Women's Lifestyle October 10, 2025 0 Comments

Unlock Streetwear’s Best-Kept Secret: Why the Gap x Sandy Liang Collab Is Already Changing the Game—And How You Can Get In Before It Sells Out!

Remember the thrill of striding into the mall, that crisp white-and-navy-blue paper bag swinging triumphantly from your arm, feeling like you’d just reinvented yourself? Is anyone else secretly nostalgic for that magic moment when shopping wasn’t just about buying clothes but about transforming your whole vibe? Well, Sandy Liang’s latest collaboration with Gap is tapping right into that bittersweet memory. She’s blending her signature whimsy with Gap’s classic comfort, making you wonder—can a Peter Pan collar and tapered chinos really bring back that old-school mall joy in a world ruled by endless online scrolls? Spoiler: It just might, and it’s wrapped up in a collection that’s as much about nostalgia as it is about everyday practicality. If you’ve ever longed for style that feels individual, not algorithm-approved, this might be your new favorite throwback-meets-today wardrobe muse. LEARN MORE

3 min read

Remember when you could walk into the mall and leave as an entirely new person? Or at least, that’s what it felt like with a crisp white-and-navy-blue paper bag swinging on your arm. Downtown designer darling Sandy Liang wants to re-create that feeling through her latest collaboration with Gap, one Peter Pan–collared blouse and tapered chino at a time.

The Gap x Sandy Liang collection features a tight edit of nostalgia-infused basics: fur-trimmed denim jackets, pinstriped button-downs, relaxed T-shirts, low-rise carpenter denim, freckled fleece jackets, and a bow-adorned trench coat.

Gap Half-Zip Pullover

“Some of the pieces that represent classic Gap to me are the pieces that I grew up with, like the pre-layered navy T-shirt over a long sleeve. It’s so comfortable and easy,” shares Liang. “Jeans too, obviously, because who doesn’t have a favorite pair of Gap jeans? But then I get to put my little bow on the back pocket. And then the zip-up fleece, which is a core thing that I do and one I think is probably inspired by Gap, because I had a ton of their quarter-zips growing up.”

Each piece has a touch of girlish whimsy, intentionally meant to evoke those intertwined feelings of excitement and nervousness that hit, no matter your age, once you’ve entered a changing room with an armful of hangers. The question remains: Will it or won’t it live up to expectations? These moments might have slowly faded in the age of social media and the internet, but for Liang, they’re a significant part of the shopping process: “It’s the culmination of all these feelings and thoughts about what I’m going to be like when I’m a teenager. What am I going to want to wear? And what am I going to dress like when I’m an adult?”

model wearing polka dot fleece zip up and khaki pants.

GAP

“The experience of shopping when I was a kid at all these mall brands was so cool. You could truly go to a store, buy an outfit, and then wear it to school without feeling like ‘Oh, it’s because I saw Kylie Jenner wearing that on Instagram,’ ” Liang says. “Your style could be more individual in that sense because there was no internet to give you a mood board for what to go for.”

In many ways, this collection is meant to pose a suggestion for what to wear rather than impose a prescribed mandate. It’s also about being sensible. “Playing dress-up and Gap go hand in hand for me,” she explains. “But Gap is also about practicality: good clothes you can rely on and you can wear over and over again.”

Part of the collection, which includes a fluffy, petite-size zip-up, matching sweat set, and baby-blue onesie, is dedicated to kids. “I’m excited to put my baby in all of it,” says Liang. “I cannot wait for the first day I’m matching with him in his little furry zip-up and I’m in my adult zip-up. I love it because it’s like mommy and me, but in a totally unexpected way.”

Playing with proportions and redefining the notions of dressing for your age have always been at the heart of Liang’s namesake brand. Now a new audience will get to share in the fun.

Shop the Gap x Sandy Liang collection below and at gap.com.