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[Abercrombie & Fitch] is the most popular and fashionable teen retailer. From humble beginnings Abercrombie has become a teenage Mecca. Originally A&F was a professional sporting goods store that outfitted some of America’s finest and most influential leaders and other wealthy patrons. In 1988, Limited Brands acquired the [Abercrombie & Fitch] name and carefully rolled out its new concept and created the [Abercrombie & Fitch] we know and love today. You can find [Abercrombie & Fitch] located throughout America in upscale shopping malls. The chain targets 18-24 year old college students from the upper-middle class, but it is more popular among middle and high school students. [Abercrombie & Fitch] promotes itself as a lifestyle brand, which is a brand that embodies the values and appeal of a desirable way of living. Stores have pictures of physically attractive models and they are carefully laid out. Merchandise is rotated so the regular customers always have a different shopping experience. The stores also are spritzed daily with Abercrombie cologne and feature loud dance music blaring though powerful speakers. Abercrombie stores also hire workers who embody the Abercrombie image; attractive, athletic, popular, enthusiastic, and outgoing. Abercrombie’s clothing is fairly predictable they feature common staples such as woven shirts, denim, miniskirts, cargo shorts, wool sweaters, polo shirts, and t-shirts. Labels on clothing reinforce the company’s image of as a casual luxury merchandiser and emphasize the quality and durability of the product. Careful marketing made the brand synonymous with wealth and status among young patrons. Abercrombie stores are easily [recognized] by a white facade, navy blue awnings, and solid metal and glass doors. The interior features gray walls, white molding, polished concrete and black wood floors, metal fixtures, and large pictures of scantily-clad models. [Abercrombie & Fitch] has been mired in controversy due to its ill-fated A&F Quarterly, accusations of discrimination against minority employees, and degrading T-shirts. The A&F Quarterly was a magazine/catalog sold from 1997 to 2003; it was released four times a year and included erotic photographs along with articles and advertisements for their clothing. After protests from religious organizations and other activist groups Abercrombie pulled the catalog from the stores, they then announced they were discontinuing the A&F Quarterly. Abercrombie has also been criticized for slogans on their clothing. Back in 2002 controversy erupted over shirts featuring racist caricatures of Asians and other ethnic groups. One shirt featured the slogan "Wong Brothers Laundry Service—Two Wongs Can Make It White" with smiling figures in conical hats, a 1900s popular-culture depiction of Chinese immigrants. That year A&F also created thongs for children that included phrases like "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink" printed on the front. The shirts and thongs were taken down after many protests and boycotts across the country. In 2004 more controversy occurred due to a shirt featuring the phrase, "It's All Relative in West Virginia." West Virginia governor Bob Wise spoke out against the company for depicting "an unfounded, negative stereotype of West Virginia," but the shirts were not removed. Another incident involved a shirt with the phrase "L is for loser" written next to a picture of a gymnast on the rings. The company stopped selling the shirt in October of 2004 after USA Gymnastics started a boycott. In 2005 Abercrombie was the subject of a "girl-cott" due to degrading slogans such as "Who needs a brain when you have these?", "Available for parties", and “Blondes are adored, Brunettes are ignored”, they were pulled on November 5th after pressure from the media and activist groups. [Abercrombie & Fitch] has also been accused of discrimination against minority employees. . A 2004 lawsuit — Gonzales v. [Abercrombie & Fitch] — accused the company of discriminating against minority employees by offering desirable positions to white employees. Abercrombie decided to settle out of court the terms of the settlement included paying $40 million to rejected applicants and affected employees and create a force to promote diversity in their stores. [Abercrombie & Fitch] operates three additional concept stores: abercrombie (Abercrombie Kids), a smaller version of the original chain which aims to attract patrons ages 7-14; Hollister Co., which sells California-inspired apparel to attract patrons 14-18; and RUEHL, which sells business casual and leather goods to target ages 22-30. [Abercrombie & Fitch] has attempted to differentiate itself from its sister brand by raising price-points, introducing a line of higher-end merchandise called "Ezra Fitch," and establishing strategies to limit the intrusion of Hollister into key [Abercrombie & Fitch] markets.

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