Image via Complex Original
And you thought you were having a bad year? Retail giant Abercrombie & Fitch has not only stumbled, but has faced everything from investigations into discriminatory hiring practices to being openly mocked by the Internet to being told that opening a new shop on Savile Row was "utterly unacceptable." Damn.
It's only September, but A&F has had a helluva year. It's not like we're rooting for them to succeed, but it's remarkable that this stumbling giant is still on its beaded-anklet-wearing feet. By this point, the financial numbers of the publicly-traded corporation are reflecting what's been a year of fuck-ups. If you're feeling glum at all, then remember that misery loves company and read up on how Abercrombie & Fitch Is Having the Worst Year Ever.
Abercrombie & Fitch denied from setting up shop on London's famous Savile Row.
Date: February 5, 2013
When Abercrombie & Fitch tried to open a shop on the holy menswear ground of Savile Row, they stirred a very well-dressed and tweeded out hornet's nest. Protesters succeeded in getting London’s Westminster Council to declare the proposition "utterly unacceptable."
An internal document that gives very strict and detailed instructions on how store workers have to dress is leaked.
Date: May 3, 2013
Buzzfeed obtained an Abercrombie & Fitch internal document that spells out in painstaking detail how workers have to dress. Details such as cuff height, shirttail length, and other hilariously overthought minutiae are given the step-by-step treatment, just going to show how corporate the entity that's trying to sell a "casual" look is.
The Internet goes nuts over CEO Mike Jeffries' re-surfaced comments on how Abercrombie & Fitch is only for cool kids.
Date: May 3, 2013
Business Insider reminded the world of CEO Mike Jeffries's comments regarding the brand's main marketing techniques. The unfortunate-looking man revealed that, "A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."
The Internet went nuts with this one, and we made sure to round up the most hilarious and creative memes that mocked Jeffries and his company.
A former employee reveals that corporate workers are forced to wear Abercrombie & Fitch, which are sized for teens.
Date: May 30, 2013
After the whole "cool kids only" gaffe, it came out that Abercrombie only allowed its corporate office employees to wear the brand they worked for. But since the company doesn't make girl's clothing above a size 10, many women had to squeeze themselves into cloting made for teens, or wear men's clothing.
Humiliating enough that all corporate employees had to wear shitty-looking gear, but ill-fitting too? We'd be hitting up headhunters on our first day.
Abercrombie & Fitch is forced by Taylor Swift fans to pull a T-shirt that reads, "#more boyfriends than t.s."
Date: June 20, 2013
Maybe after such a volatile spring and early summer, Abercrombie was just trying to blow off some steam with a little humor. But hell hath no fury like a "Swiftie" scorned. A petition was quickly drawn up, and A&F had no choice but to pull the shirt from its shelves. Another day, another T-shirt scandal at Abercrombie.
Abercrombie & Fitch bans its employees from wearing black, saying the color is only fitting for "things like tuxedos."
Date: July 10, 2013
In case you were still doubting how out of touch Abercrombie & Fitch is with the general world of style, they instituted a store and office-wide ban of black clothing. The official statement read, “Abercrombie & Fitch does not sell black clothing and discourages wearing it at our home office and in our stores, because we are a casual lifestyle brand and feel black clothing is formal." Pretty sweeping statement, but don't worry! "We have nothing against black clothing and feel it is perfectly appropriate for things like tuxedos."
Though let's be honest, if you were shopping at Abercrombie looking for stylish clothes, you have a bigger problem than not being able to cop black clothing.
Abercrombie & Fitch undergoes an investigation by France's official human rights watchdogs over suspected discriminatory hiring practices.
Date: July 25, 2013
The watchdog group believed that the models were actually sales associates, and therefore should not be hired based on their looks or abs. “Though physical appearance may legitimately be a key and determining professional factor for models, that’s not so for sales staff,” the investigative group stated. Results are pending until the end of 2013, a.k.a. Abercrombie's worst year ever.
Reports state Abercrombie & Fitch has lost significant market share to fast-fashion brands like Uniqlo, Zara, and H&M.
Date: August 22, 2013
Stodgy financial reporters stated what everyone already knew: Abercrombie & Fitch were no longer cool. "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 Business Insider. "That usually does not turn around quickly." Now it was official; The numbers were reflecting the shitty business and marketing practices of Abercrombie.
Buzzfeed reports Abercrombie & Fitch's sales of female apparel dropped 30% in the last quarter.
Date: September 17, 2013
The site's sources stated that Abercrombie & Fitche is absolutely bleeding money, saying the company was experiencing a "meltdown" that showed no signs of getting better. Only a few more months until Abercrombie & Fitch can put 2013 in the books, and then only another month before CEO Mike Jeffries' contract is up.
