New York designers don't get much cooler than Sandy Liang. I can easily trace the rise in girlhood-inspired fashion—filled with bows, gingham, and more bows—back to her namesake brand's 2014 launch. Nostalgic flourishes are a calling card in every collection; her runways are an "If you know, you know" source of inspiration for fashion editors who keep their inner child at the center of their mood boards. So when I first heard a Sandy Liang x Gap collaboration was on the way, it shot to the top of my personal 'must-buy' list.
On October 10, the limited-edition capsule will officially arrive on Gap's website and in select stores. The upcoming mix of women's and children's styles finds common ground between Gap's nostalgic heritage and Liang's penchant for a feminine, sweet aesthetic. Think: poplin striped shirts stitched with bows on the pocket, or a vintage Gap sweatshirt spelling "S-A-N-D-Y" across the front.
While fashion people fantasize about owning a closet full of Sandy Liang, the designer says she's always had a Gap collaboration on the vision board. "It's always been such a big dream—so big that I've not really even dreamed about it," Liang tells me. "So when it came, I thought, yes, we have to do this."
A shot from the Gap x Sandy Liang collection.
When the dream came true, Liang returned to her archives to find pieces that reflected her design DNA and meshed with the Gap ecosystem. In practice, that melding of worlds looks like a covetable take on a classic trench coat adorned with an oversized bow—a Sandy Liang brand signature—across the back. Or, a shrunken zip-up hoodie with faux fur trimming along the hood. The word "Star" replaces the iconic "Gap" text—in bedazzled white lettering, no less.
The resulting collection is accompanied by an animated short film called "Sandy's Dream Closet," which centers on Liang's Lower East Side stomping grounds. More specifically: The street that's home to her father’s Cantonese restaurant, Congee Village. In it, a young Liang imagines the very fashionable possibilities for her future. A campaign with her longtime favorite denim brand sits high on the list.
This collection is for the cool (and sweet!) girls.
Naturally, Liang's stamp on Gap's iconic denim range is a standout. Making what she considered the "perfect pair of Gap jeans" was at the forefront of her mind. Her dream pair comes with dainty bows stitched across the back pockets, an instant must-have for obsessives and new fans alike.
"I knew, in Gap's hands, that this would be the best-fitting jeans ever, and would come in the exact wash that I would desire," she says. "They just got everything right."
Meet Liang's perfected Gap jeans.
Sandy Liang girls of all stripes—from first-time shoppers to longtime fans—will find something to wear all season in this collection. But get those credit cards ready and calendar alerts set. If this drop follows in the footsteps of previously buzzy Gap collabs (this year's Dôen collection comes to mind), I know it will sell out fast.
Trust me: When street style's full of Gap x Sandy Liang bows, you'll want to be wearing them, too.
