I stumbled across this website the other day, Abandoned Republic, which describes itself as "A Journey Through the Vintage Banana Republic Catalog." I was suddenly struck by a wave of nostalgia, as I remembered that I was obsessed with Banana Republic catalogs as a teenager in the mid-1980s. I went downstairs and searched my bookshelves and cabinets until I located my old collection—I found 20 catalogs from the years 1984 to 1987! (As a side note, I also just discovered that folks are selling their old catalogs on eBay, maybe I'll do the same).
So, needless to say, I love the Abandoned Republic website. It describes some of the history of the Banana Republic Catalog as well as the purpose of the site:
In 1988, the wildly innovative and beloved Banana Republic Travel & Safari concept was scrapped by its corporate masters at the Gap. This is site is a tribute and to that abandoned dream. My goal is to understand the history of the company, to present an archive of the classic 1978-1988 Banana Republic Travel & Safari Catalogue and to create a browsable reference archive of clothing and accessories for collectors and resellers. Enjoy your visit, and please feel free to contact me with questions!
On the website you can find information about the history of the company, along with some awesome images from the catalog, organized by theme or type of item advertised, including: men, women, logo gear, hats, scarves, bags, and surplus artifacts. If you were ever a fan of the old catalogs, this site is a wild trip down memory lane!
