Abercrombie & Fitch Refuses To Make Clothes For Large Women
Jeanwah
Posts: 6,363
Not that I care, I've always hated the brand, but it is newsworthy.
Abercrombie & Fitch Refuses To Make Clothes For Large Women
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrom ... z2SnvBPQAN
Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing because they don't want overweight women wearing their brand.
They want the "cool kids," and they don't consider plus-sized women as being a part of that group.
Abercrombie is sticking to its guns of conventional beauty, even as that standard becomes outdated.
Contrast Abercrombie with H&M, another favorite with the teen set, who just subtly introduced a plus-sized model in its latest swimwear collection.
H&M has a plus-sized line. American Eagle, Abercrombie's biggest competitor, offers up to size XXL for men and women.
Abercrombie doesn't even list women's XL or XXL on its size chart. Its largest women's pants are a size 10, while H&M's standard line goes up to a size 16, and American Eagle offers up to 18.
It's not surprising that Abercrombie excludes plus-sized women considering the attitude of CEO Mike Jeffries, said Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail and CEO of newsletter The Robin Report.
"He doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people," Lewis told Business Insider. "He doesn't want his core customers to see people who aren't as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they're one of the 'cool kids.'"
The only reason Abercrombie offers XL and XXL men's sizes is probably to appeal to beefy football players and wrestlers, Lewis said.
We asked the company why it doesn't offer larger sizes for women. A spokeswoman told us that Abercrombie wasn't available to provide a comment.
In a 2006 interview with Salon, Jeffries himself said that his business was built around sex appeal.
“It’s almost everything. That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries also told Salon that he wasn't bothered by excluding some customers.
“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the site. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."
Jeffries said he thinks that including everyone would make his business boring.
"Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either," he told Salon.
While a specialty retailer like Abercrombie can't be expected to appeal to everyone, the brand's standard of beauty is quickly becoming stale.
Plus-sized is no longer a niche market: 67 percent of the apparel purchasing population fit that label, and the number is growing all the time.
For too long, this sizable and growing segment has been ignored," writes Margaret Bogenrief at ACM Partners. "Treated shabbily, ostracized by the “pro-skinny fashion world,” and seemingly discarded by designers, department stores, and retailers alike, plus-size fashion consumers, critics, and bloggers are taking back their spending and sartorial power and, in turn, changing both the e-commerce and retailing landscapes."
Ignoring this "revolution" could be costly for businesses, Bogenrief writes.
More brands are featuring curvy, "real-sized," models.
In addition to H&M's Jennie Runk, Dove's wildly popular "Real Beauty" campaign highlights women who aren't as thin as traditional models.
But it's unlikely that Abercrombie will ever sway from its image, Lewis told us.
"Abercrombie is only interested in people with washboard stomachs who look like they're about to jump on a surfboard," Lewis said.
Abercrombie & Fitch Refuses To Make Clothes For Large Women
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrom ... z2SnvBPQAN
Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing because they don't want overweight women wearing their brand.
They want the "cool kids," and they don't consider plus-sized women as being a part of that group.
Abercrombie is sticking to its guns of conventional beauty, even as that standard becomes outdated.
Contrast Abercrombie with H&M, another favorite with the teen set, who just subtly introduced a plus-sized model in its latest swimwear collection.
H&M has a plus-sized line. American Eagle, Abercrombie's biggest competitor, offers up to size XXL for men and women.
Abercrombie doesn't even list women's XL or XXL on its size chart. Its largest women's pants are a size 10, while H&M's standard line goes up to a size 16, and American Eagle offers up to 18.
It's not surprising that Abercrombie excludes plus-sized women considering the attitude of CEO Mike Jeffries, said Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail and CEO of newsletter The Robin Report.
"He doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people," Lewis told Business Insider. "He doesn't want his core customers to see people who aren't as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they're one of the 'cool kids.'"
The only reason Abercrombie offers XL and XXL men's sizes is probably to appeal to beefy football players and wrestlers, Lewis said.
We asked the company why it doesn't offer larger sizes for women. A spokeswoman told us that Abercrombie wasn't available to provide a comment.
In a 2006 interview with Salon, Jeffries himself said that his business was built around sex appeal.
“It’s almost everything. That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries also told Salon that he wasn't bothered by excluding some customers.
“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the site. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."
Jeffries said he thinks that including everyone would make his business boring.
"Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either," he told Salon.
While a specialty retailer like Abercrombie can't be expected to appeal to everyone, the brand's standard of beauty is quickly becoming stale.
Plus-sized is no longer a niche market: 67 percent of the apparel purchasing population fit that label, and the number is growing all the time.
For too long, this sizable and growing segment has been ignored," writes Margaret Bogenrief at ACM Partners. "Treated shabbily, ostracized by the “pro-skinny fashion world,” and seemingly discarded by designers, department stores, and retailers alike, plus-size fashion consumers, critics, and bloggers are taking back their spending and sartorial power and, in turn, changing both the e-commerce and retailing landscapes."
Ignoring this "revolution" could be costly for businesses, Bogenrief writes.
More brands are featuring curvy, "real-sized," models.
In addition to H&M's Jennie Runk, Dove's wildly popular "Real Beauty" campaign highlights women who aren't as thin as traditional models.
