Abercrombie and Fitch Drop Famous Logo; Are Logos Becoming Less Fashionable in North America? Find Out What Changes the Brand Has in Mind
The famous and once-coveted Abercrombie and Fitch (A&F) logo is no more, as the company has recently given up their logo due to declining public tastes and drops in sales. Time announced that A&F reported its 10th straight decline in quarterly sales this past Thursday, with net sales decreasing by 6 percent. Instead, A&F wants to focus more on fashion.
Public taste has changed, as young shoppers are now gravitating towards stores that are able to sell fashions adapted from the runway at cheaper prices. According to the New Yorker, when A&F was popular in the late nineties, it thrived through conformity. Analyst Steph Wissink noted, "All the popular kids were wearing the Abercrombie logo." Since the 2008 recession, not as many customers could afford the expensive fashions that A&F produced, and retail stores like H&M and Forever 21 that specialized in cheap knockoff clothing took off in sales.
In its effort to focus more on fashion, A&F will no longer be using its famous store hallmarks. ThinkProgress states that A&F will no longer dim its lights, and will 25% less fragrance sprayed in the store. Furthermore, the ban of black clothing will be lifted, as employees will be allowed to wear black and black clothing will be sold for the first time.
It is likely that A&F also hopes its new changes will be able to shed some of its past bad publicity. In 2004, A&F settled for $50 million when it was sued for discrimination against racial minorities, which was brought on by $25 shirts with racist slogans. For example, one shirt said "Wong Brothers Laundry Service - Two Wongs Can Make it White" next to two smiling faces wearing cone-shaped hats. ThinkProgress reports that A&F spokesman Hampton Carney responded by saying, "We personally thought Asians would love this shirt." Furthermore, a quote by Jeffries in 2006 saying that the brand targeted "cool, good-looking people" earned heavy criticism.
Time reports that the company is aiming for Abercrombie's logo-free options to reverse the brand's declining popularity and earnings.
