Gap and FIT Launch Doris Fisher Mentorship Program for 30 Students

Gap is trying to do more than hang its logo on campus. With the Doris Fisher Creators Program, the brand is putting 30 Fashion Institute of Technology students directly into its orbit, giving them access to Gap leaders and creatives in a move that feels less like a feel-good handshake and more like a talent pipeline with real stakes.

The program will launch in fall 2026 and run through the academic year, with the inaugural group drawn from Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Apparel, and Fabric Styling. That matters. Those are the rooms where a brand’s next point of view gets shaped, from the first sketch to the fabric hand to the graphic that makes a collection pop on a rack or a feed. Gap says the students will get exposure to the business of fashion, industry insights and professional connections, the stuff that can separate a polished portfolio from an actual career path.

Richard Dickson announced the program on April 14 at FIT’s annual gala at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he was the guest of honor. Naming the initiative for Doris Fisher, the Gap co-founder, puts the whole thing in the company’s own origin story, tying the program to creativity, curiosity and a belief in people. That is the right symbolism for a brand that has spent years trying to reconnect with cultural relevance while also proving it can still manufacture future talent, not just chase it.

FIT is leaning into the partnership as a serious credential. The school called itself the first public college to partner with Gap on the mentorship program, and its 2025-2026 enrollment stands at 8,158 students, including 7,880 undergraduates and 278 graduate students. FIT also says 100% of its typical undergraduate classes have fewer than 30 students, which makes the 30-person cohort feel less like a lecture and more like an intimate studio pipeline.

The bigger picture is Gap’s ongoing push to frame itself as a company that does more than sell denim and khakis. Amy Thompson, Gap Inc.’s chief people officer, said the program is part of a broader effort to bridge the opportunity gap, alongside This Way ONward, the Rotational Management Program and other mentorship and internship efforts. Gap says This Way ONward has engaged more than 27,000 youth since 2007, and its 2024 Impact Report marked the company’s 21st year of sustainability reporting. FIT Foundation scholarships topped more than $3 million in 2025, a reminder that access still runs through money, not just talent. Dickson, appointed CEO in July 2023 after joining Gap’s board in November 2022, is making a clear bet: the future of fashion is being trained now, and the brands that want it will have to invest early.