But it's unlikely that Abercrombie will ever sway from its image, Lewis told us.
"Abercrombie is only interested in people with washboard stomachs who look like they're about to jump on a surfboard," Lewis said.
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It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Columbus-2003
Cincinnati-2006
Columbus-2010
Wrigley-2013
Cincinnati-2014
Lexington-2016
Wrigley 1 & 2-2018
I am sorry.
My experience with that company is what turned me off of the idea of loyalty in business being a two way street. Happiest day of my life to that point was the 14 hour drive back home after I quit.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Even Victorias Secret gave in and started producing bras for women who were larger then a D cup
These are the people I ran from in high school- ran all the way to Seattle- where they only had 1 abercrombie at the Four Season hotel- back when abercrombie had just started to target young people. It used be more of an outdoor/hunting clothing store for men- and much cooler- now I wouldn't set foot in that place.
At the same time- I see no real problem with abercrombie carrying whatever sizes they want to carry.
Smart people won't buy into this bullshit. Stupid teenagers who care more about how they look than where their clothes come from will continue to go there- super keep them out of my stores.
EV Long Beach 7/6/11 , LA Wiltern (miracled in) 7/8/11, EV Benaroya Hall 10/24/23
thank christ i have not been in a mall for over a decade.
Gotta agree with this....
It's all marketing and demographics - and generally: Reality. These kind of things go BOTH ways. Nothing to get worked up over - it's just the way it is. BMW doesn't make a minimum wage model. Weight Watchers doesn't make a drink for the overly skinny (that I am aware of - regardless - you get the point). A&F chooses to sell to the attractive - it's their right - so far they seem to be doing pretty well with it. Kind of reminds me of Augusta not allowing female members - the shit storm that caused - yet I am not allowed to join the gym closest to my house, because it is female only.
08/21/2009: Toronto, ON
09/11/2011: Toronto, ON
07/16/2013: London, ON
10/12/2013: Buffalo, NY
10/16/2014: Detroit, MI
05/08/2016: Ottawa, ON
05/10/2016: Toronto, ON
05/12/2016: Toronto, ON
08/20/2016: Chicago, IL
08/22/2016: Chicago, IL
Oversize clothing is the least of A&F's image problems. Take a read about the real Abercrombie and Fitch including taking a sneak peek at those thin shoppers in the dressing rooms. Could have been your daughter or son.
Tell Abercrombie and Target to Take Responsibility for Workers Burned Alive
In December 2010, 28 workers making clothes for Abercrombie & Fitch and Target were killed in a massive fire at a sweatshop in Bangladesh. Some were burned to death, some suffocated to death, some jumped to their death, and hundreds more were seriously injured.
Seven corporations sourced from the factory where the fire took place. Five of the seven companies have responded by taking steps to do the right thing, and labor rights groups are working overtime to hold them to their promises. But Target and Abercrombie & Fitch see things quite differently. To date, their only response has to been to claim they are "reviewing options for financial contributions" and suggest a "training program" for workers "to reduce the risk of recurrence."
I don't think anyone is saying it should be illegal, just pointing it out for those that will take it into account when deciding where to shop. I can't stand the brand for other reasons all together, but their practices about how they talk to and treat their "brand reps" is horrible. I won't support them and honestly I hope this article makes a few more not support them
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
I also think anyone who buys something solely for the label / image factor falls into that group (by my own standards, of course).
Yeah. The thing is, it's mostly a rich teen's brand. So when I see these kids where the brand, I don't think they're douchebags, I just think they've got a lot of money to burn and they're obsessed with labels and image.
But how can he or you say who is attractive or not? That's the problem. It's disgraceful.
The "cool kids" are not just the skinny people. He is a dumbass.
You can spend your time alone, redigesting past regrets, oh
or you can come to terms and realize
you're the only one who can't forgive yourself, oh
makes much more sense to live in the present tense - Present Tense
Not sure where I said I could judge who is attractive or not....
The shallow and mindless is a large market - they're just feeding the demand. His comments are likely nothing more than fuel on the fire - that this is an exclusive brand for the wealthy and attractive - which only makes them want it more.
08/21/2009: Toronto, ON
09/11/2011: Toronto, ON
07/16/2013: London, ON
10/12/2013: Buffalo, NY
10/16/2014: Detroit, MI
05/08/2016: Ottawa, ON
05/10/2016: Toronto, ON
05/12/2016: Toronto, ON
08/20/2016: Chicago, IL
08/22/2016: Chicago, IL
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
The poison from the poison stream caught up to you ELEVEN years ago and you floated out of here. Sept. 14, 08
More or less how I feel. However I don't see an issue here, it's a free market decision by a company. Don't like it? Lose the weight then.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I'm naturally big boned!
The poison from the poison stream caught up to you ELEVEN years ago and you floated out of here. Sept. 14, 08
Are you saying that fat (big boned) people can't flip their collars up because their necks are too big? Maybe AF stands for "Against Fat"?
The poison from the poison stream caught up to you ELEVEN years ago and you floated out of here. Sept. 14, 08
clearly this is the look they are going for
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
also, if everyone just worked together at bankrupting mr. asshole he would go broke & his little clothing labels wouldn't be sewn in sweatshops in bangladesh
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
Lol
Wasn't he in Mask?
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."