Old Navy was named after a bar in which city?

Old Navy was named after a bar in Paris.

The name came from a Paris visit by Millard “Mickey” Drexler, then Gap’s chief executive. He reportedly saw the words “Old Navy” associated with a bar and chose them for Gap’s new value-oriented clothing chain.

The name was selected after other proposed names, including “Monorail” and “Forklift,” failed to appeal to Drexler. “Old Navy” gave the brand a memorable nautical identity while helping distinguish it from the established Gap name.

The Paris connection does not mean Old Navy began in France. The retailer is American: its first stores opened in Northern California in 1994, including the first store in Colma. Another common mix-up is assuming the name refers directly to a military organization; it was instead inspired by a Paris bar or sign seen during Drexler’s visit.