Piperlime
Piperlime was a Gap Inc. online retailer specializing in footwear, handbags, and fashion apparel before closing in 2015.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Piperlime was an online fashion retailer created by Gap Inc. in 2006 and based in San Francisco, California. It was established as a separate retail concept within the Gap portfolio, with a focus on curated fashion rather than the broad assortment associated with a traditional department store. The business initially concentrated on footwear and handbags for women, men, and children, bringing together products from many established third-party brands on one e-commerce platform. At launch, Piperlime carried more than 100 recognizable brands. Its footwear assortment subsequently expanded to more than 250 brands and included accessible, contemporary, and designer-oriented labels such as Frye, Kenneth Cole, Nine West, Crocs, Converse, Steve Madden, Giuseppe Zanotti, Alberto Fermani, Hollywould, Belle by Sigerson Morrison, and Donald J Pliner. The assortment was intended to give shoppers a broad range of styles and price points in a specialized digital setting. In spring 2008, Piperlime added handbags, with an assortment that included brands such as Marc by Marc Jacobs, Chloé, Botkier, Kooba, Foley + Corinna, Beirn, Orla Kiely, and Linea Pelle. The brand used editorial and celebrity-stylist partnerships as part of its merchandising and marketing model. Stylists including Rachel Zoe, Rachel Bilson, and Olivia Palermo appeared as Piperlime “Fashion Editors,” recommending seasonal products and helping the retailer present its catalog through personality-led fashion guidance. This approach positioned Piperlime as more than a transactional shoe and accessories website: it sought to provide taste-making, outfit-oriented curation for consumers shopping online. Beginning in fall 2009, Piperlime broadened its offer to include women’s clothing. It later added men’s clothing as well, although the men’s business was discontinued in August 2014. The move into apparel reflected the retailer’s attempt to develop beyond its original footwear and handbag specialization, while the later withdrawal from menswear showed a narrowing of the assortment as the business was evaluated within Gap Inc.’s wider brand portfolio. Piperlime also pursued visibility through entertainment and physical retail. It partnered with the creators of the television program Project Runway for seasons eight and nine, sponsored the show’s accessories wall, and supplied a major prize for the winner of season eight: an opportunity to design a collection to be sold exclusively by Piperlime. On September 6, 2012, the company opened its first physical store in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. The store represented an effort to extend the online brand into a shopping environment where customers could experience its curated fashion proposition in person. Despite these initiatives, Piperlime remained Gap Inc.’s smallest brand. On January 23, 2015, Gap Inc. announced that it would close Piperlime by the end of April 2015 so that the company could concentrate resources on its core brands. The retailer’s annual revenue was reported as below $100 million, representing less than one percent of Gap Inc.’s total revenue. Piperlime’s online business and SoHo store both ended in April 2015. The brand is therefore a defunct example of a major apparel group’s attempt to build a specialized, digitally led multi-brand fashion retailer.
History
Piperlime was launched by Gap Inc. in 2006 as an online retail concept headquartered in San Francisco. Its initial proposition was a specialized digital assortment of footwear for women, men, and children, assembled from many external brands rather than being limited to Gap-owned merchandise. The retailer began with more than 100 well-known brands and developed a particularly broad footwear selection. Over time, its footwear range exceeded 250 brands, spanning contemporary, casual, salon, and designer-oriented labels. The company expanded into handbags in spring 2008. This category added more than 30 brands, including Marc by Marc Jacobs, Chloé, Botkier, Kooba, Foley + Corinna, Beirn, Orla Kiely, and Linea Pelle. The combination of shoes and handbags gave Piperlime a recognizable accessories-led identity and distinguished it from Gap Inc.'s primary apparel banners. Piperlime also built an editorial layer around its e-commerce operation. Celebrity stylists served as “Fashion Editors,” recommending seasonal products and giving customers a personality-based way to navigate the assortment. Rachel Zoe, Rachel Bilson, and Olivia Palermo were among the stylists associated with this program. The model reflected an effort to combine online retail with fashion authority and curated discovery. Beginning in fall 2009, Piperlime moved into women's clothing. Men's clothing was added later, but the men's business was retired in August 2014. The retailer also pursued marketing partnerships connected to fashion entertainment. For seasons eight and nine, it worked with the creators of Project Runway, sponsored the show's accessories wall, and provided a major season-eight prize: the winning designer received an opportunity to create a collection for exclusive sale through Piperlime. The brand's first physical retail experiment opened in SoHo, New York City, on September 6, 2012. The store closed in April 2015, alongside the end of the broader Piperlime operation. The physical location was significant because Piperlime had been built primarily as an online business; it offered Gap Inc. a way to test whether the brand's curated digital identity could translate into an in-person shopping environment. Piperlime ultimately did not become a large contributor within Gap Inc. The company described it as its smallest brand, with annual revenue below $100 million and less than one percent of Gap's total revenue. On January 23, 2015, Gap Inc. announced that Piperlime would close by the end of April. The stated rationale was to focus resources on the company's core brands. The closure ended Piperlime's online retail activity and its SoHo store, leaving the brand as a discontinued Gap Inc. experiment in specialized, multi-brand fashion e-commerce.
