LAUNCHED IN 2010, THE SITCH ON FITCH BECAME THE INSPIRED, RESPECTED BRAND OF PASSION OVER THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRESTIGE OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. (ADMIRATION FOR ITS PAST GOING BACK TO 1892 AND FOR THE MODERN-TIME HEIGHTS OF THE MIKE JEFFRIES ERA); IT WAS OFFICIALLY, POSITIVELY RECOGNIZED BY A&F HOME OFFICE BY APRIL 2012, WITH A DIRECT EMAIL TO THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, DURING ITS GROWTH AS THE ONE-OF-A-KIND, MULTINATIONAL ONLINE PUBLICATION, WITH HIGH-GRADE PRESENTATION WHICH EVOLVED OVER ITS RUN, FOR RELEVANT, UNIQUE, IN-DEPTH BUSINESS, CULTURE, AND STYLE CONTENT FOR THE COMMUNITY OF CUSTOMERS AND ASSOCIATES WORLDWIDE (MONTHLY PAGEVIEWS SURPASSED 110K BY AUGUST 2012); AND IT WAS FOLDED BY SEPTEMBER 2015 AFTER THE DECEMBER 2014 RETIREMENT OF MIKE JEFFRIES AND THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF'S DISTASTE WITH THE FURTHER DEGRADATION OF THE COMPANY BY ITS NEW MANAGEMENT. WITH CONTENT BY THE PERSPECTIVE OF DEVOTED CUSTOMERS AND ASSOCIATES FROM AMERICA, EUROPE AND FAR EAST ASIA, THE SITCH ON FITCH (2010-2015) REMAINS AS A HISTORICAL, ZEITGEIST ONLINE PUBLICATION OVER THE FINAL YEARS OF THE MIKE JEFFRIES ERA. THIS SITE WILL BE REVAMPED SOON TO OFFICIATE AN INTELLIGENT ARCHIVE FOR THE USE OF ALL PARTIES INTERESTED IN THE CONTENT PUBLISHED DURING THE PUBLICATION'S ORIGINAL RUN.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Worst Product of 2011? Abercrombie's Push-Up for Girls...


A "padding" bikini top in ruffle triangle style from the collection.
$24.50 USD  |  abercrombiekids.com, March 2011
The folks at Fitch Path in Home Office's design quarters probably thought it would start a revolution. Mothers would think it so cute. The Spring 2011 push-up bikinis collection, designed to be worn on 7-to-14 year-old little girls, would be splash! Right? ...Hell no.

Launched in March 2011, the product was fired upon across the United States for further sexualizing little girls and, in effect, indirectly sponsoring pedophilia by "[sending] out really bad signals to adult men about young girls being appropriate sexual objects." People were seriously bombarding the abercrombie kids Facebook page with detailed negative comments. The ENTIRE page was filled with complaint after complaint for days on end in late-March. Moral groups, child development experts, psychologists, sociologists - everyone was voicing their opinions on the heated controversy. Abercrombie & Fitch changed the "push-up" description online with the word "padding" and called it "removable": "We’ve re-categorized the Ashley swimsuit as padded. We agree with those who say it is best ‘suited’ for girls age 12 and older," responded the Company. Honestly?! That made no difference!

As an epic fail, the collection of push-up bikinis has been placed as #1 on the Worst Product Flops of 2011 list compiled by Yahoo Finance's 24/7 Wall Street. It beats Netflix's Qwikster (#2) and the Fiat 500 (# 6) among others. Yeah, it was that bad.

New Year's resolution for Abercrombie & Fitch? Get some common sense.

Stay FIERCE!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Countdown to Christmas! ...And The Sales Keep Ringing!

Hot for the Holidays with the best promotions ever!  |  (image source)
"Party with hot guys! Plus an additional 50% off in stores!" ...10 Down Undies for $25.50 at Gilly Hicks!

Abercrombie & Fitch has turned this Christmas into a desperate promotional frenzy, here in North America, to get you in its stores! Since Black Friday, November 25, the company has been riding a rollercoaster of sales 50% off, then 40%, then 30%, then 25%, and then again 30%, 40%, and now its back up to 50% off! It completely tops off last year in terms of promotions, and this is not even bringing into consideration all the guy models the Company is hiring to stand at the entrances of the majority, excluding abercrombie kids, of its 1,000+ stores.

However, the fact is that A&F is not the only one on the block doing this. Gap itself is offering even 60% off some its merchandise while other retailers are hovering between 30% and 50% off some, if not all, of their goods. Why? Because apparently "[retailers] are stuck with too much merchandise," so The New York Times reported. They stocked anticipating making higher sales rates. They also offered big on Black Friday and that made sales at that time that would have otherwise spanned out in December as typically is the case. (FYI, sales for Black Friday weekend were particularly strong, but then sales declined in the subsequent three weeks). Hence, the return of Black Friday's "hottest guys" and biggest sales days before Xmas morning. Abercrombie really, really wants you in the stores!

