Sex, Stores, and
Abercrombie and Fitch
By Brad Gregory
Maryville University
Abstract:
This paper will give a contextual view of Abercrombie and Fitch. I will first look at the various
ways that the A&F brand differentiates themselves from other brands by the construction of their store,
and how these stores have been modeled after a Fraternity or Sorority house. Next I will look at how
Abercrombie has completely constructed their brand identity by the using of sex. We will look at the
various modes that A&F uses to express their message of sexuality in detail. Lastly this paper will explain
how Abercrombie has shifted from a camping supplies store, to a gigantic lifestyle brand with a very
specific message: Sex Sells.
Sex sells, and Abercrombie and Fitch have been using it to differentiate their products from the
competition through edgy, homoerotic imagery. However, Abercrombie and Fitch stores are nearly
identical from inside to out. This calls in to question any sense of the brand’s claim to uniqueness.
Abercrombie brands itself by saying, “The only way to appreciate Abercrombie & Fitch is to live it
through our high quality, collegiate-inspired, casual luxury clothing.” (Abercrombie.com). Of course the
only way to do that is purchase products at one of their stores. In this paper we will explore how
Abercrombie and Fitch has used sexual imagery and the portrayal of a risqué life style in their stores and
advertisements, and how nearly every stores is identical from the US to Canada, and even as far as the
United Kingdom. This means that Abercrombie and Fitch have no true uniqueness, just clothes no higher
in quality, prepackaged and wrapped with an image of sex, to appeal to the masses.
Abercrombie and Fitch was founded 1892 by David Abercrombie to sell camping supplies; he
was joined by Ezra Fitch in 1892 and became Abercrombie & Fitch, providing exclusive outdoor needs,
clothing and equipment. Although Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has been around for about 110 years,
most of its current customers could care less that it outfitted legendary explorers like arctic explorer
Richard Byrd. The firm's clientele is predominantly Generation X and Y, and the Abercrombie logo has
gone way beyond its sturdy apparel and into the realm of cool.
One of the major ways Abercrombie has distinguished it’s self from competitors like Hollister
and American Eagle, is by designing a store in every outlet, unlike that of any other brand’s. When one
walks up to an Abercrombie and Fitch store in Missouri, they are seeing the identical, cookie cutter store
that they would if they were in L.A., or El Paso, or even Wyoming. That is because they have made every
store alike, to stay in tune with their portfolio of teen and college age clothing and accessories. And
although every competitor does this too, no brand pushes the envelope on sexy quite like A&F.
A&F stores have small entrances, with gender specific pathways to either side. Their logo, placd
above the entrance, is ironically enough, their name, and is always stenciled in dark ink amidst a plain,
white background. The words reek of simplicity and originality. The store’s windows are covered with
dark or black wooden shutters to alert passersby’s that this is an elite club of young adults, and events
are taking place within the confines that mustn’t’ be seen from the outside. Much like one may picture
that of a meeting of a secret society in a North Eastern university. Booming from the interior at
obscenely high decibels plays some unheard of song, often techno in origin. Even after years of
conditioning, the pairing of the shady exterior and loud music gives me the feeling that I have just
stepped into an upper class Fraternity or Sorority, and that red solo cups and wrist bands may be
handed out at any moment.
After venturing into the store in Chesterfield mall, the heart beat of the brand; the loud base of
the music pulses ever louder. The floors are of dark stained wood or tile, and give off an upper class and
expensive, classy feel. Wooden tables are arranged throughout the store with piles of clothing neatly
unorganized, to give the shopper a slight feeling of sorting through the products, as if bargain shopping,
or finding a “deal” but in reality this is nowhere near it. Abercrombie and Fitch stores have dim lights,
which add to their hip, young, and party like atmosphere. Depending on your gender, a strong aroma
will be in the air, so thick you can nearly see it, as if being pumped out through the ventilation like
oxygen in a casino, the unmistakable Abercrombie perfume or cologne scent. Near the checkout, is a
makeshift “living room”, complete with a few chairs, couch, area rug, and lamp, again suggesting the
upper class frat party theme. Abercrombie and Fitch have thus, successfully modeled their stores after a
party scene by making them like nearly every party; dark, stinky, and loud.
Advertising is a potent and extremely dominating form of communication. The average
consumer in the U.S. sees about 3,000 advertising messages in a week and Abercrombie knows this.
Commercial images shape people’s perceptions and Abercrombie & Fitch target a young, impressionable
demographic. AF’s persona is that it is important for sexual messages to relate to the product, or the
advertisement is likely to be ineffective. Therefore, Abercrombie & Fitch must maintain the idea that
one becomes sexier by wearing Abercrombie & Fitch clothing, or at least maintain the aura that A&F is a
“sexy brand”.
