Clothing brand that is marketed to college-age people, but purchased mostly by middle- and high-school students, it seems. Started in the 19th century, it was once a sporting-goods store, in the "hunting things for sport" sense. They weren't doing well in the nineties, so the new CEO decided to revitalize the company by selling stylish, preppy clothing for younger people. He thought that maybe if they sold things at crazy-high prices ($50 for a cotton t-shirt, etc.) then teens and young twenties would somehow buy the clothing because it would be "cool" if it was expensive. Or some kind of crazy reverse-psychology marketing idea. Anyway, everyone thought this was a terrible idea, but as the younger set are often easily confused by marketing ploys, the company became very successful.
Currently, A&F is hugely symbolic in American high schools - and middle schools, too. People who wear Abercrombie are often well-to-do and attractive, and so they are thought of as "popular" or "preppy." Being teenagers, they are often very possessive of their popularity and are loath to accept or be friendly with other types of kids. "Other types" means those who want to dress or act differently than the A&F children.
To those who hate it, it represents either the kind of money-squandering that they can't afford, or the frivolous and cruel social structure that they can't be a part of. A&F clothes are often cheaply made and fall apart in the wash, or are made to show lots of skin, which is disturbing when seventh-graders are amassing closetfuls of it. Basically, it's clothing that they know isn't worth the money, but that they buy because it's cool and pretty much normal to do so.
Abercrombie symbolizes affluence, coolness, stylishness, fitting it, being popular, being hott with two t's, being normal, conforming, being mindless, being careless, being without inhibition. A&F symbolizes being a young person - you don't have to worry or work or do anything except study and play and flirt and look good. For its supporters, it is innocence, and for its opponents, it is ignorance. That's why Abercrombie is so hugely controversial.
Currently, A&F is hugely symbolic in American high schools - and middle schools, too. People who wear Abercrombie are often well-to-do and attractive, and so they are thought of as "popular" or "preppy." Being teenagers, they are often very possessive of their popularity and are loath to accept or be friendly with other types of kids. "Other types" means those who want to dress or act differently than the A&F children.
To those who hate it, it represents either the kind of money-squandering that they can't afford, or the frivolous and cruel social structure that they can't be a part of. A&F clothes are often cheaply made and fall apart in the wash, or are made to show lots of skin, which is disturbing when seventh-graders are amassing closetfuls of it. Basically, it's clothing that they know isn't worth the money, but that they buy because it's cool and pretty much normal to do so.
Abercrombie symbolizes affluence, coolness, stylishness, fitting it, being popular, being hott with two t's, being normal, conforming, being mindless, being careless, being without inhibition. A&F symbolizes being a young person - you don't have to worry or work or do anything except study and play and flirt and look good. For its supporters, it is innocence, and for its opponents, it is ignorance. That's why Abercrombie is so hugely controversial.
Non-AF person: Why is that Abercrombie and Fitch model shown without wearing any clothing that could possibly be an advertised Abercrombie and Fitch product? It's marketing an image that obviously doesn't even need the clothes to exist! This is the decline of intelligent human society! Why are you so dumb, that you buy these ridiculous garments only because others do? Read a newspaper! Get a job and learn the value of a dollar!
AF Person: But she looks so cool. See, the naked guy over there is hot too. My older sister/The most popular girl in my class/that model wears A&F shirts. Maybe my mom will buy me this shirt. Maybe then I can look like her. I will look so good, who cares what it costs? I mean, if everyone else buys it then it's obviously not a bad deal, right? And it's so cute, who cares if it's a little flimsy? So you, you person with the problem, you just wish you could afford this/looked like me/were cool like me, right? Of course! Yeah, I'm still cool....
AF Person: But she looks so cool. See, the naked guy over there is hot too. My older sister/The most popular girl in my class/that model wears A&F shirts. Maybe my mom will buy me this shirt. Maybe then I can look like her. I will look so good, who cares what it costs? I mean, if everyone else buys it then it's obviously not a bad deal, right? And it's so cute, who cares if it's a little flimsy? So you, you person with the problem, you just wish you could afford this/looked like me/were cool like me, right? Of course! Yeah, I'm still cool....
by Bindlebeep September 1, 2005
A popular clothing store with a target audience of upper-middle class white teens and college students, 14-25. A+F competes with similarly targeted clothing stores such as American Eagle, The Gap, and Old Navy. Despite it's popularity and controversial marketing tactics, Abercrombie and Fitch is still regularly beaten by Old Navy in sales.
