Once upon a time, teens loved shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch and buying clothes with their logos. But that time is long gone and if the company hopes to survive, it will have to drop items with that once-famous name.
It turns out that teens these days don’t like to look the same, all wearing the same corporate logo on their shirts, sweatshirts and pants. So, A&F is hoping that by offering new items with more trendier designs, it can rebound.
“Personal style, specifically with teens, is becoming less about fitting in and more about standing out,” Lauren Wolfenden of fashion trend consultancy WGSN told The Associated Press this week. “A&F has wised up to this by phasing out the cookie-cutter logo-ed product look and bringing in trendy pieces that can be worn in a multitude of different ways.”
The news came the same week A&F reported incredible revenue drops. As Forbes reports, the company reported revenue during the second quarter of $891 million, a 6 percent drop from the same time last year and missing predictions.
“In the spring season we are looking to take the North American logo business to practically nothing,” CEO Mike Jeffries said during a conference call, reports The Chicago Tribune.
Similar stores based in malls are also facing decreased revenues. Stores like Forever 21, H&M and Zara are doing better, but all clothing stores that rely on mall traffic have to adjust their business models as they realize that mall traffic is decreasing as well. Plus, parents and teens have been cautious about buying high-priced clothing with the economy on the rebound. They are also not spending money on clothing, but on tech gadgets.
A&F was once one of the top brands, but has faced controversy recently. Jeffries said last year that he didn’t want “larger” people shopping in the stores. As a result of the outcry, A&F added bigger sizes.
We just have to wonder how much better the business would be doing if they didn’t clash with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino.
image courtesy of Karl Larsen/INFphoto.com