The Abercrombie & Fitch brand was established in 1892 and became well known
as a supplier of rugged, high-quality outdoor gear. Famous for outfitting the
safaris of Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway and the expeditions of Admiral
Byrd to the North and South Poles, Abercrombie & Fitch goods were renowned
for their durability and dependability.
In 1992, a new management team began repositioning Abercrombie & Fitch
as a fashion-oriented casual apparel business directed at 18 to 22 year-old
male and female college students with a product assortment reflecting a youthful
lifestyle based upon an East Coast heritage and Ivy League traditions. In reestablishing
the Abercrombie & Fitch brand, the Company’s goal was to combine its historical
reputation for high quality with a new emphasis on casual American style and
youthfulness.
In 1998, the Company launched abercrombie, a brand directed at seven to 14 year-old
boys and girls, based on the traditions of Abercrombie & Fitch.
The Company launched its next brand, Hollister, in 2000. Hollister is a West
Coast oriented lifestyle brand targeted at 14 to 18 year-old high school aged
guys (“dudes”) and girls (“bettys”) that embodies the laid-back California surf
lifestyle.
Gilly Hicks. Gilly Hicks is the cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch. Inspired
by the free spirit of Sydney, Australia, Gilly Hicks makes the hottest Push
‘Em Up bras and the cutest Down Undies for young, naturally beautiful,
confident girls. Carefree and undeniably pretty, Gilly Hicks is the All-American
brand with a Sydney sensibility.
DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER BUSINESS.
The Company operates websites for each brand, both domestically and internationally.
The websites reinforce each particular brand’s lifestyle, and are designed
to complement the in-store experience.
The Company’s brands, Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, Hollister and RUEHL,
represent different American lifestyles and are targeted to appeal to the same
type of customer through different stages of his or her life from elementary
school through post-college. This is consistent with the Company’s belief that
“trend transcends age.”