ABERCROMBIE & FITCH IS AN AMERICAN CASUAL LUXURY GIANT CREATED IN 1892 BY DAVID T ABERCROMBIE
Abercrombie & Fitch. This American casual luxury giant created in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie, initially produced sportswear. The company is mainly focused on casual youth fashion and its logo is the moose. At the end of the ’60s, after risking financial failure, it was placed under the control of Michael S. Jeffries and became the brand that it is today. The company includes five different brands: the flagship one, a combination of classicism, novelty and provocation; Abercrombie, casual and vintage; Hollister Co., with the peculiarities of California and beach life, with a relaxed and holiday style; Ruhel No. 925 which represents quality and tradition and aspires to define the New York lifestyle; and Gilly Hicks, inspired by the Australian spirit, classic, masculine and sexy at the same time, a true American brand with a hint of Australia.
The fashion house has its headquartes in New Albany, suburb of Columbus, in Ohio,and also own an international office in Milan. The company has been the subject of disputes and lawsuits, being accused of discrimination and of promoting campaigns based on adolescent sexuality and social elitism.
HISTORY
In 1978 the entrepreneur Jake Oshman bought the company for 1.5 million dollars and launched it on the national market as a premium clothing brand, making it gain popularity and opening various stores in Beverly Hills, Houston, Dallas and New York.
In 1988 it was sold to The Limited and entrusted to Michael F. Jeffries, who remained the president and chief executive officer until his dismissal on the 9th of December 2014.Since 1990, the company has been focused on producing clothing for young people, at first under The Limited and then as a separate, publicly traded company; then it grew as one of the largest clothing companies in the United States of America.
In the 2000s, young people, worn out by the economic crisis, began to take fast and low-priced fashion brands such as H&M and Forever 21 as a reference point. Because of this, Abercrombie & Fitch was strongly affected by the effects of the Great Recession, so much so that on the 9th of December 2014, the CEO of the company Mike Jeffries resigned.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH
It represents, through its product, a purely American lifestyle that refers to the national health/sports aesthetic. Its international success is linked to the advertising campaign entrusted to the American photographer Bruce Weber, world spokesman for the American lifestyle, and to the introduction of sales assistants selected for their physicality in the stores, who themselves became models and interpreters of the American mass aesthetics. The sexual appeal of the communication and marketing strategy aimed at the young and pre-adolescent market is the basis of the success of the brand.
ANNI 2000
In recent years, in order to combat the fierce competition from new, cheaper and more available fashion brands, it has announced the launch of big innovations to change its image, including the elimination of sexual images on envelopes, gift cards and in shop windows. Still today the company is trying to change its dress code, making it more individualistic. In May 2015, the company has managed to create its own logo, now known and appreciated all over the world. Moreover, the models got the possibility to wear products without any logo that follow the seasonal style of the house. The company’s main store is located in Manhattan, New York; other points of sale are located in the United States, Canada and, since 2007, in many European cities.
From 2017 to 2021 the brand closed over 5 stores and its position on the stock exchange is in continuous decline.
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