Abercrombie and Fitch VS Hollister
By Alexis Taylor and Madison Giovanni

    There are hundreds of clothing brands available on the market, but the two that are very frequently seen on people all over the nation are Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister. Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister are extremely popular clothing brands that sell things from shirts and pants to bags and swimsuits. Even though they say different things on them and have two very distinctive animals as their “symbols”. There is a  question that frequently comes up about them.This important and highly popular; are the two even that different?
    For those of you who aren’t quite familiar with the one of the most popular shops for teenagers, Hollister, here is some background information. Hollister was originally designed to attract customers that are fourteen through eighteen, but has branched out to customers of many different ages. When we asked the question, do you like Hollister and why?, Anjali P., a seventh grader that goes to Stoller Middle School, answered the question like this: “I love Hollister! I think their clothes are comfortable and stylish. I heard they are closing, but I think that’s a rumor. Otherwise, I’ll die.” However, Stoller Middle School’s Majed K., answered the question like this; “No, I don’t. I feel they are repressed.” Hollister has an online store where it’s instore items can also be purchased. All of the Abercrombie and Fitch companies have something called a pseudo-history. This is how Hollister’s pseudo-history goes; John M. Hollister was a yale graduate who spent his young life playing in the water. He was an adventurous young man whose father established “the good life” for him. John, however, did not want this life, so he traveled on a steamboat until he reached the Dutch Indies in 1917. When he was there, he bought a rubber plantation from Gregory Van Gilder. Then, John fell in love with his daughter, Meta. After he fell in love with her, he sold his land and with some of that money, he bought a fifty foot boat and spent two years of his life sailing around the Pacific Ocean. While he was doing that, he treasured all of the diverse cultures around him. After his “adventure” was over,he harboured in Los Angeles and him and Meta married in the fall of that year. He and Meta has a baby boy and named him John M. Hollister Junior. After John Sr. “discovered California himself” he invented Hollister Company in Laguna Beach. The company changed after John M. Hollister’s son took over the business in 1957, bringing surf apparel and equipment into the inventory instead of his father’s “island appearal”. Hollister has now developed into a highly sucessful clothing buisness that sells it’s products to people of many different ages, all over the nation.
    Hollister’s owner and as some would say, it’s rival, Abercrombie and Fitch, is also a highly popular clothing brand for the same bunch of people. Abercrombie and Fitch is not only the proud possessor of Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister, but also Abercrombie Kids and Gilly Hicks. There have been three different businesses called Abercrombie and Fitch, but the only relationship that they to each other are their names. The other two stores that shared the same name, eventually either filed bankruptcy or sold their business to larger company. The Abercrombie and Fitch that most of us are familiar with do not sell hunting gear or guns, but sell clothing and items like bags and shoes. However, Abercrombie and Fitch does not have what we might call a “clean record”. They got into some legal “hot water” and was accused of promoting sexualization of pre-teenagers, marketing thongs to ten year olds, and padded bikini tops for eleven year olds. Unlike Hollister and Gilly Hicks, Abercrombie and Fitch does not have a pseudo-history. This is Abercrombie and Fitch’s history: A man named David Abercrombie founded the brand Abercrombie and Fitch in 1892. It however, was an “upscale sporting goods store”. Then, he partnered up with Ezra Fitch and over time, the company expanded into the twentieth century. During that time, David Abercrombie left the company, so it became known as Fitch. This period of time when Ezra Fitch was the only owner was nicknamed the “Fitch Years”. After Fitch retired, other leaders took over until the company closed down in 1977. Then, the Limited Brands bought the brand in 1988 and Mike Jeffries was brought in to remake the name and face of Abercrombie and Fitch. When Mike was revolutionizing the company, he changed it from being an upscale sporting goods store, to an upscale clothing brand for the youth.
    Abercrombie and Fitch, another major clothing store for teenagers, is competing for business and popularity. 6 out of 7 prefer Hollister but Elizabeth H. responds to the question, Do you like Abercrombie and Fitch, like this, “Yeah, because they have nice clothes,” however Ashley P. responds like this, “I do I have a few things from there, but not like some people who wear it all the time.” Abercrombie and Fitch was trying to attract more customers, so they added other items to their stores, like bags and shoes. The store states that they have sexy, to casual clothing but some people just don't care.  Aliya M. replies when asked the question: Do you wear Abercrombie and Fitch "No because, it’s expensive and I don't have the time to go to the mall or stores". One website  states that Abercrombie and Fitch is the worst store in a recession “In this recession, there are struggling apparel retailers all across the country. Then there's Abercrombie & Fitch. The upscale teen retailer has suffered 10 straight months of double-digit same-store-sales declines. In the second quarter of 2009 alone, sales were down an eye-popping 30% across the company's three name outlets: the flagship Abercrombie brand, which has 567 stores; Hollister, a 520-store teen chain; and Ruehl, a 29-store chain for young adults that Abercrombie shut down in June. Abercrombie & Fitch lost $26.7 million, which includes $24.4 million in charges associated with the closing of Ruehl, in the second quarter. During the same period in 2008, Abercrombie scored a $77.8 million profit. Although Abercrombie and Fitch has lost some sales, it is still among one of the most popular shops for pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults. n
    As you can now see, Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister not only have background stories and themes that are very different, but the way customers feel about each of the stores is a different story too. Some people would say that there is a large difference between the two highly popular brands, but some also would beg to differ. So, it looks like the question that many buyers have are still undecided... but maybe not for long.