I was recently browsing @gapplaylists, one of the best archives of Gap campaigns from the 1990s and early 2000s, curated by Michael Bise, a former employee turned enthusiast. Among these treasures, one Instagram post caught my eye: A young model with blonde hair and blue eyes was dressed in a turtleneck with colourful thick stripes resembling candy canes. The model on the right wore a beanie with the same print. The campaign’s text read: “Holiday Is Here,” with “The Chunky Turtleneck” underneath. The image was from the heyday of fashion in the year 2000 and appeared in magazines during the holiday season.
I immediately scoured the internet until I discovered a $75 version on eBay. (It was originally priced between $48 and $58). This striped sweater seemed to represent all of my happy teenage years spent shopping at Gap. It had to be mine. I had to be wrapped in this cheerful yarn. When my plush package arrived a few days later, I was finally cocooned in the holiday sweater. It wasn’t a finely woven Shetland wool or a butter-soft cashmere, but rather a cotton blend that wasn’t particularly warm. It didn’t matter because I was bathed in blinding colour from waist to chin and felt like a carefree mall rat circa Y2K.
I shared the purchase on TikTok and Instagram, and messages about people’s memories of the sweater began to pour in. That sweater defined elementary, middle, and high school, as well as college years, for people who lived in a happy time, at least from what I recall. It was pre-September 11th, and maximalism had just begun to enter mainstream fashion, creating a sweet spot in the industry.
Bise, who worked at Gap from 1996 to 2000, recalls fondly the sweater. “The Chunky Turtleneck Sweater epitomised Gap’s Holiday 2000 catchphrase, “Holiday Is Here,” says Bise. “This thick cotton item represented a significant departure for Gap. For the previous several years, the company had offered much sleeker silhouettes.
Former Gap designer Elliot Staples created the chunky version of that sleek silhouette, as well as the wild stripes. In 1996, he designed a thinner version called the Crazy Stripe Sweater, which was made of neutral and rainbow lambswool and had a crewneck. “Of course, the rainbow one was the clear winner, and it instantly became a Gap icon,” Staples writes. Gap revisited the design in 2000, transforming it into the Chunky Turtleneck, which became a best seller.
It was shown on four models in three different colours. Staples discusses the mood at Gap at the time, which reflects the brand’s and retail’s overall optimistic boom. “The atmosphere at The Gap back then was incredible. Womens was growing and performing. It was all about killer pieces in vibrant colours. Everyone expected it to be a smashing success. “I recall presenting the sweater to a group of ten models, all of whom were wearing the same turtleneck sweater but in different colours,” Staples writes. “Even the most simple ideas generated such excitement back then.”
