Gap Co-Founder Doris Fisher Dies at 94 After Building Retail Empire

Died at age 94 on Saturday, May 2, 2026, surrounded by her family. A Gap spokesperson confirmed the death on Monday, May 4, 2026. The San Francisco-based company did not specify a cause of death. Fisher co-founded The Gap Inc.

In 1969 with her husband Don Fisher, after he struggled to find a pair of jeans that fit. The couple opened their first store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, initially selling men's Levi's jeans and record tapes. Fisher invested the same amount of capital as her husband in the founding and worked in the first store.

She coined the name 'The Gap' to reference the generation gap between baby boomers and their parents. Fisher served as the company's fashion merchandiser for nearly four decades and as its merchandising consultant until 2003. She remained on the Gap board until 2009 and held the title of honorary lifetime director afterward.

The Gap Inc. expanded to include brands such as Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta. It went public in 1976 and now operates about 3,570 stores worldwide, including more than 2,500 company-run locations and over 1,000 franchised stores.

The company generates more than $15 billion in sales globally, with annual sales at about $15 billion in its latest fiscal year. Gap CEO and President Richard Dickson, hired in July 2023, issued a statement on Monday, May 4, 2026. 'There is simply no equal to Doris Fisher,' Dickson said.

Dickson also said, 'Doris Fisher worked tirelessly to ensure that Gap Inc. Don Fisher died in 2009. The couple amassed one of the largest private collections of modern and contemporary art in the country.

In 2009, the Fisher family pledged more than 1,100 works to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Doris Fisher established the Gap Foundation. She served on the board of Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), a network of high-performing charter schools for underserved students.

Fisher was born Doris Feigenbaum in San Francisco in 1931 and graduated from Stanford University in 1953 with a degree in economics. She is survived by three sons: Robert, William, and John. Her sons have commitments with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, KIPP, Stanford University, The Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the San Francisco Symphony, and The Gap Foundation.

Fisher is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.