Banana Republic? Seriously?

May 25, 2005 11:55 AM

Banana Republic? Why name your safari-themed clothing store after a phrase that refers directly to violent, corporation-influenced corruption? Was it a wry joke at the time? Were the corporate executives involved completely oblivious or were they banking on the ignorance of the public in the face of such lovely, exotic bananas? Searching online has yielded nothing, and a query through the company's "contact us" page a few months ago has gone unanswered.
posted by nobody to society & culture (34 comments total)

I didn't know they were still around. Banana Republic sounds good if you're ignorant of the connotations and at least when I used to shop there it was aimed at a pretty young crowd. I never made the connection at the time (and time had all but erased them from my memory).
posted by substrate at 12:02 PM on May 25, 2005

I'm not sure, but I can tell you it wasn't a decision handed down from the GAP people. Banana Republic didn't become part of GAP until 1983.

I suspect, however, that the namers of the company themselves were not sure of what it meant. It sounds ridiculous - but it has happened in the past. Look at all the companies who even today continue to pick names with perverse and disgusting meanings.

When the company was founded, information wasn't as much at people's fingertips as it is today - the founders couldn't just do a google for the name and call it due diligence.
posted by tozturk at 12:06 PM on May 25, 2005

Maybe it's because I'm merely 25, but I had to go to Wikipedia to learn that "Banana republic (or Bananaland) is a pejorative term for describing a country with a non-democratic or unstable government, especially where there is widespread political corruption and strong foreign influence." They're a bit older than I am (founded in 1969), so the fact that it's little-known slang now probably has little if anything to do with their choice.
posted by Plutor at 12:09 PM on May 25, 2005

Before they started catering to the young and upwardly mobile, Banana Republic was a safari-themed discount store. Lots of wooden crates and jungle motifs. So, although they've completely done a 180 with the brand, for some reason they still have the terrible name.
posted by bobot at 12:15 PM on May 25, 2005

In its first incarnation (pre-Gap), Banana Republic sold clothes that were overpriced and "stylish" versions of what I'd call post-colonial junglewear. Breathable wide-brim hats. Dark green camouflage-pattern cargo pants. Aggressively-zippered vests. They may have even sold a mesh pith helmet.

On preview: what bobot said, except I wouldn't call them discount.
posted by expialidocious at 12:17 PM on May 25, 2005

I'll ask my ex. he works there.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 12:28 PM on May 25, 2005

I used to work for a company called Butterfield and Robinson. They have a mailout newsletter which has a sidebar called "Butterfield 8". They seemed completely ignorant of the fact that it was the title of a book about an alcoholic woman with loose morals based on the real-life murder of a woman named Starr Faithful. (Great book but that's not my point.) When I told them this they said, "Is that what it's about?" and when I said yes they said they didn't think anyone else would know that. They use the name Butterfield 8 in their newsletter to this day.
posted by dobbs at 12:36 PM on May 25, 2005

The original Banana also had an excellent J Peterman-like catalog, full of interesting fake safari stories and the like. And the store in Boston used to have a Jeep sticking through the front facade. I loved their mattress ticking shirt and their surplus messenger bag.
posted by schoolgirl report at 12:36 PM on May 25, 2005

I'll third the safari-theme thing; that was the original Banana Republic, and the name made a lot more sense then when it was in that incarnation.

Okay, now that this question is semi-answered, I have to ask: what's up with J Peterman? I get the catalog but have never ordered anything from it because there are no photographs, only those drawings. Is it actually awesome?
posted by josh at 1:03 PM on May 25, 2005

There's a restaurant around my area called "Souplantation". Go figure.
posted by LionIndex at 1:04 PM on May 25, 2005

The "Banana Republic" name gives me the skeeves bad enough that I won't walk into the store.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:05 PM on May 25, 2005

Maybe it's because I'm merely 25, but I had to go to Wikipedia to learn ... [what 'Banana Republic' means]They're a bit older than I am (founded in 1969), so the fact that it's little-known slang now probably has little if anything to do with their choice. - Plutor

Well I'm 22 and I am familiar with the term, so it's not just your age that determines if you know the word or not.
posted by raedyn at 1:06 PM on May 25, 2005

The "Banana Republic" name gives me the skeeves bad enough that I won't walk into the store.

I think it's a little cheeky, myself, and not so bad. The clothes I could do without, but it's not any different from a band called "Anthrax" or "The Killers," I suppose. (Except lame, of course.)
posted by josh at 1:09 PM on May 25, 2005

The name was intentional and tongue-in-cheek, from what I remember of their ad campaigns growing up. They were poking fun at their own post-colonial theme.
posted by cali at 1:22 PM on May 25, 2005

I miss the old safari-themed Banana Republic. I still have my BR photographer's vest; it has more pockets and zippers than any other article of clothing I've ever seen. Much fun - I wore it 24/7 for 3 weeks when AD'ing a feature film once.

They used to sell nice Hawaiian shirts, too.

For further detail, I direct you to Donald Fagen's "The Goodbye Look," off his 1980 release The Nightfly. I think this may have even antedated political correctness.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:51 PM on May 25, 2005

Wha? Is J Peterman a real catalog? I thought that was just a joke from Seinfield.
posted by delmoi at 1:53 PM on May 25, 2005

Abercrombe and Fitch also used to be a safari themed store
posted by delmoi at 1:54 PM on May 25, 2005

Cali, do you know anywhere (online?) that would have images from the old ad campaigns? Can you recall any specific magazines or newspapers that the ads were in?
posted by nobody at 1:57 PM on May 25, 2005

I thought Abercrombie and Fitch wasn't safari-themed, it was just really preppy. At least, that is what the store looked like back in the late '80s.