But slow down your consumer sleigh ride, people, because this not the end of the promotional craze...

The "Last chance!" thing is misleading. December 23 is only the last chance to take a picture with the models at the entrance. The discounts are continuing, nevertheless, and that's what we really want! This time around, Abercrombie & Fitch is extending its promotion of 50% off up to December 26. (Hollister's keeping it until the 28th)! After all, it's when everyone steamrolls in with their Christmas money, or with the money they got back from returning grandma's ugly sweater!

Also, all that left over Christmas 2011 merchandise is going to go on permanent discount by January. It's gonna get marked as "redlines" - clearance - as the Spring Preview merchandise rolls into stores. January is really the perfect time to snag the best of last minute deals. Of course, the chance is high that an item you wanted since November may not be available anymore by January. Merchandise will be flying off on December 26. But you never know if that one particular item you want will still be left over come January. For example, last year, I purchased a $280 USD coat, that I had been eyeing since November 2010, for $49.95 in January 2011!!! There was also this nice checkered flannel shirt that originally retailed for $88 during Christmas...I bought it for $18.90! Again, in January! If the item you wanted is not there anymore, there are still other great items, too. I also purchased for $28 a thin, v-neck sweater, originally $98, that I had never considered during my holiday shopping that year.

If your wallet is tight...be a smart consumer. You really can't beat 50% off so, if there's something you really outta have, then go for it completely! But if your holiday shopping budget gets exhausted, or you just can't make it to the stores, then there's always January for the redlines...

Stay FIERCE!

P.S. This will be the last post of this week before Christmas Day. Wishing you a very Privileged Xmas...The Sitch on Fitch!

Remember, such promotional offers by Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks are only available to North American consumers. Discounts are not available at some high-volume North American locations (including A&F Fifth Avenue, HCo on Broadway, and HCo on Fifth Avenue, as well as others across the nation) and you should always check online abercrombie.com, hollisterco.com, and gillyhicks.com for official details and a list of the excluded stores.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Main Photo from THE MAIN EVENT!

Here it is! For everyone who wasn't at the opening of Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore...here's the main image from THE MAIN EVENT marketing campaign. This was the photo featured inside at the entrance of A&F Singapore!




The photo is by Bruce Weber, of course. Back in 1999, A&F commented, "Wrestling...What men do during boys baseball season." It's on!

Stay FIERCE!

Thanks to Catherine for uploading the image.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Get Prepped, Germany! Abercrombie & Fitch in Hamburg Opens April 26!!!

So FIERCE! Check out the billboard now advertising A&F Hamburg!
Image by TrendyDiary  |  (image source)
Abercrombie ladies & gentlemen, the coolest brand in the world is indeed opening shop in Hamburg on 26 April 2012! Not only that, but A&F went full on and even announced the opening time - 10:00 (Central European Time). It is the first time Abercrombie & Fitch has ever announced an exact opening date and time months in advance! This advertising completely goes against the agonizing months of secrecy of the previous store openings. The strategy is to get the word out even earlier and make this opening huge!

Totally dedicated, Abercrombie & Fitch is really into expanding within the German market! Our fellow Germans much be really stoked to be the only nation in the world, apart from the United States, to have all A&F Brands in their country! How awesome is that?! A&F Düsseldorf just opened this December 2011, and now the brand is gearing up to open another flagship store in just five months! We can all agree that this is pretty huge (and this does not even take into consideration the Munich flagship opening in October READ ABOUT THAT HERE)...

This second German location - A&F Hamburg, specifically addressed at Poststraße 8 - will be housed within the Alte Post structure. Located in the historic center of Hamburg, it's quite a culturally important building. The architect Alexis de Chateauneuf, of French descent, designed the building after the Great Hamburg Fire of 1842. It is called "Alte Post," meaning "old post," in German, because it was originally the home of the city's post office, and later that of the North German Confederation. Various tenants occupied it within the passing decades. In the late-2000s, it began to undergo further renovations which continue on, in part, by Abercrombie & Fitch. Today, Alte Post is recognized as a great example of the distinguishable Nachbrandarchitektur style of Hamburg.

But architecture isn't gonna haul in the consumers on its own! The Alte Post location is noted by its owners, Stenham Properties, as a "prime landmark building in outstanding retail and office location" for being "in the heart of Hamburg's prime retail area." Sounds promising, wouldn't you agree? A&F Hamburg is reportedly going to be offering 2,000 square meters (over 21,000 square feet) of the all-American A&F Lifestyle...

The opening date falls at the start of the Summer fashion season. It's going to be the first time Abercrombie has opened a flagship store in the earlier, warmer part of the year... The hottest summer in Hamburg?! Hell yeah!

