This was pretty inevitable if you've been following the Abercrombie reboot at all. The iconic shirtless hunks that are there to sell you shredded up jeans are about to get the boot, according to Fashionista. The company sent out a press release which states that, in light of a new set of store principles, A&F will be removing all "sexualized marketing." Shirtless models both in store and on bags will be gone from all storefronts by July.
This isn't all though. The Fierce cologne cloud that the stores have become will also be scaled back, the lighting will be brightened up and the music will not shatter your eardrums the moment you walk in. Apparently, Hollister has already "increased lighting significantly" outside of the U.S. and will be bringing its own retail experience tweaks stateside soon.
The issue now is that by cutting back on all the things that made A&F, well, A&F, is whether people will go to the store for "regular" clothes. When you strolled into an Abercrombie some 8 billion years ago, you knew what you were getting yourself into. Now? Not so much.
