Abercrombie’s Rebirth Begs a Vital Question

Abercrombie & Fitch (New Albany, Ohio) recently debuted its first new store design in more than a decade at Columbus, Ohio’s Polaris Fashion Place shopping mall.

As someone who was a teenager during the brand’s heyday in the early and mid-2000s, I wonder: Who is Abercrombie’s target demographic in 2017?

I’m not sure the brand knows, quite frankly. Or maybe they do, and I’m not yet aware of it. Either way, I’d love to find out.

Here’s where I stand: In middle school and high school (yes, I’m aware of how clearly I am pointing out my age and possible naïveté) through the thrusts of he-said-she-said hallway narratives, the “what is he/she wearing” whispers, and the crowning of the year’s “king” or “queen” elite, Abercrombie separated us mere mortals (aka those “average kids”) from those popular “somebodies,” who would no doubt go on to become quite successful one day.

The casualwear itself, frankly, was bland. Simple cotton-blend shirts with a logo stitched to the breast, not unlike the Lacostes and Izods of the generation before. But they pioneered something I’m not sure any retailer had before, which was the pre-ripped denim jean. And boy, did they ever create a trend. To walk the halls of a secondary school in 2005 with perfectly good, un-ripped legwear, you must have been living under a rock. And moreover, you had no style nor status.

So what is a retailer to do when its core audience outgrows its image and the one after it doesn’t seek to emulate those now-passé trends? Clearly it must shake things up in terms apparel design, but with Abercrombie – a brand essentially defined by one look for about a decade – how far can it stray while remaining true to itself?

The big conundrum, in my opinion, lies within today’s youth. They don’t seem to be as fond of the cookie-cutter wears Abercrombie has previously been known to sell. And for today’s teens, neither a logo-adorned shirt nor a monogrammed accessory seem nearly as important as they once did.

Thanks to social media, teenagers today are more informed. She knows which Jeremy Scott-designed garments graced this season’s Moschino runway models, and she’s shared them with all of her closest gal (or guy) pals on Instagram. She’s no longer impressed by a three-quarter-sleeved tee with a double-stripe on the arm and moose logo advertising to all from where she (or her parent) bought it.

Which leads me to conclude that she shops today’s most popular fast-fashion – ahem, value-driven – brands, a la H&M, Forever 21, Primark, Zara, and the list could go on for days. We live in a here-today-gone-tomorrow world, as I’m sure we’ve all noticed with the speed in which we witness trends come and go via social media and the Internet, in general. Why would fashion be any different? Last season's runway looks are today’s bargain-bin find. Why should she spend $50-plus on a tee from Abercrombie, when she can find a replica of two-seasons-ago’s Balmain for $35?

(It’s a retailer’s nightmare, really. And it goes against the ethics of so many of us who honestly care about the safe working conditions and fair pay of seamstresses and other manufacturing laborers worldwide. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always translate to the bang-for-your-buck bottom line.)

Perhaps Abercrombie is still aiming for my generation, the 20- and 30-something millennials who pine for those high school glory days. Or maybe it’s aiming to become more competitive in pricing, and more inclusive in its marketing, sizing and styles? For its own sake, one can only hope that's the case. After all, exclusivity is a luxury only afforded to those who haven’t seen a 15-quarters-straight sales decline.

So again, I have to ask: Abercrombie, who is your demographic in 2017?

Born and raised in Cincinnati, associate editor Kaileigh Peyton is in her third year on the VMSD staff. With a steadfast curiosity about the world, she pursued a career in writing and reporting at the University of Cincinnati where, in addition to a minor in psychology, she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. With an ever-growing interest in technology, she covers the in-store technology sector for VMSD.