The 2000s Are Over: Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Are No Longer Cool

Sorry, "preppy" America, these mall brands have lost their cache with U.S. teens.

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Complex Original

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If you came of age in the late-'90s-early-2000s, you had to deal with the douchebags that roamed the halls inAbercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and, if they couldn't afford either brand, Aeropostale.

Lately, those same dudes are becoming harder to find. No, they haven't gone away, but A&F, AE, and Aero are no longer cool, reportsBusiness Insider, and they won't be hip anytime soon, either.

"The teen retailers seem to be not in style or in vogue at this point in time for their target consumers," Bryan Keane, portfolio manager of the Alpine Global Consumer Growth Fund, told the website. "That usually does not turn around quickly."

Although A&F has been in the news for how horribly-operated of a company it is, it appears that isn't the reason teens are no longer wearing the moose, eagle, or bulldog—it's because fast-fashion brands such asH&M, Zara, Uniqlo and Forever 21 have crept into and taken over their market.

Teens dig the fact they can go to the mall and purchase looks for a fraction of the price of the clothes sold at three "A" brands. Plus, there's a greater variety of styles the fast-fashion retailers carry—not just ripped jeans, polos, and contrived "vintage" T-shirts.

And it's not just that the clothes are selling really well at fast-fashion prices, the retailers are also expanding and building more and more stores, such as H&M which opened 40 stores in the past year. Unfortunately, we can't expect James Van Der Beek, a whole host of teen movies, and pop songs by LFO to come back and save the sinking ships of A&F, AE, and Aero.

[via Business Insider]

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