The Abercrombie & Fitch brand has been around since the late 1800s. Traditionally, Abercrombie & Fitch stores were laid out as "chain stores" designed to recall images of hunting and Northeastern preppiness. However, the prep school appeal began to wane in the late 1980s, as more and more youth became enticed by urban couture. In 1988, a company called The Limited bought Abercrombie and reworked the brand to appeal to kids between the ages of 18 and 24. The new Abercrombie & Fitch focuses on casual luxury and appeals to a younger demographic with a lot of disposable income. Jeans, khakis, sweaters, and t-shirts are all A&F staples, usually in bold colors with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. The Limited eventually released control of Abercrombie & Fitch in the late 1990s. The company also got a boost from its catalogue, the Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly. This unique marketing concept combined interviews with famous celebrities, product placement, witty articles, and provocative photography. Many people subscribed to Abercrombie & Fitch's catalogue just to read the interviews and the articles and ended up getting hooked by the company's clothing, from trendy blouses and jeans to classic crewnecks and khaki pants. Abercrombie & Fitch also changed its image by remodeling its chain stores as so-called canoe stores. Today, each store is managed by a careful calculus dictated by the company's higher ups. Stores receive 100 page booklets every week detailing precisely how merchandise should be laid out, which colognes to spray where, and how to set the store music volume. This canoe concept has been incredibly successful, and A&F clothing, especially their funky and flirty t-shirts, remains incredibly popular among the hipper crowds.
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