Break out those Abercrombie flip-flops and get your wallets ready, Hamburg! Abercrombie & Fitch opens on 28.04.12 at 10:00!!!

Stay FIERCE!

UPDATE (16 April 2012): A&F rescheduled the opening to Saturday, April 28. Read more: Abercrombie & Fitch in Hamburg Opening Rescheduled to April 28!!!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Abercrombie Tells Sorrentino to Drop It and Take a Joke!

Remember when The Sitch on Fitch posted about Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino filing a lawsuit against Abercrombie & Fitch? That was on November 16... Well, A&F has just told him to slow down!

'The Fitchuation' tee
as seen on abercrombie.com
Summer 2010.
Abercrombie has pointed out that its humor tees from Summer 2010, which included phrases like "G.T.L. / You know the deal / Fitch" and "The Fitchuation," are protected under law which "allows parody as a part of free speech." It was all good-humored fun and doesn't step on anyone's legal toes. Furthermore, Sorrentino only applied for the trademarks to "The Sitchuation" and "G.T.L." but does not own any to them at all. His applications, filed after the tees were even sold, were even initially dismissed way back in September 2010. Basically, A&F is telling him he has no solid foundation for the lawsuit and to just drop it.

Oh, and Abercrombie's telling the fist-pumping guy to learn to take a joke!

Stay FIERCE!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Main Event! Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore Now Open!

A&F's Singapore fans gathered for the hottest event of the year!  |  (image source)
It was the hottest subject on the The Sitch on Fitch since coverage began of it on the blog. It was the hottest topic on Singapore's Facebook and Twitter days before it happened... THE MAIN EVENT HAS COME! Abercrombie & Fitch has opened its all-new flagship store in Singapore! The third Abercrombie location in Asia, A&F Singapore swung open its doors in the morning of December 15 at 10:00 (Singapore Standard Time)...

The opening of Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore historically marks exactly two years since the opening of the first A&F in Asia. Tokyo's towering A&F Ginza was heralded by the Japanese news media, upon opening, as a "spectacle of consumerism." Now, A&F Singapore continues the brand's stride into the Asian market as it presents itself in a light of cool, luxury, and total sex appeal!

This flagship may be the third in Asia, but it's more specifically the first in Southeast Asia. Being the leader in finance, tourism, and fashion within the region, Singapore is the perfect spot from which to shine! And within Singapore, Abercrombie's flagship is located on Orchard Road - the city's major retail thoroughfare. The world's biggest and most revered name brands all have addresses on Orchard Road. Because it also has its share of awesome entertainment, Orchard Road is the target of quality leisure for Singaporeans and its millions of around-the-world tourists!

A&F Singapore is, more exactly, located at 270 Orchard Road within the opulent Knightsbridge retail complex - "Modern day curators of the highly covetable" - of the Park Hotel Group "creating a new language for luxury at its finest." Abercrombie & Fitch occupies the corner unit of the complex, with direct street access, to assure a strategic position from which to showcase its globally iconic image.

The news of Abercrombie coming to Singapore was official by the spring of 2011. It definitely made for a notable topic among the real estate and retail world (including luxury news media in Asia). The Park Hotel Group had recently developed Knightsbridge and it was really enthusiastic over the agreement: "For Orchard Road to continue to be the premier shopping destination for locals and tourists, we need more interesting and iconic retail concepts and brands such as A&F to set foot in Singapore. The opening of the A&F flagship at Knightsbridge in Orchard Road will increase the vibrancy and quality of shopping experience in Singapore," commented PHG's director Allen Law.

By the summer, A&F erected two expansive billboards over the entire facade of the corner unit. Very in-your-face, the billboards featured the standard image A&F now uses to promote its flagships worldwide - that of a shirtless guy tugging down on his jeans exposing his far lower abdomen. Comments were made about it as "lewd" and the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore decided it as being "objectionable" by August 31; it called for its suspension on September 12. The ASAS did everything it could to get the billboards down only to be slapped in the face by the fact that only A&F, untouchable by the ASAS's local influence, could decide to take it down. Needless to say, the marketing remained up and the bratty, ignorant ASAS group was shut up.

Meanwhile, the opening date leaked in early-September and The Sitch on Fitch was among the very first to report it! Our Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore Opens December 15th post immediately became the most viewed post everyday after September 8. Only the opening of A&F Düsseldorf managed to knock it down to #4 for two days after which the Singapore post returned as #1! It has long since been the most popular post of all-time on The Sitch on Fitch as thousands upon thousands read it daily since its publishing! Crazy!

Adding further heat to everything surrounding the flagship, on December 9, Abercrombie & Fitch lined up its hottest guys from virtually every international A&F location to promote the event wearing nothing but bright red sweatpants and leather treds! Quite a departure from the coats and jeans the promo boys typically wear, the effect was totally FIERCE! The Sitch on Fitch blew up like never before that weekend and Abercrombie became the most talked about topic on Singapore's Facebook and Twitter! The guys continued to pose outside the store from 1:00 to 5:00 everyday drawing crowds of people.

