• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, September 23, 2026

Boy bands are having a moment, and Gap wants to get in on the action. The company announced a multiyear collaboration with Just Your Type (JYT), a five-member dance-forward American boy band. This is Gap’s first “fashiontainment” deal since the company announced the platform in January, promising to position the company closer to music and culture.

“With JYT, we’re drawing on the full breadth of Gap—from creative storytelling and fashion to our stores and experiences—to give audiences multiple ways into the band’s world,” said Pam Kaufman, chief entertainment officer. “JYT embodies the mix of music, dance, personality, fashion and fandom that makes this partnership so exciting—and so distinctly Gap. Together, we can create something much bigger than a campaign.”

In addition to the five performers, whose ages range from 15 to 18, the deal also includes Wexler Records and Republic Records. It aims to bank on the group’s rapid rise, with Gap reporting that JYT’s music has gotten more than 450 million views in the last three months and an audience of 2 million followers on social platforms.

Initial plans call for a multi-episode docuseries that will follow behind-the-scenes, highlighting personalities, relationships and creative work.

A national mall tour will combine live performances and in-store activations. It will also sell apparel co-designed with all five members, highlighting their personal style with signature pieces.

Gap is no stranger to the music scene. Over the decades, its ads have starred performers like LL Cool J, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Cher, Future and Tony Bennett. (Of course, there was also the highly regrettable Yeezy Gap era.)

This year, it was the exclusive apparel sponsor of Coachella, including bringing the Hoodie House to the festival grounds, an immersive hub with customization, product drops and lounge seating.

But with Kaufman's appointment in January, Gap showed how it is ramping up its cultural ambitions, moving beyond “Who can we get to sing in our ads?” to more ambitious partnerships.

Kaufman was brought on to make that happen, joining Gap from a high-level role at Paramount, as well as board membership at Stella McCartney, Lindblad Expeditions, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

“Fashion is entertainment, and today’s customers aren’t just buying apparel; they’re buying into brands that tell compelling stories and drive cultural conversations,” said Richard Dickson, Gap’s president and CEO, when announcing Kaufman’s appointment. “As we reinvigorate Gap Inc.’s house of iconic American brands to drive relevance and revenue, we recognize entertainment is a critical link to the consumer, one we can lean on to create fandoms, inspire movements and fuel sustained growth."

Gap’s competitors are well aware how important entertainment can be to marketing. Levi’s executives have credited its recent partnerships and brand campaigns with Beyoncé with increased sales, and it is a longtime supporter of multiple musical initiatives and works with festivals such as Coachella and Rolling Loud.

American Eagle Outfitters is also strengthening its cultural connections. AEO’s latest “Denim Darling” brand campaign centers on Ella Langley, the top-of-the-country-charts singer, and is the exclusive denim and apparel sponsor of the Stagecoach Festival, the world’s largest country music festival.

So Levi's has Beyoncé, and American Eagle has Ella Langley and Stagecoach. Gap may be betting that a boy band still finding its footing gives it something the other companies can't claim: a fandom it gets to help build from scratch.