J.Crew Group Inc. (NYSE: JCG) is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in New York, New York. Founded in 1983 by Arthur Cinader with the launch of its mail order catalog, the company expanded into brick and mortar retailing in 1989 with its first store at the South Street Seaport in New York City. The company's corporate headquarters is located at 770 Broadway at E. 9th street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. As of May 2008, the company operates 198 retail stores and 65 outlet stores in the United States.

The company's website, which was launched in 1996, features online-only products, as well as catalog and retail items. The company operates two distribution centers in the Southern United States, in Lynchburg, Virginia and Asheville, North Carolina. The former doubles as its U.S. call center. Online shipping is also offered to Canada and Japan.

The brand features collections of men's and women's clothing, accessories, and shoes, in "classic styles" with a J.Crew "twist". Many of the products feature luxury materials such as Italian cashmere and leather, Czech glass buttons, and British wool. Many of the special materials and colors of fabrics are made for and offered exclusively to J. Crew by the company's partners located throughout Europe and Asia. In addition, the company produces a wedding and special occasions line, a high-end line known as the "J.Crew Collection", a children's line called "Crewcuts", and a line called "Crewmutts" that features items for dogs. In 2009, the Crewmutts line was discontinued.

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE: GPS) is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008, Gap, Inc. has approximately 150,000 employees and operates 3,465 stores worldwide. Gap, Inc. remains the largest specialty apparel retailer in the U.S., though it has recently been surpassed by the Spanish-based Inditex Group as the world's largest apparel retailer.

Despite its publicly-traded status, the Fisher family remains deeply involved in Gap, Inc.'s business and collectively owns a significant portion of the company's stock.

Donald Fisher served as Chairman of the Board until 2004 and remained on the board until his death on September 27, 2009. His wife and their son, Robert J. Fisher, also serve on Gap's Board of directors. Robert Fisher succeeded his father as chair in 2004 and also took over as president and CEO on an interim basis following the resignation of Paul Pressler in 2007.

Glenn K. Murphy is the current CEO of the company. Previous Gap, Inc. CEOs include Millard Drexler and Paul Pressler.

Banana Republic is an American clothing brand founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978 as a travel-themed clothing company. It was bought by The Gap in 1983. The company has over 500 stores located internationally.

The original Banana Republic was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978. It was a two-store safari and travel-themed clothing company. The majority of sales came from its eccentric, hand illustrated catalog, which presented high-end and unique items with chatty, usually fictional back stories from exotic locations, as well as more pedestrian high-volume products deliberately spiced up with a similar treatment. As Banana Republic expanded its retail operation, it became known for the themed decoration in its stores, often featuring authentic elements, such as real Jeeps and foliage, as well as atmospheric elements, such as fog and steam.

The Gap, Inc. acquired Banana Republic in 1983, eventually re-branding it as a mainstream luxury clothing retailer. The eccentric tourist-oriented items were phased out and were replaced with more luxurious items for which the brand is currently known. To set itself apart from Gap as a more upmarket brand, Banana Republic occasionally buys and refurbishes historic buildings for its retail locations.