Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO -- November 13, 2002 -- From Sharon Stone and Kim Basinger in the early 90s, to famous Gap babies in their holiday best, Gap advertising is part of American pop culture. Now, for the first time, Gap is putting out a casting call across the United States, searching for people to appear in a 2003 print ad -- and America will pick the winners.

From November 15 to December 1, men, women, boys, girls and babies nationwide can enter for a chance to appear in a Gap print ad in 2003. Customers can enter at gap.com, or by dropping off the entry form and photograph at any Gap, GapBody, GapKids or babyGap store in the U.S.

Gap will partner with leading Internet company Yahoo! to announce the Casting Call. On November 15, the call-for-entries will be posted on the Yahoo! home page (yahoo.com), as well as gap.com.

"Our customers often ask how they can be a part of our ads, or how they can get their children into a Gap ad," said Kyle Andrew, vice president of marketing for Gap. "Gap is a brand people can make their own, and now we’re offering a chance for anyone to be in one of our print ads. We’re looking for real people who personify the Gap brand -- intriguing people with personal style."

Gap will select semi-finalists, who will be flown to San Francisco, where they will be photographed for the final selection process. Semi-finalists will then be narrowed down to 24 finalists. Then from January 20 - 28, 2003, the 24 finalists will be featured in windows at the more than 1,000 Gap store locations throughout the United States. During that week, people from across the country will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites in any Gap store in the U.S. or at gap.com.

Six winners will be selected and announced in early February 2003, with one representative from each of the following categories: men, women, boys, girls, baby boys and baby girls.

Two Midprice Apparel Makers Pursue Calvin Klein Purchase
By TERI AGINS, BRUCE ORWALL and SALLY BEATTY
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

It's one obsession that Calvin hasn't resolved.

Three years after designer Calvin Klein and partner Barry Schwartz first put their prestigious fashion house on the auction block, it is being aggressively wooed by two midprice apparel makers. VF Corp., the maker of Lee and Wrangler Jeans, and Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., the New York dress-shirt kingpin whose brands include Van Heusen, Geoffrey Beene and Arrow, are competing to buy the fashion company that became synonymous with tony American sportswear and racy ads for perfume and underwear.

Those familiar with the situation say that neither VF nor Phillips-Van Heusen is near closing a deal. However, both companies are in discussions with Mr. Klein and Mr. Schwartz, the two friends and partners who originally co-founded the 35-year-old business as a coat manufacturer. A Calvin Klein spokeswoman declined to comment.

The intensity of the current talks suggests that Messrs. Klein and Schwartz are rapidly growing closer to finally selling their business, which consists mainly of the design studio and a number of licenses for Calvin Klein products. In 2000, Calvin Klein pulled itself off the market after failing to find a buyer or a strategic investor, despite having shopped itself throughout Europe and the U.S. for a year.

At the time, Warnaco Group Inc. -- maker of CK jeans and underwear -- came closest to purchasing Calvin Klein for a price estimated at around $900 million. However, the negotiations ultimately collapsed when the parties couldn't agree how and where the Calvin Klein trademark would be used. Eventually, Warnaco Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Indeed, some industry executives and investment bankers are skeptical as to whether the Calvin Klein fashion house will pull the trigger on a deal given its unsuccessful past flirtations with suitors.