Old Navy began in 1994 when Gap Inc. opened the first store in Colma, California, building a separate family-apparel concept around accessible prices, broad sizing and a more playful retail identity than the company’s namesake Gap brand. It remains a division of San Francisco-based Gap Inc., alongside Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, but Old Navy has its own assortment, stores, website, promotions and customer-service flow. The brand’s core business is everyday apparel and accessories for women, men, children, toddlers and babies. Denim, activewear, fleece, casual basics, seasonal clothing, sleepwear, swimwear and accessories make up a large part of the assortment, while individual categories and size ranges change with the season.
In September 2026, Old Navy also introduced Old Navy Sport as a distinct activewear identity, building on a category that had already been sold under the brand for years. Customers should treat a product page as the controlling source for current fabric composition, fit, available sizes, care instructions and inventory because similar style names can be revised from one season to another. Old Navy sells through more than 1,200 stores in the United States and Canada, has franchise locations in other markets and operates a major e-commerce business.
The first international Old Navy stores opened in Canada in 2001, and OldNavy.com had become a billion-dollar sales channel by 2015 according to Gap Inc.’s brand history. Store availability and online availability are not identical, and a size shown online may not be stocked locally. Buy-online-pickup-in-store and other fulfillment choices also depend on local inventory, the item and the customer’s location. Pricing deserves similar care. Old Navy frequently runs promotions, Super Cash events, rewards offers and cardholder incentives, but a headline discount does not mean every item is eligible.
Exclusions, redemption windows and stacking rules can differ, so the cart and promotion terms are more reliable than an old ad or coupon page. The Navyist Rewards program spans participating Gap Inc. brands, while Old Navy-branded credit cards are financial products with separate account servicing; merchandise questions and credit-account questions should not be sent to the same support team. Returns and exchanges are handled under current Old Navy and Gap Inc. policy and may differ for final-sale merchandise, special categories, gifts or purchases made through another channel.
Customers should keep the order record or receipt and check the current return instructions before mailing an item back. The official Customer Service page provides chat and routes for shipping, returns, order tracking, gift cards, fit guidance and rewards, while 1-800-OLD-NAVY remains the published general customer-service number. For in-person needs, the official store locator is preferable to third-party directories because store openings, closures and hours change. Old Navy’s history is straightforward but should not be conflated with Gap Inc.’s 1969 founding: the parent company is older, while the Old Navy brand itself dates to 1994.
The first store was based on an earlier Gap Warehouse prototype, and Gap Inc. says the Old Navy name was inspired by a bar in Paris. Thirty years later, Old Navy operates as a large omnichannel apparel brand whose value proposition centers on family clothing rather than luxury or designer retail. A useful profile therefore needs to distinguish the enduring company facts from short-lived promotions: Gap Inc. ownership, the 1994 launch, the family-apparel focus and the store-plus-digital model are stable, while prices, coupon rules, product ranges, size availability and seasonal collections should always be checked at the time of purchase.