In fact, Abercrombie & Fitch created an entirely new campaign, exclusively for Singapore, to advertise the flagship store! The A&F Singapore campaign, titled 'The Main Event', featured never-before-seen photography separate from the current Christmas 2011 campaign. Starting December 9, Knightsbridge's towering media wall, located on the corner over the A&F Singapore unit, displayed the grayscale imagery featuring all-guys and athletic romanticism.

When the big day arrived, the first fans began lining up by 5:00 in the morning! Hundreds more turned up by the time the A&F team swung doors open, walking worth, and saluting the crowd to welcome them all inside! Fans clapped and roared in shouts of enthusiasm. The opening was generally deemed to be tame because of its lack of 40 semi-nudes. But seriously, no A&F opening is ever tame and news reporters are always there on spot to cover every event!

A&F Singapore is obviosuly modeled after the flagship store in Tokyo.  This architecturally appealing prototype was originally designed by Selldorf Architects back in 2008 and, in turn, it was inspired by the original Abercrombie & Fitch flagship - A&F Fifth Avenue. Singapore's flagship, however, is the first location, since A&F London, to feature photography on the wall facing the entrance, instead of full mural. This wall features space for the framed image as well as a piece of Bruce Sargeant's mural running across the top of the wall. The photo featured at the entrance on the opening was from The Main Event campaign and was stamped with the words, "A&F THE MAIN EVENT." ...Makes for a killer background when you take your photo with the store greeter!

The hottest shop on Orchard Road, A&F Singapore is there to satisfy pure indulgence in Casual Luxury! The flagship store offers 21,000 square feet (more than 1,900 square meters) of retail space offering the iconic energetic shopping experience of Abercrombie & Fitch! Goods bearing the Abercrombie label and moose, coveted internationally by their youthful fans with a taste for all-American cool, are provided in an environment that's sure to keep 'em coming for more! Mens styles take over the ground floor while womens fashions are housed in the upper levels...

Abercrombie & Fitch is now officially in Singapore!

Stay FIERCE!

P.S. Abercrombie & Fitch has posted photos of the event on its official Facebook page...finally on time! You can check them out (here) is you haven't already seen them. ;)

Check Out This Video! | Abercrombie's Singapore Opening...The Fans Share!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Abercrombie Noted for Being 100% LGBT Friendly!

Model Camille Rowe with another female colleague in A&F Quarterly Screen Test.
Photography by Bruce Weber. Image by C.E.R.
For its 2012 Corporate Equality Index, the Human Resources Campaign has listed Abercrombie & Fitch as a company that is 100% LGBT friendly. The rating signifies companies that "reflect equal health coverage for all LGBT employees and their families, including full parity for domestic partner benefits not only in the basic medical coverage, but in dependent care, retirement, and other benefits that affect families' financial and medical well-being." It is just another great quality of A&F as a modern, progressive business in the greater scope of the world.

You can check out the official report from the HRC (here). It's 94 pages long if you care to know. LOL.

The shots in this post are from the A&F Quarterly Screen Test edition from Back-to-School 2010. Really beautiful photography by the master Bruce Weber. His photography is also known for a romanticism of homoeroticism (much of which is affiliated with Abercrombie & Fitch). It is work which admires, not just homoeroticism, but generally all forms of the idealized, unbound comradeship and romance of youth...and that is what A&F is all about.

Stay FIERCE!

Models Guy Robinson and Danny Schwarz in A&F Quarterly Screen Test.
Photography by Bruce Weber. Image by C.E.R.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore... The Countdown Begins!

Line up, everyone! This is going to be completely amazing! | (image source)
Thousands of you have been checking in for months specifically on the development of the third A&F in Asia. It is all about to come to an epic conclusion!!! Literally, virtually everyone who will pass through the doors of this upcoming location has already read our post on the opening day. The most anticipated opening since A&F Ginza, Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore is going to be a consumer craze unlike anything Orchard Road (乌|节|路) has ever witnessed...EVER!

On December 9, 40 Abercrombie guys from A&F Flagships around the world - literally! - lined up all down and around the front of A&F Singapore to kick off the countdown! For the first time ever, the promo boys strutted out in nothing but their matching FIERCE red sweatpants and signature A&F leather treds. Damn. You can bet Singapore was on fire! (One person even handed over her baby to one of the models)! Cameras flashing, smiling, and posing with A&F's great looking men was what it was all about... And topping it all off was the cylindrical electronic display overhead announcing "THE MAIN EVENT" with vintage A&F imagery by Bruce Weber, featuring guys, as a background!

