Mel Ziegler and Patricia Ziegler

Both Zieglers worked at San Francisco Chronicle -- Patricia an illustrator and Mel a reporter.^[2]

The Zieglers founded Banana Republic in Mill Valley, California, in 1978. The brand's safari-style clothing was styled by Patricia Ziegler. Mel wrote the catalog. Upon hearing the business's name, a friend told the Zieglers, "Bad choice. You'll be picketed by people from small hot countries."^[2]

The brand grew quickly, propelled by the popular 1981 move Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Zieglers abruptly resigned in 1988. By then, the business had 1110 stores and annual sales of a quarter of a billion dollars. The relationship between the Zieglers and Don Fisher, founder of Gap Inc, deteriorated when the Zieglers wanted to publish a travel magazine and began selling it in their stores.^[2]

In October 2000, the Zieglers launched an apparel company named ZoZa, influenced by Zen.^[2][3]

Their eldest son, Zio Ziegler, is a large-scale metal sculptor, painter, and street artist.^[4] The couple published a 2012 memoir titled Wild Company, The Untold Story of Banana Republic.

The Zieglers moved to the foothills of Mount Tamalpais above Mill Valley and renovated a 1929 house in a project that cost an estimated $2 million.^[2]