Germany's Gotten FIERCE! Abercrombie & Fitch in Düsseldorf Now Open!

Germany is going crazy over its first ever Abercrombie & Fitch! | (image source)

It's happened! It has finally HAPPENED! On December 1, at 10:00 (Central European Time), the coolest company in the world swung doors to Germany's first ever Abercrombie & Fitch! This is historical... Not only does A&F Düsseldorf represent the paramount beginning of Abercrombie & Fitch in Germany, but it is also the second location on the entire planet to house both A&F and abercrombie kids! This totally amazing flagship store is now blasting its iconic FIERCE cool and A&F German fans couldn't be any more stoked!

One of the most highly anticipated A&F openings of all-time, A&F Düsseldorf is the amazing result of years of careful planning. Before the end of the 2000s, Abercrombie & Fitch had already set its eyes on Germany. The Company introduced its Hollister brand in 2008 within the nation's malls, but it withheld the opening of the Abercrombie & Fitch brand in its search for the location worthy of becoming the first in the brand's expansion in Germany...

Being that this would be first A&F in the nation, the store would be setting an example and impression upon Germany of what Abercrombie & Fitch is all about on their very land! As it is Germany's leading fashion capital, the city Düsseldorf in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) was targeted. And although Düsseldorf has a population of just 588,735, it's urban area is home to more than 1.5 million people; it is a major part of Germany's biggest metropolitan region (Rhien-Ruhr); and Düsseldorf is also at the center of the "European Megalopolis" (a highly developed region that starts at England, includes western Germany, and curves down to northern Italy)... So as you can imagine, Düsseldorf is key - no other Germany city could have offered such perfect conditions!

The hottest shop in town, A&F Düsseldorf, is housed within an imposing seven story building addressed at Königsallee 17. The boulevard - referred to by the locals as the "Kö" - is where you wanna head down to if you're looking for some of the world's most coveted brands; it is arguably Germany's most upscale and busiest shopping thoroughfare! Abercrombie & Fitch, thus, wasted no time when the opportunity arose back in 2010 to lease Königsallee 17 and it signed for the location by November 17. The news was released, and that is when the anticipation kicked into full force! Construction officially began in January 2011. By spring, further news leaked out that the location would also be housing abercrombie kids (which would be filling in the remaining sales floor available). By the summer, the Company had erected a towering billboard over the facade to obscure the construction process and to also promote the flagship, of course! The interior of Königsallee 17, which had previously housed a bank, was converted into a place capable of retail space. Then, further construction began to implement the A&F Flagship prototype into the space. This included the application of wooden louvers on the interior of the windows, the installation of the retail settings, and the painting of Bruce Sargeant's murals that are a signature of every A&F Flagship... 

The Promo Boys of A&F Düsseldorf!
(image source)

Meanwhile, we endured months of anticipation and speculation! While everyone knew that Abercrombie & Fitch in Düsseldorf would be opening in December, the precise date was still unknown. Incorrect rumors even spread that it would be opening in November, instead. Debunking that rumor was the unofficially confirmation, by late-October, that the big day was scheduled for December 1st! On November 25, while all of America was going crazy over the historical Black Friday 2011, A&F heated things up in Germany, on the Kö, as it rolled out 40 of its hottest guys to officially promote the opening...and so the countdown began!

Abercrombie's German fans crowed outside Königsallee 17 early in the morning of December 1 - enduring the cold just to be among the first people to walk inside! Meanwhile, news reporters jammed as close as they could next to the entrance to assure they would capture the much awaited moment... The hottest A&F guys and girls finally - finally! - swung doors to A&F Düsseldorf right on time at 10:00 to welcome the coolest fans into one of the biggest retail parties of the year! So privileged, the Germans now have one of the world's most amazing A&F locations ever! The awesome A&F Playlist blasts, the fragrance is in the air, and the mood is totally set...complete excitement!

The flagship offers four levels of the incredible A&F Experience in Germany! Customers can explore the first three levels housing Abercrombie & Fitch, and then they can head up to level 4 where abercrombie kids keeps it fun! All in all, there are up to 2,500 square meters (rounded to 27,000 square feet) of sales space playing host to every German A&F fan's dream!

Oh, and of course, our Abercrombie Boy-Toy Chris was among the store greeters at the entrance of A&F Düsseldorf, smiling and taking pictures, with the crazed shoppers!

Abercrombie & Fitch in Düsseldorf...so awesome! Congrats to the flagship's team and to all you German Abercrombie fans! You're now a part of the exclusive worldwide web of fans privileged enough to have Abercrombie & Fitch on your very turf! Abercrombie & Fitch in Düsseldorf is OPEN AT LAST!!!

Stay FIERCE!

P.S. Like with A&F Madrid, Abercrombie & Fitch has not uploaded any pictures of the A&F Düsseldorf opening day on its official Facebook page. However, you can check out 7 photos (here) from the Westdeutsch Zeitung. The Tonight German website has even more photos - 52 of them, and they are awesome! - which you can totally see them all (here)!