Abercrombie And Fitch – The Greatest Success Story Of The Past 20 Years?
One of the great success stories of the last twenty years has been Abercrombie and Fitch. The company has actually been in existence for well over a hundred years. The company was originally founded to sell clothing and goods for hiking and sports in the nineteenth century, and in an early example of product placement, was worn by several writers including Steinbeck, and even a few U.S. Presidents. However, it’s really only been since the the late eighties when the company was bought out by the Limited and re-invented that Abercrombie and Fitch really developed to the level that it is today that you can’t walk down a street without seeing at least two or three people dressed in Abercrombie hoodies. Far more than the great high fashion houses of France and Italy, Abercrombie and Fitch have become known as the great label worn by the under 30s.
The company itself has been involved in controversy several times in the last decade, but has recently posted profits in excess of $1.5 billion, and business is booming. Abercrombie clothing is stylish, modern, and seen as associated with an outdoor or sporty lifestyle.
Abercrombie has also expanded hugely outside of just the US, and maintains a European headquarters in Italy, and stores in the UK, France, Italy, Canada, and Germany. Its success in Europe and North America is really a lesson to the more traditional fashion houses in how to market yourself, and Abercrombie and Fitch are extremely close to global dominance, if they’re not there already.
