Abercrombie
When I was younger, Abercrombie was just getting going and its popularity was outrageous. Personally I've never been a fan. I don't like plastering company names all over my body, but most everyone owned at least one Abercrombie shirt. I also never liked all of the naked people (sometimes minors posing so explicitly) to attract sales. Admittedly, I have only stepped foot into an Abercrombie & Fitch store twice in my life. I don't bother shopping there, because I am well aware that my butt won't fit in their pants.
And that's on purpose.
The CEO of the clothing chain, Mike Jeffries, purposefully does not want "fat" people in his store. He recently made headlines, because he refuses to produce clothing in XL or XXL. He has a firm belief that his clothing should only be seen on attractive, thin people. It is his way of preserving his brand. In an interview with Salon.com, he stated the following:
“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. 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.
In case you were curious as to what this man looks like (since he deems himself to be some sort of gauge for what is attractive), here is my gift to you:
Some critics have been very harsh on his physical appearance after what appears to be at least one facelift and numerous plastic surgeries, even comparing him to the elephant man. I don't believe anyone gains anything of worth by such statements, although he is receiving from the world what he puts into it. What I believe this picture shows more strongly is a man whose essence is occupied with the physical. The surgeries reflect a fear of aging (perhaps even a hatred). The amount of work that he has had done is directly correlated to his feelings that you are only important or "cool" if you are beautiful...on the outside.
In my personal opinion, this man is failing on many accounts: psychological struggles resulting in distorted physical appearance, lack of acceptance of diversity, and now plummeting sales, which I will address shortly.
H&M
In a previous blog, I wrote about H&M using mannequins that look more like real women. They are now using models that look like real women too.
Jennie Runk, a size 12 and plus size model, was chosen as their 2013 swimwear model.
H&M is actively expanding their empire in America and just recently made online shopping available. For all of those that shop H&M and couldn't understand why it took so long to order online there's actually a very simple explanation. The company is headquartered in Norway, and they did not have a large warehouse in America from which to ship. Without that warehouse the company would have been unable to 1) house the clothing for short shipping times/distances and 2) with farther shipping the prices would have to go up, which would go against the whole point of shopping H&M.
Who is Bigger?
And I don't mean number of stores. Abercrombie & Fitch's sizes have been under scrutiny, so I took it upon myself to do some research on sizing available for A&F as well as H&M.
H&M A&F
Largest Women's Sizes available: 24 L (38" bust/31" waist)
Largest Men's Sizes available: XXL Shirt XXL Shirt < Look! They agree on something!
40 Pants 36 Pants < That didn't last long...
I personally found the men's clothing sizes very interesting. They will carry a XXL shirt for men, but only up to a 36 pant, which means that XXL shirt is really intended for bulky gym guys not the average man. From my experience as a costumer for many years, most grown men are between 38-42 in pant size. H&M also carries maternity clothing online as well. Pregnant women wearing Abercrombie clothing would not adhere to Jeffries' ideals.
Who's on Top?
I recently read an article by Reuters press chronicling Abercrombie's steadily decreasing sales. In August this year, Abercrombie reported a drop in sales by a whopping 10%. That's huge. This particular article was blaming the drop on teen shoppers: not as many teens have jobs, they are choosing to spend on electronics instead of clothing, etc. I think it's more than that.The exclusivity that Jeffries has embraced as the driving force of his brand is now crippling his company. Whether he likes it or not, the general public is starting to reject his branding concept and embracing that of companies such as H&M. Why would you want to shop in a store where you are being judged? It is a growing belief of mine that a company's success is directly related to the core values of those that operate. It's what differentiates a great company.
Although I'm beyond disposable clothing (which is what H&M is), I fully support the decisions they are making as a company. They have a mixture of models. Do they sometimes use women that are still ridiculously skinny? Yes, they do. I'm not blind to that. It appears to be inescapable in the fashion industry (although I don't know why). Successful branding is based in the concept that you are creating a lifestyle that people want to live, and I do not want to live Jeffries' lifestyle. It seems his theory that to try to include everyone will mean disaster is certainly not true.
Where will you choose to shop?
#beautyandthecurves #abercrombie #hm #womensissues #loveyourbody
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