Abercrombie & Fitch

[princesslauren]

they dont have black, therefore I dont shop there.

My thoughts exactly. How can you have a brand w/no black? They manage I guess.

 

[DandyWarhol]

i would rather wear a trashbag.


..actually, if you think about it, a trash bag could work into something incredible.. with the right cuts, seams, and lines. the creases are on to something.

 

[kissmesweet]

Abercrombie isn't half bad.

They have great fleeces and hoodies to lounge around in. Their preppy polos are sort of cute as well...

*dodges flying objects*

 

[seanutbutter]

I don't wear Abercrombie & Fitch myself, but I don't see why the brand has such a poor reputation. The clothes are very high quality, and the designs aren't half bad. I guess it's more of the people who wear the pieces? I'm not entirely sure.

 

[kissmesweet]

clothes are very high quality, and the designs aren't half bad.

Ditto that.

I think it's just that people don't think it's... "high fashion".

 

[Street_a_Licious]

oh, baloney. A&F just embodies the US American mainstream look, something that a lot of people here try to get away from. It just needs a good dresser to take some items, say "screw the moose" and make it look totally fabulous. In the end, does it matter if there's a moose, a poloplayer, a crest or a bee embroidered on the shirt?

"High Fashion" people should know that it's the end-result that matters.

 

[Madhuri]

I have pair of Abercrombie jeans that are 7 years old. They still have a perfect fit with a slight flair at the bottom. They are super comfy and in great condition. They're my favorite pair of jeans.

 

[Meg]

I don't wear abercrombie not only because they don't produce things I would wear (ie polos) but their stores are terrible. Well the one nearest me is. It's in Somerset Collection and it's SO dark inside. Honestly. I'm not ever over exaggerating. I'm 22 and felt like I must be 60 since I had difficulty seeing. And they played the music incredibly loudly and had their own scent wafting about quite strongly. I was just like 'really? People shop here?' Maybe they use low lighting to disguise the unattractive clothes....

 

[Ferdinanda]

Is there really pretty boys shirtless in the front window of the store?

 

[Becca Rich]

Faust, I just wanted to expand and pose some more questions (mainly for the sake of the discussion). I agree with you but I suppose I am thinking about one particular person today whose story is by no means unique.

I was at school with a boy who had a hole in his heart and because of this his growth was stunted and he was outcast by his classmates as a freak & was bullied (& had no friends). As his family was poor he wore handknitted jumpers & second hand clothes so he was also teased for this as well as being small. However he was talented at art & at music - he could draw amazing pencil drawings that noone else could draw.

As he grew up he became more & more isolated & alone. At high shool his talents weren't really recognised & he never made much of his education. He left school, & after that I never really heard much of him for years other than that he no longer spoke to his parents.

Yesterday I was told me that he was found dead in his flat having choked on his own vomit in an alcoholic stupor. He lived & died completely alone.

Although this is a very specific story of one boy, are these themes not ones which apply to many people in life who don't receive mainstream acceptance? Of course you are right to suggest that it takes a stronger person to swim against the tide of popular opinion &, of course that is to be applauded, but what about those weak people who don't have the strength of mind to rebel? They just fall by the wayside unless they can find acceptance. If they find that acceptance from a harmless thing like an A&F sweatshirt then is that so wrong? Maybe not, but I don't know if thats the way to look at it.

there is a bigger issue here, one which I think is a fundamental human frailty. That is, the need most people have to belong to something. The need to be part of a coherent, identifyable group. This need both keeps society together but also prevents us from living harmoniously with those who are different from the group.

[Back on topic however,] this frailty is manipulated by the marketeers and advertisers but my question is - for some people is it not a good thing that they can buy acceptance in a Mall? Maybe ultimately it saves them....

You'll appreciate I am playing devils advocate here to an extent.

What you say is correct, for I myself am still within the harsh dark walls of highschool. I refuse to conform to them (peers). I simply won't lose myself for their sake. I stand out like no other and the hardest part is that I live in Oklahoma. A place where new trends and fashion is but mere fiction. NO ONE has a open mind and NO ONE really is an art-lover. I live as an outcast. I spend my days submersed in Vogue and WWD, Art books and the internet. I would wear outfits I believe any fashionista would love and appreciate, yet i get started at and my sanity is questioned. Although most my classmates admire my bravery in being myself. My style is not your typical suburan style. Standing out here is like a death wish. I let one of the girls in my class read my Harper's Bazaar. She was making fun of Chanel dresses and Prada coats while she wore A&F and American Eagle. I was utterly offended. All the kids at my school wear uggs and A&F . The only thing that's pulling me through is knowing I will be in NYC and attending FIT next year. I fit in like a glove there. go figure.