...And main event is shall be! It really cannot be emphasized enough how highly anticipated Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore has been! This great upcoming flagship store is modeled after the beautiful A&F Ginza in Tokyo and had to be constructed from the ground up! The structure is inset into the greater Knightsbridge retail complex located at 270 Orchard Road. The unit of A&F Singapore is prominently there for everyone to see on the corner of Orchard Road. The three story facade of A&F Singapore is expansive: with its play of steel-and-glass, and its massive windows with interior wooden louvers, the flagship cannot be missed!

Inside, the store will be offering 21,000 square feet (more than 1,900 square meters) of the aspirational Casual Luxury goods now coveted on an international scale. And don't even ask. The merchandise will be relatively more expensive than what tourists can find in the American Fifth Avenue flagship store. Abercrombie & Fitch is a near-luxury brand often said to be on par with Ralph Lauren internationally, in worth, because of A&F's presentation in the luxury content.

You can't rip off the sweatpants off of those promo guys for yourself. However, you can purchase a pair of your own, fellas. The guys wear the A&F Skinny Sweatpants which retail for $68 USD here in America. Naturally, the sweatpants are going to be more expensive in Singapore because of mark-ups. You can see them (here) on the American abercrombie.com...

This is so INTENSE! Seriously, hopefully know one passes out because of the anticipation and killer looking models! Until the opening, the models will be there outside the flagship from 11:00 to 5:00 everyday!

Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore finally opens its doors on December 15 at 10:00 (Singapore Standard Time)!!!

Stay FIERCE!!!


A&F Singapore... So awesome!


CORRECTION (10 December 2011): An error was previously made on this post concerning the opening date. It is now correct!

Check These Videos Out! | Abercrombie Singapore Promo Event!





Koala Me Crazy! Gilly Hicks in Oberhausen Now Open!

Electro-surf and lifeguards made this opening unforgettable!
Image by CentrO.  |  (image source)
Gilly Hicks has opened up her first shop in Germany! The brand welcomed its German Gilly Hicks Girls, on December 8, inside what is now a groundbreaking new store for GH...

The entire facade of this GH store was inspired by the original facade developed for the Hollister brand. It looks like other HCo stores featuring an electronic display. For Gilly Hicks, however, the entire thing is wired to offer live feed from Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia! The interior design of GH Oberhausen naturally follows the standard Gilly Hicks store prototype. Inside is the detailed vintage-chic beauty admired by the brand's fans. About 600 square meters (more than 6,000 square feet) spread out as the Land of Down Undies offering fantastic underwear, casualwear, and loungewear for every girl!

This store is located inside the CentrO Oberhaunsen mall in the city of Oberhausen. The CentrO is one of Europe's most popular shopping centers and it's the biggest in Germany! Thus, the CentrO plays a notable role in reflecting the activity of consumer retail within Europe and, more specially, in Germany. It is from this location where Abercrombie & Fitch will be assessing further opportunities for the Gilly Hicks brand in the German market (and generally in Europe). The performance of Gilly Hicks in Oberhausen will determine any future plans.

But there is something else to note about this Gilly Hicks store. Mirroring HCo makes Gilly Hicks more interconnected with the Hollister consumer base. After all, that video display is a form of branding and marketing and that sets the tone for the brand in the mind of the consumer. Basically, Gilly Hicks is moving towards familiarizing itself more so with female HCo consumers...teenagers.

As a result, Gilly Hicks in Oberhausen plays a huge role in the development of the brand as GH continues to evolve in its find for an ultimate image. Gilly Hicks began in January 2008 as a brand designed for women 18 and up. Its image was of bare skin, sexuality, and natural beauty within its interpretation of  "down under." That original image has now been eroded away into something else. Today, Gilly Hicks is toned down from what it used to be. It is no longer adult, provocative (although sensuality still plays a role), and it heavily attracts teenage female customers. It's kind of like RUEHL in the sense that it began as something different compared to what it ended up being. RUEHL clothing was made more-and-more like Abercrombie and left behind its original more-unique style. This time, however, Gilly Hicks is being brought more-and-more closer to Hollister from a branding standpoint. Even the model for Gilly Hicks, Ashley Louise, is the same one for HCo's lookbook! I remember someone from A&F corporate clearly saying that the "target customer" for GH is more clear now...

Yup! This newest Gilly Hicks shop is definitely significant! Furthermore, the opening of this store makes Germany the only other nation in the entire world, apart from America, to be home to all Abercrombie & Fitch Co brands! Germany now has Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks! Very cool.

So here's to hoping Gilly Hicks in Oberhausen is a success...

Stay FIERCE!

P.S. Gilly Hicks hasn't posted any photos of the opening on its official Facebook page. However, CentrO has and you can check out its photos (here)! It also has another gallery with great shots of the video display which you can see (here).

Check Out This Video! | Gilly Hicks Oberhausen Opening!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

FIERCE Elegance! Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels Now Open!

