Christopher John Rogers Goes Back to His Roots With Old Navy

2 min read

Growing up in Louisiana, Christopher John Rogers associates Old Navy with the Fourth of July—a time when he could play with more color and print than usual. Think cherry red stripes and embellished white stars. “I didn’t always feel that I had personal access to that,” he says, speaking of what he calls “declarative dressing… It felt like a nice reprieve.” It seems meaningful now that the designer—known for bold, vivacious attire—first experienced that sartorial freedom at Old Navy. So when Gap Inc. and Old Navy’s Zac Posen tapped Rogers for a collaboration, announced today, the partnership felt natural.

“Christopher was top of my list when launching our American designer collaboration. He represents some of the best of a generation of designers I wanted to bring to our customer,” Posen tells ELLE.com. “He creates clothing that goes back to the roots of American sportswear, but also brings a great palette of joy and color. It has a pop element—and those are all part of Old Navy’s codes.”

The collection, available online and in store on April 15, is designed to be mixed and matched, with a focus on denim and cotton poplin. It’s unmistakably Christopher John Rogers—at Old Navy prices. Expect polka dots and stripes, floral skirts, cargo pants, and jersey dresses. Posen describes the offering as age-diverse, noting it will look as cool on young shoppers as it does on their grandmothers.

“The more you play, the more you feel, and you can find what is really speaking to you,” Rogers says. “It’s nice that maximalism—or self-expression—is having a moment because it gives people license to figure out what that means for them.” It’s what Rogers has always sought to do with his brand, but now for a wider array of customers.

“It was really fun to disseminate a lot of our house codes to a much bigger audience,” Rogers says. “What we’ve always stood for at CJR is this idea of self-authorship and self-articulation. So being able to give the Old Navy customer declarative fashion at a great value was exciting.”

In all, Posen and Rogers hope the collection can bring a bit of levity to shoppers’ closets. “Who doesn’t want to feel cool and happy?” Posen asks. “We could all use that right now, and clothing is such a powerful tool—not only for how you feel, but for what you bring into the world.”

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