Abercrombie and Fitch are highly controversial for the image attached to the name and for their suspect business practices.
The image attached to A+F clothing tends be regarded as either: elite, sexy, expensive, suggestive of money and status, and popular; or mindless, racist, elitist, shallow, and depraved, depending on viewpoint.
Abercrombie and Fitch has come under numerous lawsuits for alleged racism and discrimination in their hiring and marketing tactics. Furthermore, A+F's marketing is extremely skillful with psychological manipulation. The stores are equipped with looped advertisments running non-stop in back areas, designed for maximum saturation of propaganda, and affect multiple senses at once with constant spritzing of their trademark fragrance, loud, pulsing music, offsetting lighting and visual propaganda, and availble tactile stimulation. These are all coupled with heavy sexual imagery (to compound the point, the music played is also inductive of sexuality).
Much of the marketing tactics of A+F border on or directly resemble fascist (particularly Nazist with the excessive elitism and alleged racism) indoctrination techniques. Along with Hollister Co., which is owned by the same company and employs identicle tactics, the stores are often viewed as cultish because of their heavy propaganda and the apparent mindlessness often associated with those who shop at A+F. The youth targeted and often excessive sexuality of A+F propaganda gives A+F an image of depravity not shared with other similar stores such as American Eagle (excepting Hollister Co. which again, is very similar to A+F).
While overly gross generalizations are often made of people who shop at A+F, the cultish image created by A+F and the zealot nature of some A+F supporters, as well as the frequency with which the stereotypes are accurate refect poorly on the overall group who shop there.
Much of A+F's tactics can be seen in fascist philosophy.
Abercrombie and Fitch are highly controversial for the image attached to the name and for their suspect business practices.
The image attached to A+F clothing tends be regarded as either: elite, sexy, expensive, suggestive of money and status, and popular; or mindless, racist, elitist, shallow, and depraved, depending on viewpoint.
Abercrombie and Fitch has come under numerous lawsuits for alleged racism and discrimination in their hiring and marketing tactics. Furthermore, A+F's marketing is extremely skillful with psychological manipulation. The stores are equipped with looped advertisments running non-stop in back areas, designed for maximum saturation of propaganda, and affect multiple senses at once with constant spritzing of their trademark fragrance, loud, pulsing music, offsetting lighting and visual propaganda, and availble tactile stimulation. These are all coupled with heavy sexual imagery (to compound the point, the music played is also inductive of sexuality).
Much of the marketing tactics of A+F border on or directly resemble fascist (particularly Nazist with the excessive elitism and alleged racism) indoctrination techniques. Along with Hollister Co., which is owned by the same company and employs identicle tactics, the stores are often viewed as cultish because of their heavy propaganda and the apparent mindlessness often associated with those who shop at A+F. The youth targeted and often excessive sexuality of A+F propaganda gives A+F an image of depravity not shared with other similar stores such as American Eagle (excepting Hollister Co. which again, is very similar to A+F).
While overly gross generalizations are often made of people who shop at A+F, the cultish image created by A+F and the zealot nature of some A+F supporters, as well as the frequency with which the stereotypes are accurate refect poorly on the overall group who shop there.
Much of A+F's tactics can be seen in fascist philosophy.
The constant sensual assault of the Abercrombie and Fitch stores strongly resembles the mass propaganda events held in Communist China that air on Chinese television all day, every day.
by Elnion June 7, 2006
A nice clothing store which is bashed by many people for being skanky and too expensive. Skanky? Not really, unless you consider the moose logo to be too close to a girl's breast (oh, the horror). Expensive? Yes, but have you ever noticed any designers? Such as Prada, Burberry, or Marc Jacobs? They are all a hell of a lot more expensive but a hell of a lot less bashed. Maybe people wear it to look 'preppy' and 'sexy', but unlike those people, I wear A&F because the quality is nice and I happen to like their style and designs.
Also, you can find $80 sweaters on clearance for $12. Good deal, I'd say.
Also, you can find $80 sweaters on clearance for $12. Good deal, I'd say.
A&F Hater: Eww, why are you wearing that horrible Abercrombie and Fitch top? It must've been like forty dollars!
A&F shopper: Uh, no, I got it on clearance for ten dollars. But it was originally twenty.
A&F Hater: Oh.
A&F shopper: Uh, no, I got it on clearance for ten dollars. But it was originally twenty.