It's funny how children will do anything to fit in. They'll talk a certain way and act a certain way. There is this girl who told me she loved my style, but thought it would look dumb on her and EVERYONE else would think so to. It's funny how people let what others think deter them. A&F is just another way to survive in this judging opinionated world. The Suburans need A&F in a way. The choice here is to face it alone and get out before it detroys you. or conform to them and live in seldom peace.

A&F is not fashion. My FIT summer live peers and I were trying to understand how the company survives. It's nothing buy a recreation of what was in the store the past year. I mean Target is even more innovative.

 

[Becca Rich]

Faust, I just wanted to expand and pose some more questions (mainly for the sake of the discussion). I agree with you but I suppose I am thinking about one particular person today whose story is by no means unique.

I was at school with a boy who had a hole in his heart and because of this his growth was stunted and he was outcast by his classmates as a freak & was bullied (& had no friends). As his family was poor he wore handknitted jumpers & second hand clothes so he was also teased for this as well as being small. However he was talented at art & at music - he could draw amazing pencil drawings that noone else could draw.

As he grew up he became more & more isolated & alone. At high shool his talents weren't really recognised & he never made much of his education. He left school, & after that I never really heard much of him for years other than that he no longer spoke to his parents.

Yesterday I was told me that he was found dead in his flat having choked on his own vomit in an alcoholic stupor. He lived & died completely alone.

Although this is a very specific story of one boy, are these themes not ones which apply to many people in life who don't receive mainstream acceptance? Of course you are right to suggest that it takes a stronger person to swim against the tide of popular opinion &, of course that is to be applauded, but what about those weak people who don't have the strength of mind to rebel? They just fall by the wayside unless they can find acceptance. If they find that acceptance from a harmless thing like an A&F sweatshirt then is that so wrong? Maybe not, but I don't know if thats the way to look at it.

there is a bigger issue here, one which I think is a fundamental human frailty. That is, the need most people have to belong to something. The need to be part of a coherent, identifyable group. This need both keeps society together but also prevents us from living harmoniously with those who are different from the group.

[Back on topic however,] this frailty is manipulated by the marketeers and advertisers but my question is - for some people is it not a good thing that they can buy acceptance in a Mall? Maybe ultimately it saves them....

You'll appreciate I am playing devils advocate here to an extent.

What you say is correct, for I myself am still within the harsh dark walls of highschool. I refuse to conform to them (peers). I simply won't lose myself for their sake. I stand out like no other and the hardest part is that I live in Oklahoma. A place where new trends and fashion is but mere fiction. NO ONE has a open mind and NO ONE really is an art-lover. I live as an outcast. I spend my days submersed in Vogue and WWD, Art books and the internet. I would wear outfits I believe any fashionista would love and appreciate, yet i get started at and my sanity is questioned. Although most my classmates admire my bravery in being myself. My style is not your typical suburan style. Standing out here is like a death wish. I let one of the girls in my class read my Harper's Bazaar. She was making fun of Chanel dresses and Prada coats while she wore A&F and American Eagle. I was utterly offended. All the kids at my school wear uggs and A&F . The only thing that's pulling me through is knowing I will be in NYC and attending FIT next year. I fit in like a glove there. go figure.

It's funny how children will do anything to fit in. They'll talk a certain way and act a certain way. There is this girl who told me she loved my style, but thought it would look dumb on her and EVERYONE else would think so to. It's funny how people let what others think deter them. A&F is just another way to survive in this judging opinionated world. The Suburans need A&F in a way. The choice here is to face it alone and get out before it detroys you. or conform to them and live in seldom peace.

A&F is not fashion. My FIT summer live peers and I were trying to understand how the company survives. It's nothing buy a recreation of what was in the store the past year. I mean Target is even more innovative.

 

[Becca Rich]

Sorry I didn't mean to post that twice

 

[Katie123]

Is there really pretty boys shirtless in the front window of the store?

haha yes. i've seen in the nyc one and in the london one as well. it's funny cos the way they talk to you when you enter the shop is like..they're paid to flirt and just stand there!

