OPINION & BUSINESS: THE EVOLUTION OF ABERCROMBIE
I’m sure we have all shared the same experience with early 2000s Abercrombie & Fitch. You walk in and are immediately greeted with a tsunami of cologne to the senses. Pictures of shirtless models lied in every corner, and the dimly lit ambiance in addition to the deafening music provided the feeling of a nightclub. It was a nightmare for parents—unable to withstand the harsh conditions of the storefront, they stood outside with their credit card in hand as their teen traversed the store wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.
In the past, Abercrombie wanted their brand to be highly exclusive—only smaller sizes of clothes were available, all employees had to look like they could be on the cover of Vogue, and their overpriced, yet plain clothing was embroidered with their famous moose. The then-CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, Mike Jefferies, said it himself in 2006.
“Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely” said Jefferies.
Under Jeffries's leadership, Abercrombie & Fitch crashed and burned. Sales began to rapidly drop and continued to do so through the mid-2010s. Eventually, Abercrombie became one of the most hated retailers as lawsuits of discriminatory and illegal practices were divulged. Luckily in 2014, Jeffries stepped down, leaving Abercrombie with a legacy of destruction and exclusionary policies.
In 2017, Fran Horowitz rose to power as Abercrombie’s new CEO, marking the start of the company’s rebrand as he turned over a new leaf. With Horowitz in control, everything changed. Abercrombie & Fitch storefronts employed light switches, the use of cologne came to a halt, shirtless male models became clothed, and the iconic moose logo was terminated. Abercrombie’s aesthetic and quality evolved. The clothes were now more casual, timeless, and higher quality, but most importantly, the clothes had become more inclusive. Abercrombie’s website featured models of all sizes and ethnicities, and even launched a CurveLove line for those who struggle to find the perfect fitting pair of jeans.
So how did Abercrombie & Fitch reclaim its name? TikTok marketing.
Unsponsored customers of Abercrombie & Fitch would upload their try-on haul videos to TikTok and in turn, they went viral. Some of these videos had over a million views causing many of Abercrombie’s products to rapidly sell out on their website. Abercrombie’s marketing team would scour these reviews and listen to how TikTok users described the fit and quality of their product—they listened to their customers, took notes, and made changes based on their feedback. This is what ultimately regained the trust of millennials and grabbed the attention of Gen-Z.
Abercrombie & Fitch was not finished in their rebranding journey—work was still needed to become a fully “inclusive” label. However, many steps in the right direction had been made to foster a brand image of inclusivity and lasting appeal. Abercrombie even revamped their mission statement—according to their website, their new clothing line was “designed to inspire our global customers to feel confident, be comfortable, and to face their Fierce.”
Written by Juliette Shea
Spread Designed by Ellie Kwon
Sources Used:
https://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-and-fitch-is-back-how-af-became-cool-again-2021-4
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/abercrombie-and-fitch-is-making-its-comeback-tiktok
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/abercrombie-fitch-new-generation/2021/11/22/da33feec-488e-11ec-b05d-3cb9d96eb495_story.html
https://corporate.abercrombie.com/our-company/our brands/af#:~:text=Abercrombie%20%26%20Fitch%20believes%20that%20every,comfortable%20and%20face%20their%20Fierce.