A&F Hater: Oh.
by Supporter of A&F August 10, 2007
I've been reading a lot of entries of people who are against people who hate abercrombie, they are saying that we stereotype them as "preppys" and "rich kids" well they are doing the same thing
i choose not to wear abercrombie & fitch not because i am too poor, or too fat, or emo, or any of the other crap they are saying. i choose not to wear it because they are racist, they say the hire "american looking people" because it is an "all american store" which would explain why they are making people in the philippines work 15 hrs. a day to make their clothes and sometimes get paid less than a dollar an hour.
and for people who have to put shirtless guys and hot models to advertise their store, they must be pretty pathetic.
i choose not to wear abercrombie & fitch not because i am too poor, or too fat, or emo, or any of the other crap they are saying. i choose not to wear it because they are racist, they say the hire "american looking people" because it is an "all american store" which would explain why they are making people in the philippines work 15 hrs. a day to make their clothes and sometimes get paid less than a dollar an hour.
and for people who have to put shirtless guys and hot models to advertise their store, they must be pretty pathetic.
"oh look at all those pretty girls on this abercrombie and fitch website! i guess if i ask my daddy for a few extra hundred dollars, i could buy that shirt and look just as sexy!"
by g r a c i e April 21, 2006
Abercrombie and Fitch is a clothing store going towards the teen demographic but it is edging towards the childrens as well. They use sexual refrences, illegal, and wrong things to sell clothing to children.It is moderately priced but still on the expensive end compared to Aeropostale and other stores. I am personally not a fan of the store but thats just my opinion. Don't call me a poor, jealous, emo or punk (I actually find sterotypes dumb) girl because I am not. I am in no way fitting in any of these groups. Abercrombie and Fitch typically sells clothes that are plastered with there label and they mostly become prewrinkled or preripped. I also find that this is retarded because you can be in style by buying clothes from Kohl's or Goody's and ripping them yourself. I don't hate the people that wear this brand, I just think that it is a retarded store in my opinion.
MML
MML
Abercrombie and Fitch Lover (At least at my school):Ewwww... your not wearing Abercrombie!
Me: Yea, I know!
AL:Why?
Me:I don't like the brand.
Me: Yea, I know!
AL:Why?
Me:I don't like the brand.
by mmljazzdancer December 23, 2006
Abercrombie and Fitch is a store that, ironically, advertises their highly-priced clothing with shirtless men. This suggests that if you buy their products you will look like the model who works his abs for hours each day. Sadly, buying an Abercrombie product will NOT make you look like that model. Buying Abercrombie (A&F) clothes makes people feel hot and prestigious, even if they're not.
Popular products include:
1. Jeans with lots of tears in them.
2. Shirts and sweatshirts with a moose on them.
3. Clothes that boldly say "ABERCROMBIE" or "A&F" or some other advertisement for the company.
4. Regular clothes like tank tops, jackets, jeans, bathing suits, scarves etc. They can sometimes be cute. However, none of the clothes products are particularly interesting or eye-catching. There are no fun patterns or colors, and nothing is unique.
Important Note: Abercrombie was recently sued for only hiring based on looks: slender, fake-tanned, white, pretty, athletic type (etc) young adults. The idea of A&F is to attract customers with the hot people who ring up your purchase or unlock the dressing room for you.
Popular products include:
1. Jeans with lots of tears in them.
2. Shirts and sweatshirts with a moose on them.
3. Clothes that boldly say "ABERCROMBIE" or "A&F" or some other advertisement for the company.
4. Regular clothes like tank tops, jackets, jeans, bathing suits, scarves etc. They can sometimes be cute. However, none of the clothes products are particularly interesting or eye-catching. There are no fun patterns or colors, and nothing is unique.
Important Note: Abercrombie was recently sued for only hiring based on looks: slender, fake-tanned, white, pretty, athletic type (etc) young adults. The idea of A&F is to attract customers with the hot people who ring up your purchase or unlock the dressing room for you.
Thought of a guy driving by an Abercrombie and Fitch billboard: "WOW. That man has killer biceps! If only I shopped at A&F more often, I'd look like that hot model, and get all the chicks."
by Zosia May 26, 2006
Store that became infamous because they won't hire minorities and for creating a t-shirt that set back the Asian American movenment 100 years.
Person 1: Hey have you seen that A&F Two Wongs make it white shirt?
Person 2: Yeah, that's some racist ass shit. What's next, a guy with a queue pulling a rickshaw?
Person 1: (sarcastically) Haha, racism and ignorance is hilarious.
Person 2: Yeah, that's some racist ass shit. What's next, a guy with a queue pulling a rickshaw?
Person 1: (sarcastically) Haha, racism and ignorance is hilarious.
by noise June 8, 2005