Banana Republic vs. Banana Republic Factory: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Banana Republic vs. Banana Republic Factory Overview

1.Banana Republic Review

What Is Banana Republic？

Banana Republic is an upscale clothing and accessories retailer owned by the American multinational corporation Gap Inc.

It was founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler, who originally called the company "Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company". The original concept for the company was to sell items that complement a safari and travel lifestyle. The couple worked for the San Francisco Chronicle, Mel being a reporter and Particia being an illustrator. 

In 1983, Gap purchased the company, changed the name to "Banana Republic," and rebranded the stores to achieve a more upscale image. Now it operates as a division, now with over 600 stores located internationally. 

Pros and Cons of Banana Republic 

Where to Buy Banana Republic Items？

• bananarepublic.gap.com (3-4% cashback)

• bananarepublic.gapcanada.ca (3-4% cashback)

• walmart.com (3.5-4% cashback)

• ebay.com  (1.6-2% cashback)

Money Saving Tip: If you want to buy any Banana Republic item online, Sign up at Extrabux first，(What is Extrabux?), then order through these websites,  so you can enjoy up to 4% cashback from Extrabux! Sign-Up Bonus: Free to join it & get a $20 welcome bonus!

Extrabux.com cooperates with many merchants, such as:  Moosejaw (5% -6% cash back), LOOKFANTASTIC (Up to 10% cash back), Sam's Club (Up to 15% cashback), Norton(Up to 20% cashback), Microsoft (Up to 7% cash back) and so on. You can save on buying daily necessities, fashion, beauty, electronic products, broadband installation, mobile communication, air tickets, hotels and other aspects of life! 

2.Banana Republic Factory Review

What Is Banana Republic Factory？

Banana Republic is a well-known low-end luxury fashion retailer, that many people will be familiar with.But for the most part, people are less familiar with Banana Republic Factory, and there’s often confusion about how this relates to the main Banana Republic brand.

So, what’s the difference between Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory? 

Both are owned by Gap Inc.

Banana Republic is positioned as a mainstream, low-end luxury brand, while Banana Republic Factory offers more budget-friendly options.

And here’s the key: Banana Republic Factory is not an outlet. Similar to J.Crew Factory, the clothing is specifically designed and produced for the store.

Pros and Cons of Banana Republic Factory

Pros	Cons
Banana Republic Factory clothes cost around half as much as Banana Republic. When Banana Republic Factory goes on clearance, the deals get pretty insane.  They have a massive range of clothes, so you can find a few things that will get you through the season.	Banana Republic Factory has slightly lower quality merchandise manufactured specifically for Banana Republic Factory at an affordable price.

Where to Buy Banana Republic Factory Items？

• bananarepublicfactory.gapfactory.com  (3-4% cashback)

• poshmark.com

• mercari.com

• amazon.com

Banana Republic vs. Banana Republic Factory: Side-by-Side Comparison

1.Variety & Clothing Lines 

Banana Republic

Banana Republic is targeted at young professionals like Gap, but positioned with luxury and business-friendly clothes. It has just begun to sell clothing for babies, but is not known for selling children's clothing.

Today, Banana Republic is a premier destination for attainable luxury and heritage classics with a twist. They're a global lifestyle brand selling menswear, womenswear, baby, athletics, accessories, footwear, fragrances, and home. 

Banana Republic Factory

Delivering elevated design and luxurious fabrications at approachable prices, Banana Republic Factory has been credited with helping make fashion more accessible. 

Another interesting difference between Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory, is the fact these two brands have mostly separate clothing lines.

By separate clothing lines, I mean that Banana Republic Factory rarely gets overstock or old season items from the main Banana Republic retail brand. 

Instead, most of the Factory items are designed and created specifically to be sold through the Banana Republic Factory stores and website.

With Banana Republic, Factory clothing designs are sometimes copied from the main clothing line of Banana Republic. 

You can therefore find some great bargains for items that look the same as the mainline clothing at a much-reduced cost.

2.Products Style

Banana Republic 

Driven by a passion for exploration and self-expression, Banana Republic designs classic and contemporary pieces for every facet of your life and style. 

From iconic, wardrobe-defining staples and statement-setting occasion wear to globally inspired home furnishings and décor, every style reflects a commitment to the finest quality materials, mindful sustainability and timeless design.

Today, there's a shift toward casualwear, with pieces that feel sophisticated and upscale, but comfortable and versatile at the same time. The brand also appears to be moving away from the rigidness of the business-casual look with which they had been synonymous, pivoting toward elevated wardrobe staples at an affordable price point. 

