A+F Quarterly Returns!
In July Abercrombie & Fitch is bringing back its catalog/magazine A+F Quarterly after a seven-year hiatus, marked by controversy. Actually it was a lame controversy back in 2003 and in retrospect it seems even lamer now. To be sure much of the photographic content in the catalog consisted of erotic images of hot-bodied guys & gals but the magazine was wrapped in plastic and couldn't be sold to anyone under 18. That wasn't enough for a very vocal minority that claimed the clothes and content were marketed towards minors. A + F eventually relented and began producing catalogs with tamed down imagery. Not surprisingly the sales dropped like a ton of bricks and the catalog was no more.
We're not sure exactly why A+F Quarterly is coming back at this time when it seems that the controversy was over a long time ago. Plus, mainstream advertising since the time the catalog folded has certainly caught up with(and in some ways surpassed) the imagery in those A + F catalogs. Nevertheless it'll be interesting to see what happens when the 176 page catalog hits stores on July 17 (it's $10 & you can pre-order it here).
The new catalog was shot by legendary photographer Bruce Weber and theme is “backstage at the A&F screen test.” As you can see it looks like Weber and A + F are being pretty fearless about presenting the kind of catalog which caused such problems in the first place. Maybe this time the company won't back down. We can imagine that if there is a hoopla about the new catalog that it will only create MORE of an interest in
Abercrombie & Fitch. We just know the catalog will sell and the stores will probably get a boost in clothing sales.
Comments