Looking classic and hot at the opening of A&F Brussels!
Photo by LaLibre  |  (image source)
So amazing! Abercrombie & Fitch has opened doors to another totally impressive flagship store! A&F Brussels welcomed in its excited Belgian fans at 10:00 in the morning of December 8 to experience the ultimate of Abercrombie & Fitch. Cool and elegance wrapped as one, A&F Brussels makes for one very notable addition to the line-up of A&F's iconic flagships worldwide!

Abercrombie's lucky Belgian fans now have one of the most opulent A&F Flagship stores in the world! Housed within the Hôtel Wittouck de Medem, A&F Brussels furthermore showcases the Abercrombie & Fitch brand romantically within the luxury content. It once again affirms Abercrombie's commitment to its unique retail integrity promoting its image as one completely aspirational. More to the point, the inclusion of the word Hôtel, in the name of the structure, signifies hôtel particulier, a grand private house, and it is not to be confused with the general commercial understanding of the word hotel. Basically, people, it denotes a structure of upscale residence because only the upper class could afford such private homes distinct from the typical maison (which means a regular house). Yeah, French can be a confusing!

Addressed at Boulevard de Waterloo 20-21 (in French) / Waterloolaan 20-21 (in Dutch), Abercrombie & Fitch acquired the location back in late-2010. We all know that no move in part of A&F goes unnoticed, and the plans naturally made news. Everyone was convinced that the flagship store would be opening in March 2011. Well, March came and went and it was reported that the location would be completed by later in the year. By the summer, it was leaked that the opening was scheduled for December.

Meanwhile, within l'Hôtel Wittouk, the plans continued development. For the interior renovations and design, Abercromie & Fitch hired the reputable Belgian MichelGroup to oversee the implementation of the A&F Flagship prototype originally developed with the American firm, Selldorf Architects. A billboard was mounted on the front of the upper two levels. This left the construction eyesore available for everyone to see on the exterior of the ground floor. Portions of the facade on the ground level had to reconstructed. Protruding metal-and-glass windows had previously been installed over the original windows. It was quite ugly. A&F's renovations restored the original windows to return the structure its highest architectural expression.

By October, recruiting began for store models and other various positions (from managing to stocking) needed to operate the flagship. The business was estimated to generate up to 400 jobs! And it was by late-October that the precise opening date - December 8 - was finally unofficial confirmed through various media sources. Abercrombie & Fitch brought out its guys, from various international flagship locations, to officially promote the opening day! There were more than 40 of them to entice the audience. The construction billboard was down and up went the promotional poster on that very exciting December 2!

And you know news reporters and a massive line of fans awaited outside the doors for the opening! It's expected, every time! The entrance of the flagship store are the doors on the left of the building - Boulevard de Waterloo / Waterloolaan 21. And it was here where the attention concentrated. At 10:00, the doors swung open as Chris and a gorgeous Abercrombie girl walked out to salute the fans! People were allowed entrance in pockets of groups one-by-one ensure easy consumer flow...


A&F Brussels is beautiful. It is a part of a current trinity of A&F Flagships - A&F Paris, Madrid, and Brussels - sharing strong architectural resemblances among one another which exude pure, classic elegance - a play of stone and stucco and wood - highlighted by exquisite design and the choice of dim-lighting. But then the electronic music also blasts, and hot models abound, too, so that the overall environment and look is one of complete luxurious cool! Oh, and need it be mentioned that Dior, Burberry, Armani, and Chanel are neighbors of A&F Brussels on Waterloolaan?! How about that?!

Designed to offer up among the best of the A&F Lifestyle, Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels absolutely surpasses the wants of every A&F Belgian fan! The ground level has all the awesome rugged, yet classic, styles for men while the second level provides women with all the gorgeous goods an Abercrombie girl needs! The entire retail space measures at 1,600 square meters (more than 17,000 square feet)...all you need to do is indulge! The final upper, third level is storage and office/employee space...

All-in-all, Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels is an impressive new international location that's got fans partying it UP!

Stay FIERCE, everyone!

P.S. Once again, Abercrombie & Fitch has yet to post any pictures of the event on its official Facebook page. However, you can check out some really nice shots (here)!

Check Out This Video! | Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels Opening!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Our Abercrombie Boy-Toy at Brussels Promo Event!

People really, really love this guy! The Sitch on Fitch didn't make a post about Chris in Brussels during the promotional event on December 2...and now the blog is getting complaints! LOL. Naturally, we had to deliver! But the reason no post was ever made was because there weren't enough photos like at previous events....

Nevertheless, you've been obliged...now drool at your discretion!



Now, Chris may be in that line-up of beefcake in the third photo but we're not 100% sure. I'd like to say that the prominent second abdomen on the right is his - that I could spot those abs of his anywhere! - but, again, who knows. Not bad to look at, or to let the imagination run wild...