Banana Republic Factory

Banana Republic Factory is perfect those with over 50 style adjectives such as current, dramatic, youthful, fun, creative, stylish, and fashion forward.

However, the best part of Banana Republic Factory is the affordable pricing…which at times, can go very low when combined with sales and rewards.From covetable on-trend pieces to tailored performance styles, Banana Republic Factory provides an elevated selection of wear-everywhere women’s and men’s clothing—all designed for everyday adventures and offered at incredible prices.

Banana Republic Factory also offers petite, tall and curvy sizing for your winter outfits.

3.The Target Audience

Banana Republic

The classic Banana Republic consumer can be a 35-55-year-old woman and man who goes for that recognizable, preppy American look. They don't like to experiment with fashion, and you'd probably describe their style as elevated, classic and 'old money'. 

It was where working individuals could go to buy their appropriately trendy poly-wool suits without having to drop $1,000 at once. It was just fashion-adjacent enough to be considered stylish while remaining a utilitarian experience. 

Banana Republic Factory

The customers of Banana Republic Factory stores are usually who want great deals on Banana Republic items. They maybe not have so much budget, but they like the style or products of Banana Republic brand. 

And they are not care about whether it's the latest model.However, it does mean that you have to sacrifice some quality.

4.Products Quality

Banana Republic 

Despite being a mid-level clothing brand,  Banana Republic is often compared to Tommy Hilfiger or Polo Ralph Lauren, strictly mid-level clothing brands. Being part of the Gap empire, Banana Republic is more upscale in comparison to Gap or Old Navy. 

Banana Republic offers high class business attire, and also has a casual line of clothing. Banana Republic's clothing is more expensive, very well made from nice fabrics. The quality are higher and the styles are always unique.

At Banana Republic, a higher proportion of clothing is made of 100% cotton fabric, wool, or silk-linen blends, which are generally of higher quality.

Banana Republic Factory

Banana Republic Factory clothing, although of decent quality for the price, is usually made in lower-quality materials compared with Banana Republic clothing.

For example, when shopping at Banana Republic Factory, you’re more likely to find clothing made of cotton-polyester blend material, i.e. their clothing is more likely to have a higher synthetic material content. 

And if you’re lucky, you might find some rare old season or overstock merchandise from Banana Republic at a Factory store, which of course will be of the same quality as the mainline clothing.

Overall, however, you can expect that the quality of items at Banana Republic Factory is less than that of Banana Republic, which can be expected given the cost difference.

5.Price

Banana Republic 

The another difference between Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory that comes to mind is the general cost of the merchandise.

Being the main retail brand, Banana Republic can be expected to be more expensive on the whole compared with Banana Republic Factory.

Local Banana Republic retail stores actually view bananarepublic.gap.com sort of like a competitor. The retail store wants to keep your business and hopes you won't shop online. In fact, local stores and bananarepublic.gap.com operate so independently that sale prices, markdowns, and coupons are almost always unique.

However, some Banana Republic retail price match bananarepublic.gap.com, as long as the lower-priced item isn’t on clearance. The practice might vary by location, so be sure to ask a team member next time you go in retail store.

On Banana Republic online offcial site, we can see Banana Republic items' prices: women's clothing $15- $1,500; men's clothing $9-$1300; shoes & Accessories$6- $289; baby's: $5-$280.

Banana Republic Factory

Banana Republic Factory brands are usually specifically marketed to be a more affordable version of the main retail brand, and this general rule applies to this situation.

Let’s take sweaters for example:

• A men’s sweater from the Banana Republic Factory brand can be estimated to cost somewhere in the region of $40.

• On the other hand, a sweater from the main Banana Republic brand can set you back upwards of $100.

Obviously, these are price estimations and can vary depending on what sales are being held at the time, and from year to year, so it’s always best to check the up-to-date prices on the brand websites for yourself.

But as you can see, we can make a generalisation that Banana Republic Factory merchandise is less expensive than Banana Republic merchandise.

6.Banana Republic Lables

Three diamonds on Banana Republic tags indicate factory outlet items.

The labels of items from Banana Republic Factory feature three small diamonds, whereas Banana Republic merchandise labels do not. 

Also, the lettering on Banana Republic Factory labels is often brown or bronze in color, whereas Banana Republic labels usually feature white letters on a navy background, or sometimes the reverse.

When it comes to spotting the made-for-outlet items, just look for three diamonds on the tag. The three diamonds below “Banana Republic” on the tag indicate the item will never pop up in a real Banana Republic store.

7.Returns Policy 

A more practical difference between Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory, is the returns policy.