 

[fashionispoison]

i used to wear a&f in high school and the beginning of my college years.

what the hell was i thinking?! $50 on a shirt that poor people in Asia got less than a cent a day for? the profit margins are insane and labor practices of these factories are illegal and inhumane. overall i am not very impressed with the company overall. they were defendents in a class action law suit for hiring good looking 'brand reps', preferably caucasian. that to me, is enough to drive me far far FAR away from ever making purchase at this place. yes, some of their hoodies are 'cute' but not worth $100+. it's not that i wouldn't fork up $100 for a hoodie anywhere at all, but particularly a place that practices slave labor and is discriminatory toward people that aren't good looking or aren't a certain nationality. their tees that read 'blondes do it best' 'brunettes rule' 'wanna ride?' can really be found anywhere in the realm of a shopping mall for much less (and also made in some Asian country by a slave). so this is what we're telling teens is 'cool' to wear?

the quality of their clothing isn't anything to rant and rave about. you can just find the same quality at zara's or h&m and EVEN forever21. the thinner material shirts are definitely forever21 quality- cheap!

it doesn't matter how cute the crap at a&f is. this company is the epiphany of what america has become in the eyes of other countries (and many americans themselves)

 

[reese06]

i used to wear a&f in high school and the beginning of my college years.

what the hell was i thinking?! $50 on a shirt that poor people in Asia got less than a cent a day for? the profit margins are insane and labor practices of these factories are illegal and inhumane. overall i am not very impressed with the company overall. they were defendents in a class action law suit for hiring good looking 'brand reps', preferably caucasian. that to me, is enough to drive me far far FAR away from ever making purchase at this place. yes, some of their hoodies are 'cute' but not worth $100+. it's not that i wouldn't fork up $100 for a hoodie anywhere at all, but particularly a place that practices slave labor and is discriminatory toward people that aren't good looking or aren't a certain nationality. their tees that read 'blondes do it best' 'brunettes rule' 'wanna ride?' can really be found anywhere in the realm of a shopping mall for much less (and also made in some Asian country by a slave). so this is what we're telling teens is 'cool' to wear?

the quality of their clothing isn't anything to rant and rave about. you can just find the same quality at zara's or h&m and EVEN forever21. the thinner material shirts are definitely forever21 quality- cheap!

it doesn't matter how cute the crap at a&f is. this company is the epiphany of what america has become in the eyes of other countries (and many americans themselves)

From these comments I'm assuming you don't like LVMH either??

 

[AJwasalllike]

hahah to reese06's comment,


but seriously.. I used to work there, never again..... quality is not what we should be up in arms about, because the only thing about their clothing that is bad are the holes in the jeans (just look for another pair). But their shirts, fleece, and outerwear DO last. Their cologne isn't half bad either.

Buuuuuutttttt, Michael Jeffries is a scary SCARY man. I've had to shake his hand before, and the company, morally, is bankrupt. **** heads really, who just create t-shirts that go way too far with what they say to gain publicity.

Bottom line is, they've been doing worse and worse and i seriously hope they don't last another 10 years... lets all not buy their clothes...

 

[fashionispoison]

reese06 LVMH emcompasses a whole other topic. pardon my lack of knowledge but you'll definitely have to educate me on LVMH's labor practices on a new thread.

 

[seanutbutter]

it doesn't matter how cute the crap at a&f is. this company is the epiphany of what america has become in the eyes of other countries (and many americans themselves)

How ignorant someone must be to think Abercrombie & Fitch represents an entire country. I have yet to meet anyone in America who believes this and am appalled that anyone, regardless of their location, would.

 

[Velouria]

My thoughts exactly. How can you have a brand w/no black? They manage I guess.

I used to work at American Eagle (which is a lot like Abercrombie but cheaper) and we never had anything black. One time we were unloading boxes and ONE black sweater came in and it was a big deal .

 

[fashionispoison]

seanut you're taking what i said too literally. what i meant is a&f is an example of how so many companies in the US are outsourcing to other countries, mostly 3rd world- and paying those people very unfair wages in comparison to the net gross. a&f is an example of discriminatory practices in the US and the practice of inhumane labor conditions.

anyway. everyone is entitled to their opinion and this one is mine.