Hopefully, this has satisfied our Chris fans! Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels opens tomorrow at 10:00 (Central European Time) inside Boulevard de Waterloo 21!!!

Stay FIERCE!



CORRECTION (11 December 2011): The picture below was originally placed above as #2 (being mistaken to be one of Chris). It is not. Stupid mistake. The guy in following photo is "Sam" also from the UK. Thanks to our readers for helping ID the model!



The photo is really nice! The colors of the plaid shirts and the faux-fur coats really go nicely with the handsome look highlighted by the warmness of the golden sunlight. Yeah, that photo is fantastic! It just radiates a classic handsomeness and warm appeal! Seriously, one of the best shots ever from any event... We got your name clarified, Sam! Haha! :)

Dude! Hollister in Edinburgh is Opening Soon!

Look, HCo is opening shop in Edinburgh! | Photo by Oliver
Finally, we can piece together the details about this upcoming location! Yeah, Hollister is now getting ready to open up its fourth shop in Scotland!

The city of Edinburgh is now getting a major piece of the Southern California fantasy and what fan couldn't be more happy! HCo Edinburgh is being set up at 80B George Street (on Edinburgh's major shopping thoroughfare). This address was previously occupied by the British fashion retailer Cruise which moved out in the fall. The design of the Cruise store won the BCO Award back in 2004, but Abercrombie & Fitch now plans on turning it into another aspiration HCo location. Construction has begun. The billboard, featuring model Paddy Mitchell, has already been erected over the facade at ground level to obscure the construction process from the public...

And guess what? HCo Edinburgh may feature an electronic video facade screening live feed of Huntington Beach. An application for development proposed "internal video screens at ground and first floor." The committee then considered the impact that such presentation would have on George Street - the street is conservative and keeps advertising to a minimum. It was finally ruled in a December 6 report that "on balance, the video screens are acceptable." Nevertheless, the electronic display will make a striking contrast against the aged stone architecture...George Street, welcome to the future.

That this globally iconic brand is furthering its presence in Scotland is quite impressive. HCo brought its SoCal cool to Scotland for the first time on 26 March 2010 when it opened in Aberdeen's Union Square. That same year, the second store opened on October 12 at Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow. And it wasn't until 22 October 2011 when Glasgow got another location (this time at Braehead)! Now that the fourth location is upcoming up, it's definitely a sign of the fantastic opportunities for the brand up in Scotland! Very cool.

The opening of Hollister in Edinburgh is actually delayed. And such rescheduling is not rare coming from Abercrombie & Fitch...Dublin now has to wait until 2012 to get its A&F Flagship! Anyway, you can be assure that HCo Edinburgh will open in 2012. Honestly, it is hard to say when but it will definitely be opening in the first half of the year (most likely during the springtime). Whenever that amazing opening date leaks, The Sitch on Fitch will keep you in the know my fellow Dudes and Bettys!

Stay FIERCE!

The Sitch on Fitch greatly thanks and appreciates its reader Oliver for contributing to this post!

HCo George Street is NOW OPEN!!!
Do you have photos of the newly opened shop?
If you'd like to share your photos of the newly opened store on this blog, then please email them to anfnewsnow@aol.com.
Please include you first name or initials so that you can be credited for your photos.
Only send photos taken by you. Thanks!

UPDATE (12 March 2012): As an anonymous read commented below. HCo George Street will be opening doors at 10:00 in the morning, March 24th! MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Check out the event page on Facebook (here).


UPDATE (23 February 2012): HCo Edinburgh will be opening doors March 24! Read this for more on the opening day: Dude! Hollister in Edinburgh is Opening March 24!

UPDATE (20 February 2012): The store will be opening either the 23rd or 24th of March. Two sources from the shop gave conflicting dates. It's definitely opening either that Friday or Saturday.

UPDATE (20 January 2012): The HCo Edinburgh location is now taking applications online (at careers.hollisterco.com) for those who live in Edinburgh and are seriously interested. Password is sydney32. The store is listed under "George Street".

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

This Video Is So AWESOME, HCo Dresden!

One of our readers, Sebastian, actually sent The Sitch on Fitch a link to this video right when it was released on YouTube on December 1...sorry it took so long to share on here. With A&F Düsseldorf and what not...

Anyway, this video is by the team of HCo Dresden in Germany and it is completely AWESOME! It's so nice and fun it brings a smile to your face! :) The video really captures how beautiful and special the uniqueness of an individual is, and it embodies the cool of diversity and friendship, between one another, to create a amazing, progressive team... Really what the world needs. It is seriously a beautiful video and it deserves to be, not just a video for A&F's program, but as a part of a global campaign showcasing the cool of being Together as One...



Congrats to the team of HCo Dresden! You all did a phenonenal job!

