Why Abercrombie & Fitch failed + won’t come back

Abercrombie & Fitch (and their sister brand Hollister) were on top of the world for over a decade, until they suddenly fell off a cliff and became incredibly uncool almost overnight. So what happened?? And more importantly, what does it mean for you if you are interested in marketing, fashion, apparel or starting your own brand?

In my opinion as someone who worked there for 4 years in design and marketing, I think it comes down to their culture which is frankly out of touch with the world in 2018. They created a company that was built around the aspirational image of a person who is no longer cool: rich white people… the captain of the football team or whatever. And that is just painfully out of touch with what youth culture is today.

Here’s my thoughts on why they failed, why they won’t come back, and what it means for you!

And I should note that I say this with all due respect to the many awesome people I worked with there. The designers that I worked with there were RIDICULOUSLY talented – easily the most talented creative team I have ever worked with, no contest – and I also loved the people I worked with on the shopping bags.

So if you work at A&F or worked with me, know that none of this is directed at you personally, and I bet you agree with most of what I’m saying here 🙂

Subscribe to my YouTube channel here

Finn McKenty

I am a creator, marketer and operator. My YouTube channel/podcast The Punk Rock MBA has reached over 20 million people worldwide. I've also spent over 15 years in the design and marketing industry with time spent on the startup, corporate and agency side at CreativeLive, Abercrombie & Fitch and working with brands like Microsoft, Starbucks, Febreze, Swiffer and dozens more.