I love it when Netflix pulls it out the bag, and has us all hooked bingeing then rushing to discuss their latest and greatest, can’t-believe-this-actually-happened, documentary smasher.

I’m talking about shows like ‘Woodstock 99', ‘Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?’, ‘Tiger King’ and in the case of this email - ‘White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch’.

I’ll be completely honest, I never liked Abercrombie. Back in the mid-noughties their clothes were tasteless and boring - big ugly oversized logos slapped across hoodies, polos, and varsity jackets.

Think, the uniform of the cliché high school jock - a rich privileged white kid with the girl everybody wants, who bullies the protagonist in your run of the mill, American teen comedy. 

I disliked everything about the brand including their; shallow sexualised advertising, half dressed ‘male model’ employees, dimly-lit shops, and cheap smelling scents wafting through the vents. 

And it wasn’t just the clothes or marketing that was of poor taste either, according to Insider, their former CEO, Mike Jeffries described the brand as being geared toward high school's "cool kids" who weren't "overweight or unattractive". What a nice guy eh?

That toxic CEO left the business in 2014, and in 2017 Fran Horowitz stepped into the seat and changed EVERYTHING for the better!

A few months back I was sat on a bus bored out of my skull, scrolling through Instagram, when a carousel ad for a collection of menswear grabbed my attention. I flicked through the pics without checking the brand name and was shocked to discover it was, yep you guessed it… Abercrombie. 

A week or so later, a group of us were chatting over lunch about Abercrombie’s new range, turns out we’d all been targeted and served! 

The brand has had a complete revamp, and you know what, I’m all for it! 

So with that said:

Here are 4 lessons about brand reinvention to take away from Abercrombie:

1) They repositioned their brand

As a fellow marketer I don’t need to tell you how important positioning is in business, and Fran Horowitiz was well aware too. The brand ditched everything from the shirtless models and over-sexualised advertising, to their dimly-lit stores and frat boy clothes. 

Shifting their positioning from the ‘essence of privilege, luxury and ivy-league heritage’ to ‘effortless American style rooted in the heritage of quality craftsmanship’.

From this:

to this:

The stopped targeting 18-27 year olds in favour of an older demographic, shifting to young millennials to attract older youth and young professionals with quality casual wear.

Their persona lives for the long weekend and needs clothes that suit long-weekend activities like weddings, travel, side gigs or relaxation at home.

2) They diversified

Old Abercrombie used predominantly skinny/ muscular white models, and the company has been sued numerous times for discriminatory hiring practices. They’ve now put an end to hiring based on physical appearance - which is a massive step forward!

Their models are now relatable and ordinary looking (in a positive way), they wear clothes, some have facial hair, there are more people of colour, and thankfully they celebrate different shapes and sizes too…

Believe it or not, their old CEO wouldn’t sell plus size clothing, he didn’t allow the company to sell clothes beyond a size large! This has been corrected and their size range has now been extended. 

They’ve launched some excellent initiatives:

👏 The Equity Project is dedicated to social and racial justice! Aiming to: “empower all voices and make an impact by generating funding, enabling change and sharing the experiences of underrepresented communities.”

👏 Vol 28: is a “recurring collection designed to amplify Black voices and culture beyond Black History Month—because the 28 days of February are not enough.”

👏 PROUD Year Round - “In support of Pride and our ongoing partnership, we're donating $400,000 to The Trevor Project this year, regardless of sales.”

3) They designed better quality clothes

The clothes have shifted from oversized logos and low-rise jeans, moving to more down-to-earth looks and refined basics. They aim to create ‘modern classics with an aspirational look, feel and attitude’.

The colour palette is muted and they celebrate earthy tones. The quality has improved tons too, using better materials and hardware.

They’ve also made a commitment to sustainable fashion. Since 2019 they’ve saved 190 million+ gallons of water from denim production with more efficient dying and washing methods. And started sourcing cotton from Better Cotton, a company that supports farmers who are taught to use water efficiently, care for soil health and natural habitats, reduce harmful chemicals and respect workers rights and wellbeing.

Ditching the privilege and the prep, Abercrombie has emerged a more wholesome and on-trend brand targeted to those entering adulthood.

4) They went big on digital

Abercrombie has pivoted away from being a high street retailer and instead has adopted the omni channel. Consumers now have a better buying experience as they can purchase online and collect or return product instore. 

The experience instore has improved, shops are now light, warm and welcoming. On a global level, the stores have been designed to embrace localised preferences.

They use data and analytics to track customer preferences, behaviours and purchase history, and have implemented features like predictive search, and highlighting styles that a user browsed in the past to “elevate the experience” and “remove friction.

The aim is to get the right product to the customer in the fastest time possible. Personalisation is key to winning!

In 2022, digital sales accounted for roughly 44% of total sales. In contrast, five years earlier in 2017 that number was only 28% of total sales.

Obviously their paid social ads are working or we wouldn’t be having this little conversation. But they’re winning with organic social too, and their presence on TikTok is outstanding.

TikTok hauls and try-on videos have put the brand back in front of former customers who otherwise probably wouldn’t have considered purchasing Abercrombie. 

They’ve partnered with a diverse set of influencers, and #abercrombie and #abercrombiehaul have 158 million+ and 16.5 million+ TikTok views.

So here’s what you can takeaway: 

I’m a big believer in forgiveness and second chances. Times change and things move on. It’s never too late to reinvent - whether that’s a brand reinvention or a personal change. The values we were once known for don’t necessarily define who we are in the present, or who we will become in the future. 

A couple more things to check out 📚:

How to rebrand - Ross Kimbarovsky -: What it is, Why it’s Important, Strategies, and Examples 📚

Some examples  - Jami Oetting -  The 30 Best and Worst Rebrands of All Time 📚

Share the love! 💕 

If you liked this email and think your pals would enjoy reading this too please recommend us, forward on this email or share this link: https://wearenorth.uk/friends-in-the-north/

I love chatting to passionate people about marketing and creativity, find me on LinkedIn

Thanks for reading, this issue was written by Dominic Apes (NORTH - Head of Marketing).

If you fancy a chat, then please reach out!