for blending nostalgia with innovation and leveraging partnerships with creatives to breathe new life into established brands.

What’s old can be new again—and cool again, too.

This is “Dream of Freedom. Dream of Me” by Kai-Isaiah Jamal, a nonbinary artist and activist for trans visibility. It was written for Gap, the words a framework for what must have been a riveting on-set day for the brand’s spring campaign.

It’s not totally clear what the brief was here. This has an unstructured home-video feel, camera shaking and darting all over the place, like it doesn’t know where to look, but certainly there’s a big idea.

It opens with a shot of the label on the studio door: “Gap All American, Studio 4.” Then we open to people just … doing their thing.

But what people. In addition to Jamal, the group includes Shalom Harlow, Indira Scott, Georgie Badiel-Liberty, Yumi Nu, Clementine Desseaux, Chito, Raph, The Spearman Brothers, Bryant Giles, David “illy” Bennett, And Ryan Yoo. 

It’s like that imaginary tea party question—who would you invite to the table, alive or dead? Except everyone is very much alive, vocations ranging from breakdancing to somatic healing therapy to fashion design to activism, and lots of modeling. Harlem-based designer Dapper Dan closes the work, looking like a boss. He points a finger at our noses and says, “This is what we do.”

How far we’ve come, Gap, from the Mellow Yellow days! 

Interestingly, the clothes the brand proffers haven’t changed much in 20 years. Its spring collection includes “versatile classics”—khakis of all lengths, varsity sweaters, pocket tees of varied shades, poplin shirts, oversized parkas, hoodies. The form is the same, down to the ’90s-style loose-fit denim. So too the message: something about being American, the look and feel of American culture.

It’s the function that’s changed. “Everybody in Cords”—the title of the aforementioned Mellow Yellow ad, from 1999—was massively structured and posed, from genders to dress code. Minorities were present, but only, it seemed, as fun little “pops” of color. 

Fast forward to 2022, and minorities of every stripe are in the majority. Nobody’s sitting still or dressed remotely the same; they’ve all got their own take on how to wear a “versatile classic.” Even the lines—so carefully apportioned, all those years ago, every fourth person or whatever with their own little lyric to spout—come staccato, interrupted, voices cracking, shouts and fades and mumbles and random blasts of trumpet.

“Diverse identities, cultures and ideas of individuals,” the PR says. “Pioneering true paths for themselves. Modern American style at its best.”

America is messy. Here, it shows. But there’s a beauty, a weirdness, a wanton creativity in that messiness. There’s constant renegotiation of identity—individually, and at scale—in that messiness. Meaningfully, this new focus on messiness doesn’t feel zero-sum. It doesn’t seem like somebody’s fallen out of the frame, lost in translation or in time. It just feels like more people have been included.

“As a brand rooted in modern American optimism, we celebrate what it means to be your true self today,” says Mary Alderete, Gap’s global head of marketing. “This campaign is an honest reflection of individuals shaping culture by embracing their own paths—not what has been historically or traditionally defined for them, but what they define to be true for themselves. The campaign creative captures these creators pioneering a more inclusive, accepting world and putting their own distinctive stamp on American style.”

The work comes from Gap’s global creative director Len Peltier, and was shot by fashion photographer Zoey Grossman. It debuted this week and will appear on all the expected affordances: outdoor, digital, TV and streaming video. #HowYouWearGap is the hashtag.

The long-anticipated Yeezy Gap collab released its first ad via ESPN last week. Kanye West being Kanye (or, well … Ye), it doubles as a music video for “Heaven and Hell,” from the artist’s Donda album. Apart from all the hoodies, the only evidence of advertising is its closing signature: the YZY symbol in the style of the classic Gap logo.

It’s hard to do justice to the depth of this video. Set in the bleak but living night, every figure is masked and hooded, indistinguishable by race or class; they are all shadows slicing through light. There are also a number of artistic references, including a hooded embrace that mirrors René Magritte’s The Lovers II.

For a deeper dive, this video does a nice job of summing up the larger story at play, including an explainer for what feels like the climax: a stunning reimagining of Gustav Doré’s Rosa Celeste (centering Ye, of course), originally illustrated for Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.

In addition to what feels like a perfectly legitimate critique of the world we’ve made, the video bears a big “last judgment” vibe, à la Book of Revelations. That should come as no surprise. Ye’s Donda album is a tribute to his mother and his faith, and his Yeezy Gap collaborator is Demna Gvasalia, whose apocalyptic touch we’ve come to expect—and unironically appreciate—for Balenciaga. 

The morning after the first airing of “Heaven and Hell,” the Yeezy Gap hoodie—which first appeared in September—was restocked on yeezygap.com (and quickly sold out). It retails for $80 and comes in black or cobalt blue. This is the second product Kanye’s released under Yeezy Gap since its 2020 announcement. (The other was the Round Jacket.)

Most everyone needs a solid hoodie. But it’s hard not to look at the product and video without thinking of Trayvon Martin, murdered 10 years ago while out buying snacks in a hoodie at night. While this is never explicitly referenced, the connection between the two feels intentional. So much of what, at the time (and even today), should have been an investigation into the murder of a child instead became a racially charged polemic about hoodies.

What we know about Ye is, he likes to work on a lot of levels. This feels like a reclaiming and a condemnation, with both bolts of lightning falling right where they should.

Awww. Sniff.

Directed by A.G. Rojas and tagged “Gift the Thought,” the spot is low-key, moody and sentimental—but no less effective for that. The concept feels highly relatable, since most folks have beloved possessions—often wardrobe articles—that hold “a treasure trove of memories,” notes agency creative director Omid Amidi.

“Our cast was all street-casting,” Amidi says. “Most of them had barely, if any, acting experience. And none of them had ever met each other. But by the end of it, they felt like a family. There was a sense of lightness between takes—laughs, hugs, encouragement.”

Sniff.

The work breaks across digital, social and streaming platforms starting Nov. 1.

This marks Johannes Leonardo’s second big push for Gap, following “It’s Our Denim Now,” which touted the retailer’s fall collection.

It looks nothing like recent high-steppin’, jingle-rockin’ seasonal Gap campaigns with artists such as Leon Bridges and Janelle Monáe.

In a press release, Gap said the launch film champions the “diversity and the versatility of Gap denim” and shows that “when you feel comfortable in your own skin, you are empowered to move towards an optimistic future.” 

The campaign shows a wide range of denim styles and fits, including the High Rise Cigarette, the newest offering for women, and the men’s Skinny made with GapFlex technology. 

“Fall is momentous for Gap as we celebrate our 50th anniversary and the new era of the brand,” says CMO Alegra O’Hare, who joined Gap in February from Adidas (another notable Johannes Leonardo client). “With ‘It’s Our Denim Now’ being my first major campaign, we wanted to make an impactful statement visually and celebrate Gap’s heritage as a denim leader while cementing its future as a brand for all generations. This is only the beginning of what’s to come.”

“Gap’s deep heritage in fashion has had an incredible effect on culture over the past century,” says Samira Ansari, group creative director at Johannes Leonardo. “Denim is and has always been a form of self-expression and individuality. For the film, it was important for us to show a diversity of fits and people by celebrating a generation empowered by their individuality.”

The accompanying print campaign was shot by Tyler Mitchell, who made headlines last year for photographing Beyoncé for the cover of Vogue’s September 2018 issue. He was just 23 at the time—making him one of the youngest people ever to shoot the Vogue cover. 

“It’s Our Denim Now” also teases upcoming Fall collections that look to the past as the brand celebrates its 50th anniversary—including a limited-edition Denim Through Decades capsule, launching Aug. 20, features updated iconic styles from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.