I too miss the old Banana Republic catalogs.
posted by litlnemo at 2:08 PM on May 25, 2005

delmoi - I thought Abercrombie used to be a farm supply store. Carried the sort of clothes and stuff that my grandpa would wear.
posted by salad spork at 2:10 PM on May 25, 2005

I thought Abercrombie used to have clothes for hunting and fishing.
posted by superkim at 2:33 PM on May 25, 2005

Guess J Peterman really is a catalog. I thought it was just a joke from Seinfeld, too.
posted by cog_nate at 2:34 PM on May 25, 2005

Cali, do you know anywhere (online?) that would have images from the old ad campaigns? Can you recall any specific magazines or newspapers that the ads were in?

I know I have at least one in my ad library, although it may be small. I'll dig it out and try scanning it. (It may take me a day or two.)

If I recall correctly, it features a palm frond hut and a Jeep along with way too much copy that's supposed to be funny, but is just painfully cheesy.
posted by Gucky at 2:36 PM on May 25, 2005

Banana Republic did have pith helmets at one point, I wanted on real bad when I was 8 yo. It was really corny store, and really wasn't designed on the mega-corporate scale it now operates, IMHO.

Abercrombie History., from a questionable source.. but yes, they sold outdoor clothing. Actually, I think that's a piss poor history, there were more changes within the company than they list.. but the name itself is quite old.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 2:43 PM on May 25, 2005

I thought Abercrombie used to have clothes for hunting and fishing.

It was. I have some of my grandfather's old fishing and outdoor gear and clothing. The original business was founded in 1892.

"In 1892 Abercrombie & Fitch began under the name David T. Abercrombie Co., a small waterfront shop and factory in downtown New York City owned by David Abercrombie....His clientele consisted mostly of professional hunters, explorers and trappers. And a man named Ezra Fitch. Ezra Fitch was a successful lawyer in Kingston, New York. Restless and thoroughly bored with his life of law, Fitch spent all of his free time trekking the slopes of the Adirondacks and casting flies into the streams of the Catskill. In his search for exceptional outdoor gear, he had come to rely upon David Abercrombie's shop, becoming one of its most devoted customers. He was so devoted, in fact, that in 1900 he had convinced David Abercrombie to let him buy into the business and become a partner. By 1904, the shop (which by now had moved to 314 Broadway) was incorporated and the name was officially changed to Abercrombie & Fitch....Abercrombie & Fitch continued to grow, with stores opening up in Chicago and San Francisco. But by the late '60s the store hit upon hard times and went bankrupt in 1977. " [source]

The "brand" name was bought by the Limited in 1988.
posted by ericb at 2:44 PM on May 25, 2005

It was. It (they) did.
posted by ericb at 2:59 PM on May 25, 2005

I think the J Peterman catalogue came about AFTER Seinfeld, due to so many people asking about it.
posted by Cosine at 3:32 PM on May 25, 2005

No, J. Peterman was around before Seinfeld--it's a weird and crazy story.
posted by josh at 3:59 PM on May 25, 2005

I will now eat broken glass as punishment for posting such a crappy (and strange) link.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 7:26 PM on May 25, 2005

The Theory of Negativity sounds like it explains it pretty well:

All the best names are provocations: Virgin, Yahoo, Caterpillar, Fannie Mae, Gap, Banana Republic, Crossfire, Igor. To qualify as a provocation, a name must contain what most people would call "negative messages" for the goods and services the name is to represent.

Fortunately, consumers process these negative messages positively. As long as the name maps to one of the positioning points of the brand, consumers never take its meaning literally, and the negative aspects of the name just give it greater depth.

posted by joshuaconner at 8:22 PM on May 25, 2005

Fortunately, consumers process these negative messages positively. As long as the name maps to one of the positioning points of the brand, consumers never take its meaning literally, and the negative aspects of the name just give it greater depth.

All names lose meaning once they're known in context. Hardly anyone thinks of running when they talk about their Sprint mobile phones. No one hears "See B.S." when they talk about CBS. The negativity (and positive aspects) get lost in the market.

But when you're launching a brand, the negativity can give you attention and mileage that an empty name or a expected, descriptive name. Sex Wax and Hummer use the titter reaction to get stuck in people's heads.

However, when you ask people in a survey, in a focus group, to think about a name in relationship to a brand they're unfamiliar with, they'll always get stuck on what it really means and their logical, rather than emotional, reactions. Which means that only small companies that don't do research or companies with a strong, brave leader that understands what research can't do will ever decide to use a daring name.

Thus the reason things like Banana Republic get bought by a major company once they're successful rather than start with a name like this.

However, I would argue that Banana Republic is neither well-known enough or negative enough to neatly fit into this category.

(Disclaimer: I work in naming. Igor -- the authors' of The Theory of Negativity -- are my competition.)
posted by Gucky at 9:46 PM on May 25, 2005

a name must contain what most people would call "negative messages" for the goods and services the name is to represent.

Rent-A-Wreck.
posted by rafter at 11:53 PM on May 25, 2005

The Seinfeld joke was only funny if you had been getting the real catalogue for years!

And the term banana republic is pretty common.
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:24 AM on May 26, 2005

I agree that it was cheeky (great term) and sold the sort of clothes you'd wear if you were adventurous enough to travel to a Banana Republic. You should watch Woody Allen's Bananas for a better understanding. And the "Rebels Are We" song, and "I have been bit by a snake." I hope it's as funny as I remember.
posted by theora55 at 8:08 AM on May 26, 2005