Banana Republic [IG] released its Fall 2025 Campaign ‘San Francisco, 1978’, with a series of images that mean more if we look under the hood of human events that year, including the brand’s founding.

And if we’re not ‘curious’ — borrowing a concept from Banana Republic’s Spring 2025 Campaign in foreign lands — we’re left looking at a series of poetic, even solitary images, that are not wanting.

The facts are that Banana Republic has been on the road most of the year. Returning to San Francisco and Mill Valley is a good resting place. Then again, the message may be even deeper — like a ‘We will get through these days’ message. Anne will explain.

Banana Republic ‘San Francisco 1978’ models Andreea Diaconu, David Corenswet [actor playing Superman], Giacomo Cavalli, and Paula Soares are lensed by Sonia Szostak [IG] with creative direction by Michael Scanlon. / Hair by Michal Bielecki; makeup by Dan Duran

Founded in 1978

Banana Republic was founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in Mill Valley, California, 14 miles north of San Francisco. The company was originally named "Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company" before being sold to Gap Inc. in 1983.

Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, which is part of the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.
It is connected to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge.
The city is positioned at the base of Mount Tamalpais.

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down in 1978

AOC queried whether 1978 in San Francisco-Mill Valley was a good year. The response was ‘not really’. Surely millions of Californians living in Banana Republic country would disagree. So we ran down why the response to our question was so glum.

1978 was a complex and often tragic year for San Francisco, defined by political assassinations and major social upheaval. Yes, it was also marked by cultural and sporting bright spots like the burgeoning punk scene and the SF Giants' strong performance.

The year is remembered as a critical turning point that reshaped the city's identity — largely due to back-to-back major events towards the end of 1978.

Difficulties in 1978 San Francisco

Assassinations: The assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk on November 27 were devastating events that shocked the city and the nation. Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Before his death and then afterwards in Milk’s memory, San Francisco passed significant legislation to protect LGBTQ rights and became known as a leading city in America that invited members of the LGBTQ community to live there.
Jim Jones: The Peoples Temple, led by Jim Jones, moved its congregation from San Francisco to Guyana, and the year ended with the mass murder-suicide of 918 people at Jonestown on November 18. Followers of Jones — including over 300 children who died first — drank cyanide-poisoned juice that prompted grueling deaths in a spectacle lasting 4 1/2 hrs. Jones consummated the shocking catastrophe of submission by putting a bullet in his head.

2025 and a New Mayor: Daniel Lurie

New York media expressed little interest in the new mayor of San Francisco elected in November 2024, but AOC has been hot on his trail. Daniel Lurie defeated incumbent mayor London Breed, who now an adviser to the Aspen Institute, where she is involved in teaching, mentoring, and public speaking for the organization's civic leadership program. The Aspen Institute is tippy-top and Breed will make many contacts there.

Daniel Lurie Key indicators and achievements in his first year include:

Public Safety: Overall crime has decreased significantly, with some reports citing a nearly 30% reduction year-over-year. Car break-ins, a long-standing issue, reached a 22-year low in 2024 [on Breed’s watch] and have continued to fall. Lurie has focused on increasing police presence and targeting open-air drug markets.
Homelessness and Behavioral Health: Street encampments are reportedly at their lowest number since 2019. He introduced the "Breaking the Cycle" plan to transform the city's approach to homelessness and addiction, focusing on a mix of compassion and accountability, including a commitment to build 1,500 new shelter beds.
Economic Recovery: Lurie has prioritized the revitalization of downtown San Francisco and made the city more business-friendly. He extended the "First Year Free" program, which waives permit fees for new and expanding businesses, saving businesses millions. He has worked to attract major events and secure commitments from tech companies to remain in the city.
Public Perception: A July 2025 poll found that 73% of San Franciscans approved of the job Lurie had done so far. For the first time in five years, polls indicate a majority of people feel the city is headed in the "right direction".

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Daniel Lurie is a wealthy man at age 47 and has spent most of his career working on ‘the people’s problems’. His wealth comes from the Levi Strauss & Co fortune via his mother Mimi Haas. Lurie's father, Brian Lurie, is a rabbi and longtime former executive director of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation.

Mayor Lurie is the man who persuaded President Trump not to send federal troops into San Francisco last week. And I share the current CEO of Daniel Lurie’s Tipping Point Foundation, Sam Cobbs. Lurie resigned in 2020.

I share this writing and speech because the Tipping Point Foundation has been enormously successful in San Francisco and now has its founder in the Mayor’s office.

Is he privileged? Yes. Is he effective. OMG! Yes, the reputation of Tipping Point is stellar.

Thanks Banana Republic for giving me a chance to make the case for a new San Francisco. You know I always seize an opportunity to embed fashion in a larger cultural scene.

I more optimistic about America’s future after reading and writing about Mayor Lurie and CEO Cobbs.

In this American moment I will grab inspiration wherever it declares itself. And this was a great example. Thank you to all involved. ~ Anne