Abercrombie and Fitch stores use their advertisements to communicate four primary messages:
That the look of an Abercrombie & Fitch Person, which is strong, attractive, and not afraid to bare skin.
The one and only Abercrombie & Fitch, meaning you can only be this person by shopping at A&F. The
Abercrombie & Fitch life of luxury, which is a reward of being an Abercrombie shopper, and not making
the Abercrombie & Fitch cut, which if you shop there, you have done so, and raised yourself above
others. AF does this by advertisements of various media, the employment of models to model in stores,
and employing an attractive and imagine cohesive work force.
According to a 1981 study by Reid and Soley, “advertisements were more likely to be recognized
if an attractive model was used. In a different survey, 32% of consumers said they are more likely to buy
a product if it has a sexual advertisement.” (Message Communication in Advertising). AF translates this
image by advertising images of scantily clothed models throughout their stores, mainly homoerotic ones
of men, and the publication of their magalog A&f Quarterly. In unison they provide for an image of
sexuality that urges consumers to become sexier by purchasing Abercrombie and Fitch apparel, in order
to fit in, by standards of the A&F ideology.
The employees themselves are also a strategy of advertisement. Abercrombie seeks out young,
attractive, mainstream athletic types, and the cheerleaders who might be their girlfriends. One 22 year
old woman who worked for Abercrombie and Fitch for over a year was hired after shopping in the store
and a manager said, “Hey she’s cute, give her an application.” One source, a manager at a Midwestern
A&F store, describes employees as young, attractive, and overwhelmingly white, which agrees with the
images on their walls. AF sales associates are required to wear the brand’s clothing while working, and
are threaten to be sent home if not in proper attire. Corporate officials have been known to tell store
managers that the sales associates must look like the people in the Abercrombie catalogs and in-store
posters. One of the most natural human natures is that of desire, and when Abercrombie and Fitch is
main image is that of sexuality, nothing can be more effective than having attractive, young, and
desirable employees not only assisting customers and completing sales, but modeling the clothing, free
of charge.
Abercrombie and Fitch send their sexy vibes by pasting their walls with large framed posters of
sexy Abercrombie models and they hire young attractive people to “model” in their stores during the
holidays. The company hires attractive male models during the holidays to stand at the store entrances
shirtless to attract consumers inside (Reichert, 2003; Safer, 2003). The theory behind this tactic is “Cool,
great-looking guys attractive cool, great-looking girls, who attract…Get it?” according to CEO Michael
Jefferies. This method has proved effective for Abercrombie, even if the idea of half naked men standing
around while you’re shopping can e bit uncomfortable to most. Corporate officials and employees
define the Abercrombie and Fitch image in the Abercrombie and Fitch models, which are on store
posters, bags, gift cards, the website, and the magalog A&F Quarterly and appears heavily in print form
throughout their store.(See pictures 1 & 2). The images are often of naked or nearly naked men,
sometimes in sexual acts with one or multiple women. Abercrombie even ran into trouble last year
when enough costumers complained, and police were called to confiscate pictures and issued the
manager a citation.
Lastly Abercrombie and Fitch, like so many other stores uses their very own magazine
publication to push their brand image. The company’s unique publication, the A&F Quarterly magalog,
was one of its most effective means of advertising its image. In 1998, Abercrombie & Fitch issued over
1.5 million catalogs and sent the A&F Quarterly to 350,000 paid subscribers. The “catalog” did not follow
contemporary retail standards. Instead of showing models in Abercrombie & Fitch clothing, the magalog
was filled with mainly semi-nude or nude Caucasian males and females in their twenties that were
precisely posed as to not show total nudity. Ironically enough, Abercrombie & Fitch’s main way of selling
clothes was to show nearly nude models. The magazine has been described as selling the idea of “partyloving jocks and bare-naked ladies living the perfect fantasy life.” Additionally, some have claimed the
message Abercrombie & Fitch sent was that youth should live “a lifestyle full of semi-nudity, nudity, and
promiscuity”. The A&F Quarterly was so controversial that it was published for the last time ever for
Christmas 2003.
Rather one enjoys the look and image that Abercrombie and their products potrays, it is difficult
to deny that the use of sexy in advertising is not a force to be reckoned with. AF, considered by some as
the masters of sexy, college life, have made their fortune by mimicking the promiscuous lifestyle of
others. And they have done this by a very calculated creation of each and every one of their stores, and
lastly, using sex, sex, sex.
Picture 1
Picture 2
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