- 2015
Gap announces closure
[1]Gap Inc. announces on January 23 that Piperlime will close by the end of April.
- 2014
Men's business retired
[1]Piperlime ends its men's clothing business in August.
- 2012
First physical store opens in SoHo
[1]Piperlime opens its first retail store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood on September 6.
- 2009
Women's apparel added
[1]Beginning in fall 2009, Piperlime expands into women's clothing.
- 2008
Handbag category introduced
[1]Piperlime adds handbags and builds an assortment of more than 30 handbag brands.
- 2006
Piperlime launches as a Gap Inc. online retailer
[1]Gap Inc. launches Piperlime as an online business focused initially on multi-brand footwear for women, men, and children.
Products and positioning
A curated, digitally led multi-brand fashion retailer focused initially on footwear and handbags, with later expansion into women's and men's apparel.
Footwear · 2006
Footwear
Footwear was Piperlime's original and defining category. The retailer offered shoes for women, men, and children, bringing together more than 250 brands at its mature stage. The selection ranged from everyday and casual brands to salon and designer labels, including Frye, Kenneth Cole, Nine West, Crocs, Converse, Steve Madden, Giuseppe Zanotti, Alberto Fermani, Hollywould, Belle by Sigerson Morrison, and Donald J Pliner.
Accessories · 2008
Handbags
Piperlime introduced handbags in spring 2008 to complement its footwear business. The assortment included more than 30 brands and covered contemporary and designer-oriented accessories, including labels such as Marc by Marc Jacobs, Chloé, Botkier, Kooba, Foley + Corinna, Beirn, Orla Kiely, and Linea Pelle.
Apparel · 2009
Women's clothing
Women's clothing was added beginning in fall 2009, extending Piperlime from an accessories specialist into a broader fashion retailer. Apparel was presented alongside the footwear and handbag assortment and supported the brand's curated, outfit-oriented shopping proposition.
Apparel
Men's clothing
Piperlime later offered men's clothing as part of its attempt to broaden its customer and category base. The men's business was retired in August 2014, before Gap Inc. closed the overall brand.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Project Runway partnership
United States
Piperlime partnered with the creators of Project Runway for seasons eight and nine. The retailer sponsored the program's accessories wall and connected its brand with emerging-designer fashion and televised design competition.
Outcome. The partnership gave Piperlime prominent fashion-media exposure and included a season-eight prize tied to an exclusive collection opportunity.
Brand decisions
2015
Close PiperlimeStrategyBackground
Piperlime was Gap Inc.'s smallest brand, with annual revenue below $100 million and less than one percent of Gap's total revenue.
Action taken
Gap Inc. announced on January 23, 2015, that Piperlime would close by the end of April.
Aftermath
The online business and the SoHo store ended in April 2015 as Gap Inc. redirected resources toward its core brands.
Annual revenue. Below $100 million (Before the January 2015 closure announcement)
2014
Retire the men's clothing businessStrategyBackground
Piperlime had added men's clothing after establishing its footwear and accessories business.
Action taken
The men's business was retired in August 2014.
Aftermath
The move reduced the scope of the retailer's apparel offering before the wider closure announced in 2015.
2009
Expand into women's apparelStrategyBackground
Piperlime had initially focused on footwear and handbags and sought to broaden its role as a fashion retailer.
Action taken
Beginning in fall 2009, the brand added women's clothing.
Aftermath
The expansion made Piperlime's assortment broader than its original accessories-led model, although the brand was later discontinued.
Recent events
- 2015
Gap announces Piperlime closure[1]
Bankruptcy
Gap Inc. announced on January 23, 2015, that Piperlime would close by the end of April so the company could focus resources on its core brands.
- 2014
Piperlime retires its men's business[1]
Other
The retailer discontinued its men's clothing business in August 2014 as its assortment became more focused.
- 2012
Piperlime opens its first physical store in New York[1]
Product launch
Piperlime opened its first retail location in SoHo, New York City, extending the online brand into physical retail.
- 2009
Piperlime expands from footwear and handbags into women's clothing[1]
Product launch
Beginning in fall 2009, Piperlime added women's clothing to its online assortment, broadening the business beyond its original footwear and accessories focus.
Sources1 sources
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