P.S. As the video's YouTube page shares, the song in the video is, appropriately, Young Blood by The Naked and Famous. You can see the equally awesome music video for this cool track (here) on YouTube. (How many times can "awesome" be repeated? LOL).

Stay FIERCE!

Is It Naughty... Or Just Artistically Nice?



We in America can be just so narrow-minded when it comes to cultural norms. "Puritanical" at times, really. And it's quite ironic given the fact that we were founded on liberal ideals...

Apparently, Abercrombie & Fitch includes a controversial photo as a part of its current marketing campaign. Such is the opinion from one Minneapolis woman who claims that one particular image, inside Abercrombie & Fitch, is too racy. In the city's local news coverage, journalist Julie Nelson shares that she found the image (which you can see in the video above) as too inappropriate when she spotted it inside A&F during her Christmas shopping. And then she showed it to a couple of people at the shopping center to get feedback on the photo. One lady called it "pretty trashy" while another man called it "inappropriate." (Note that she asked only people likely to give negative feedback). Nelson posted it on her Facebook page which supposedly also got similar comments. (She has since deleted the image from her page). Nelson then got the opinion from a marketing firm CEO who called it "a little bit beyond the edge," but also mentioned that in other countries the photo wouldn't even get a second look and that Americans can be "puritanical."

Not to be mean, crude, and disrespectful, but Nelson is sooooooooooooo damn late. That image has been set as a fixture there on the right of the cash wrap for quite some time here in America. It was there in that same spot last Christmas 2010, and it was used to advertise 8 perfume (which happens to have the photo on the back of all of its bottles sold worldwide). That photo was also the main image for Gilly Hicks Christmas 2010. It was even plastered on the side, top-to-bottom, of a double-decker bus rolling down the streets of London promoting Gilly's opening shop. Honestly, it seems Nelson was just trying to get a story out of it (which is pathetic). And she is just now noticing the photo? That just makes her "news" irrelevant and weak at this point in time...

The photo captures the power of youthful human sensuality in a wholly artistic manner. It's by Bruce Weber, after all, and disagreements towards his work are usually from uptight ignorant people who fail to come out of their narrow minds to appreciate something they backwardly assume to be immoral. It is photographic art. How many times must it be repeated?

In regards to Julie Nelson's opinion, and any other artistically disinclined mind, we quote Gable from Gone With the Wind: "Frankly, my dear, [we] don't give a damn."

Stay FIERCE!

P.S. That image made its first appearance as a photo used to promote RUEHL jeans for women; it was featured in the 29 stores (as a display next to the fit's collection) and online ruehl.com. After the closure of the brand, A&F repositioned it as the image for its 8 perfume and applied it in various marketing.

Prints from ruehl.com.
The image (2008) circled in red is the photo in question now used by A&F.
Photo created and owned by C.E.R., 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels... The Countdown Begins!

Smiles? Check. Abs? Check. A&F Brussels, we are ready to go! | (image source)
After the awesome opening of A&F Düsseldorf (on December 1), plans are now steamrolling ahead to swing doors to Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels!

The very next day, on December 2, A&F did its thing and heated up Boulevard de Waterloo in a display of chiseled abs galore! Our Abercrombie Boy-Toy Chris, and his pack of handsome buddies, stood outside the upcoming flagship store to uphold this iconic A&F Tradition - promote the flagship and cause ultimate drooling!

And behind these guys is another completely amazing Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store. The location is on Boulevard de Waterloo 21, and the renovations on the structure have made it among one of the most elegant flagships yet; it has been designed to be in uniform with A&F Paris and A&F Madrid. Within are reported to be 1,600 square meters (more than 17,000 square feet) of the A&F Lifestyle in its wondrous retail presentation! That would include the hottest all-American styles, gorgeous models, blasting electronic dance music, and the FIERCE scent we all idolize!

...But until the big day arrives, the guys are gonna remain outside A&F Brussels from 5:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon keepin' it hot!

Are you in, Brussels?! The countdown is ON!

Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels opens on Thrusday, December 8 at 10:00 (Central European Time) / Jeudi, Décembre 8 à 10:00!!!

Stay FIERCE!

Mission A&F: Abercrombie in Brussels!!!

Friday, December 2, 2011

A&F Düsseldorf Opening Footage...Check It Out!

Official Abercrombie & Fitch in Düsseldorf Photos Now Out!

The opening of Abercrombie & Fitch in Düsseldorf was so huge and completely noteworthy that A&F had to post at least some pictures of the event...







It is a smart promotional move. These pictures aren't just about giving you a look at the amazing opening of A&F Düsseldorf... By posting these photos on its official Facebook page (now holding 5,705,000+ likes), Abercrombie & Fitch is broadcasting the global power of its brand image to the entire world - the mass network of A&F fans that cover the entire planet! Talk about globalization!

Stay FIERCE!

All images in this post are by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (images source)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

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)!