Why Teens Aren’t Shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch
Several thoughts and phrases come to mind when I think of Abercrombie & Fitch. For one, from 1990 to about 2005, it was the pinnacle brand for all teens, so this brings me to the question of why teens aren’t shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch anymore? The simple truth is they kind of stand for everything this new breed of teens (Generation Z) dislikes about clothing brands.
Abercrombie’s Dark Past
For those of us who were around when A&F sold these $60 quarterly catalogs with sexualized and half-naked teen models, we remember the scandal. And so does Google. The image of Abercrombie back in the day was a clothing brand that represented only the cool High School jocks and collegiate kids. Everyone had to be hot, skinny, athletic. Rarely did we see models of color or models in sizes larger than Small in the old Abercrombie ads.
Teens are familiar with the branding message of what A&F was in the 90s, even through the 2000s, thanks to former CEO Mike Jeffries. Jeffries, who only retired (got booted out) from his position in 2014, created quite a ruckus with his controversial perspectives and quotes. (Dude was straight up off his rocker.)
Quotes from Mike Jeffries, Former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch:
- “We hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”
- “People said we were cynical, that we were sexualizing little girls. But you know what? I still think those are cute underwear for little girls. And I think anybody who gets on a bandwagon about thongs for little girls is crazy. Just crazy! There’s so much craziness about sex in this country. It’s nuts! I can see getting upset about letting your girl hang out with a bunch of old pervs, but why would you let your girl hang out with a bunch of old pervs?”
- “In every school, there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he says. “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. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”
Source: The Balance: Small Business
The truth is, teens and young adults distrust brands who don’t know how to own their past mistakes and make nice. While the former CEO did make a halfhearted apology in 2013, Abercrombie as a company has never publicly apologized for it’s past mistakes.
Who is shopping at Abercrombie now?
I haven’t been to a retail store in a while, but the last time I walked into an Abercrombie store all I saw were women my age (35+) who are still clinging to their favorite go-to high school brand. What makes it more appealing now, is they can actually afford A&F thanks to the lower prices and their adult wages.
To be fair, I like most of the clothes they produce. The quality is pretty good, the jean fits have always been one of my favorites, and they have introduced more styles. But like others in the 35+ age range, I refuse to wear any of their tops because of the giant logos and what that logo represents. Their shirts, polos, sweaters, and tees have incredible fits, but I just won’t wear the logo. Even though I’m not a GenZer or Millenial, I think a lot of teens feel the same way. In a previous post I created about Generation Z, they refuse to be a walking billboard for brands. Especially for brands that don’t hold their values.
While in the past it (A&F) was known for risqué marketing and the idea that teens had to dress a certain way to be cool, its new look preaches inclusivity and individuality. A similar type of “be yourself” messaging has contributed to the rampant success of American Eagle‘s Aerie label, which bans the use of airbrushing on models.
I have also seen a lot of foreign tourists who still shop at Abercrombie when they visit the US; mainly, Spain, France, Italy, and Japan. A&F is seen as an iconic American brand (like Levi’s). Shoppers from these countries are less concerned about the negative association with the brand.
Why Teens Aren’t Shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch
A lot has changed in retail since 1993, as well as with teens. They are a new generation, eager to do better. They don’t want to follow stereotypes that exclude their peers. Based on my social listening, this is why teens aren’t shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister anymore.
- Too much cologne sprayed in their retail stores
- The retail stores have a dark, weird, clubby vibe
- Giant Logos. Teens don’t want to be associated with the brand
- Bad brand image
- Too many adults (aka old people) are shopping at A&F
- A&F influencers on IG are “old people”
- Lack of brand and corporate trust
- Logos ruin the basic styles
- Unrelatable or unheard brand messaging (Gen Z is tuned out)
How Will Abercrombie Capture Generation Z?
In a recent article written by Elizabeth Segran for FastCompany (March 2018), we learn that Abercrombie realizes it’s screwed up over the years, and hey, everyone screws up and makes mistakes, right? In an attempt to be relatable and capture the Gen Z audience, they came up with this campaign:
“This is the time to screw up, meet all the wrong people, learn by doing,” he says. “In 60 years, when the scars have become lessons and the risks have become rewards, these are the images that will surface. These are the days you’ll remember.”
What do you think? Does Abercrombie & Fitch deserve a second look? What will it take for teens to take notice?
Sources: YouTube, FastCompany, Reddit, Instagram