You know the image. It's usually black and white. There’s a guy—probably a collegiate wrestler or a water polo player—standing shirtless in a field or on a beach. He’s not just fit; he’s impossibly chiseled, staring into the distance with a look that says he’s never had a bad hair day in his life. For over two decades, the Abercrombie and Fitch advert wasn't just a way to sell $70 hoodies. It was a cultural juggernaut that defined what "cool" looked like for an entire generation of teenagers.
But honestly? It was also kind of a mess.
If you grew up in the late 90s or early 2000s, walking past an Abercrombie store felt like approaching a nightclub you weren't cool enough to enter. The thumping house music, the thick cloud of Fierce cologne, and those massive, floor-to-ceiling shirtless portraits. It was sensory overload. Those ads, shot primarily by photographer Bruce Weber, created a specific aesthetic often called "heritage" or "preppy-erotica." It was aspirational, exclusive, and, as we later found out, deeply problematic.
The Bruce Weber Era and the Birth of the Look
Mike Jeffries, the CEO who took over in 1992, had a very specific vision. He didn't want everyone to wear his clothes. In a now-infamous 2006 interview with Salon, he basically said the brand was for the "cool kids" and that "a lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong."
Cruel? Yeah. But it worked for a long time.
The Abercrombie and Fitch advert campaigns were the engine of this exclusivity. Bruce Weber’s photography was the secret sauce. Weber brought a cinematic, grainy, "Old Hollywood meets Ivy League" vibe to the brand. He wasn't just taking pictures of clothes; half the time, the models weren't even wearing any. He was selling a lifestyle of leisure, youth, and athleticism. These weren't just ads; they were collected in the "A&F Quarterly," a hybrid magazine/catalog that was so controversial it was eventually sold in brown paper bags because of the nudity.
🔗 Read more: God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: The True Story Behind the Phrase Most People Get Wrong
It’s easy to forget how much those ads leaned into a specific type of Americana. They used vintage props—old canoes, leather footballs, weathered flags. It felt timeless, even if the low-rise jeans were very much of the moment. The models looked like they were part of some elite, secret club where the only entrance requirement was a six-pack and a certain pedigree.
When the "Cool Kids" Marketing Went South
You can only tell people they aren't "cool" enough for so long before they decide they don't like you. By the mid-2010s, the Abercrombie and Fitch advert style started to feel incredibly dated. The world was changing, and the brand's refusal to evolve became its biggest liability.
The inclusivity movement happened. Social media happened. Suddenly, the idea of a brand intentionally excluding people based on their body type or race wasn't "edgy"—it was just mean.
The lawsuits started piling up. There was the 2004 class-action suit where the company paid $40 million to Black, Latino, and Asian American applicants and employees who claimed they were discouraged from applying or were steered toward back-of-store roles because they didn't fit the "A&F Look." Then there was the Supreme Court case involving Samantha Elauf, a Muslim woman who was denied a job because her headscarf allegedly violated the "Look Policy."
The ads reflected this lack of diversity. If you look back at a typical Abercrombie and Fitch advert from 1998 to 2012, it is strikingly white. It was a narrow, elitist version of beauty that eventually felt suffocating. The brand wasn't just selling clothes; it was enforcing a hierarchy.
💡 You might also like: Kiko Japanese Restaurant Plantation: Why This Local Spot Still Wins the Sushi Game
The A&F Quarterly Controversy
- 1997: The first Quarterly launches.
- 2003: The Quarterly is discontinued in the US after relentless pressure from family groups and politicians like Bob Barr, who called it "soft-core pornography."
- The Content: It featured interviews with celebrities and articles on pop culture, but the real draw was the "naughty" photography that pushed the boundaries of what a retail brand could get away with.
The Great Rebrand: From Fierce to Relatable
If you walk into an Abercrombie today, it’s unrecognizable. The shutters are gone. The lights are actually on. The smell of Fierce is a subtle hint rather than a chemical weapon.
After Jeffries left in 2014, the company had to do some serious soul-searching. They had to figure out how to be a brand that people actually liked again. The modern Abercrombie and Fitch advert looks nothing like the Weber era. Now, you see models of different sizes, races, and abilities. They’re wearing clothes that people actually wear—like the "Curve Love" jeans that have become a TikTok sensation for fitting actual human hips.
It’s a massive pivot. They went from "you can't sit with us" to "everyone is invited." And the wild part? It worked. Their stock price recovered, and Gen Z, who has zero patience for the elitism of the early 2000s, has embraced the new, softer Abercrombie.
But we shouldn't overlook the complexity of that legacy. The Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch did a great job of showing how the marketing wasn't just "sexy"—it was a calculated tool of exclusion. It’s a case study in how a brand can build an empire on a specific identity and then nearly collapse when that identity becomes toxic.
Why We Are Still Obsessed With the Old Ads
Nostalgia is a powerful drug. Even with all the baggage, there’s a reason people still buy vintage Abercrombie posters on eBay.
📖 Related: Green Emerald Day Massage: Why Your Body Actually Needs This Specific Therapy
There was a certain artistry to those old ads. The photography was objectively beautiful, even if the message behind it was flawed. It represented a specific peak of "physical perfection" that defined the turn of the millennium. For many who grew up then, the Abercrombie and Fitch advert is a time capsule of their youth—of wanting to be someone else, of wanting to belong.
We see the "A&F aesthetic" everywhere now, but in fragmented ways. The "Old Money" trend on social media is basically a direct descendant of the Bruce Weber look, just minus the blatant exclusion. We’re still chasing that idea of effortless, sun-drenched leisure; we’ve just decided we want to do it in a way that doesn't make everyone else feel like garbage.
How to Spot the Shift in Modern Retail Marketing
If you’re looking at fashion marketing today, the influence of the Abercrombie downfall is everywhere. Brands are terrified of appearing "exclusive" in the way Jeffries intended.
- Body Diversity: Look at any major retailer now. You’ll see a range of sizes. This isn't just "woke" marketing; it’s good business. Most people aren't a size 2, and they want to see how clothes look on bodies like theirs.
- The "Unpolished" Look: The hyper-glossy, unattainable perfection of the old Abercrombie and Fitch advert has been replaced by "UGC" style ads. Brands want to look like your friend’s Instagram post, not a high-fashion editorial.
- Values-Based Branding: Consumers now ask, "What does this brand stand for?" Abercrombie had to prove they weren't just the "mean girls" of the mall before people would buy their sweaters again.
The story of the Abercrombie and Fitch advert is really the story of American culture over the last thirty years. We went from worshipping a very specific, narrow ideal of "perfection" to realizing that the world is a whole lot bigger and more interesting than a black-and-white photo of a shirtless guy on a beach.
Moving Forward: What to Do With This Info
If you're a fan of the "Look" but hate the history, there are ways to engage with the aesthetic without supporting the old-school exclusionary vibes.
- Shop Vintage: If you love the 90s heritage vibe, look for vintage pieces from that era on resale sites. You get the quality and the aesthetic without the modern retail markup.
- Evaluate Your Brands: Pay attention to who a brand includes in its marketing. If a brand only shows one type of body or person, they're likely using the old Jeffries playbook.
- Embrace the New A&F: If you haven't stepped into a store in a decade, give it a shot. The quality has actually improved, and the "Curve Love" line is genuinely one of the best denim innovations in recent years. It's a rare example of a brand actually listening to its critics and changing for the better.
The era of the "cool kids only" club is over. And honestly, we're all better off for it. The marketing world is wider now, and while it’s less "dramatic" than those old black-and-white spreads, it feels a lot more human. That’s a win in any book.