A common misconception is that you can return merchandise purchased from Banana Republic Factory to a Banana Republic store, and vice versa.

Actually, it isn’t possible to do this, and items must be returned to the appropriate store, i.e. Banana Republic items to Banana Republic, and Factory items to Banana Republic Factory stores.

You also can’t return items from Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory to any Gap stores.

8.Two Separate Subsidiaries   

In fact, Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory are two separate subsidiaries of Gap Inc.

In other words, Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory are two separate companies owned by a parent company, i.e. Gap Inc., and are not two branches of the same company.

Practically speaking, this won’t have much impact on your shopping experience, but it is another difference between Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory.

9.Two Separate Websites

This is similar to other clothing brands, such as Guess and Guess Factory, which also have separate websites.

Instead of sharing a webspace, Banana Republic actually shares a website with Gap, and Banana Republic Factory with Gap Factory. 

• Banana Republic website: https://bananarepublic.gap.com/ 

•  Banana Republic Factory website: https://bananarepublicfactory.gapfactory.com/ 

Banana Republic Vs Banana Republic Factory: Which is Right for You?

Now that you know the main differences between Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory, let’s discuss some of the factors to consider when choosing between the two.

1.Quality & Longevity 

The quality of the materials used to manufacture the more expensive Banana Republic merchandise is generally better, with a higher proportion of 100% cotton or wool or silk/linen clothing.

Therefore, you can expect to get a longer lifespan out of merchandise purchased from Banana Republic compared with that from Banana Republic Factory, which is more often made of polyester blend or other synthetic materials.

So, if you prefer to invest a little extra cash to get a high quality product that will last you for years and through many washes, then choosing Banana Republic over Banana Republic Factory may be preferable to you.

2.Budget

your budget will have a pretty big impact on your decision on whether you shop at Banana Republic or Banana Republic Factory.

Banana Republic

 It’s important to keep in mind that Banana Republic often hosts sales on its websites and in-store, and a lot of the time these sales involve significant reductions.

You wouldn’t be surprised to see 40%-50% off sales at Banana Republic.

When you factor in these reductions, you can actually sometimes get Banana Republic merchandise at a similar price point to what you’d expect to find at Banana Republic Factory.

So don’t discount Banana Republic completely if you’re tight for cash, as you may be pleasantly  surprised.

Banana Republic Factory

As we have already discussed,Banana Republic Factory is overall cheaper to shop from than Banana Republic. Therefore if your main concern is keeping prices low, by shopping at Banana Republic Factory you’re more likely to achieve this.

3.Shopping Online VS In-Store

Another consideration when deciding between Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory, is whether you prefer to shop online or in-store.

This is because, if you live outside of the US, it is likely going to be harder for you to find a brick-and-mortar Banana Republic Factory store than a Banana Republic store.

Therefore, if you live outside of the US and prefer in-store shopping, then Banana Republic is your main option.

This is less of an issue in the US, where there are more Banana Republic Factory stores scattered around in different outlet malls.

However, if you are happy to shop online for your clothing, then you can have access to both Banana Republic and Banana Republic Factory clothing in many places around the world.

Read More:

J.Crew vs. J.Crew Factory: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Old Navy Outlet vs. Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Old Navy vs. Gap vs. Banana Republic vs. H&M: Which Brand Is The Best? (History, Quality, Price & Design)

Skechers Retail vs. Factory Outlet vs. Warehouse Outlet: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Marc Jacobs Outlet vs. Retail:Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Tumi Outlet vs. Retail:Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Longchamp Outlet vs. Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Vineyard Vines Outlet vs. Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Nike Factory vs. Nike Outlet vs. Nike Retail Store: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Coach Bag Fake vs. Original vs. Outlet 2024: How to Spot a Fake or Factory Coach Bag？

Prada Outlet vs. Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Gucci Outlet vs. Gucci Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Michael Kors Outlet vs. Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

(Polo) Ralph Lauren Factory Outlet vs. Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Burberry Outlet vs. Retail: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Lululemon Outlet vs. Retail Store: Differences, Quality & Price 2024

Extrabux is an international cashback shopping site, offering up to 30% cashback from 10,000+ Stores!

24S, SSENSE, MATCHESFASHION.COM, Shopbop, NET-A-PORTER, FARFETCH, YOOX, Eastbay, End Clothing, Macys, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF 5TH, Bergdorf Goodman, Selfridges, Bloomingdales, Coggles, Harrods, Kohl's, Urban Outfitters, ASOS, Missguided, etc.

Join to get $20 welcome bonus now! (How does Welcome Bonus work?)