Doris Fisher, co-founder of iconic Gap chain, dies at 94

NEW YORK (AP) — Doris Fisher, who co-founded the iconic clothing chain The Gap Inc. in 1969 with her late husband Don, has died. She was 94.

Fisher died on Saturday surrounded by her family, a Gap spokesperson confirmed on Monday. The company did not specify a cause of death.

The couple co-founded The Gap after a frustrating shopping experience when Don Fisher couldn’t find a pair of jeans that fit, according to the retailer. The Fishers opened one small store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco. Initially men’s Levi’s jeans and record tapes were the only items for sale. But the brand became the foundation for a global retail empire and reshaped American fashion with a focus on simple casual looks from khakis and jeans to T-shirts and sweater sets.

The chain eventually expanded to other nameplates — Banana Republic and Old Navy — and now generates more than $15 billion in sales globally.

Don Fisher died in 2009.

Anne D’innocenzio, The Associated Press