The Facts Regarding Abercrombie Company History

Established by David Abercrombie in 1892, Abercrombie & Fitch Co., did not take on its official name until 1904, when Ezra Fitch became co-owner. Ezra Fitch had previously been a prominent New York attorney, and he left his practice and bought major shares in the company. Until that point, he had only been one of the stores biggest customers. The store began as an upscale sporting goods store, in Manhattan. Read on for the facts Regarding Abercrombie company history.

Unfortunately, the partnership did not last, and it ended in 1907. There were many disagreements over the direction of the business. Abercrombie wanted to remain in the business of strictly selling sporting goods, while Fitch wanted sell items that would appeal to more people. When Abercrombie sold out to Fitch, he simply got other partners and continued the business.

Fitch and his expansions nearly bankrupt the company, however, they also paid off, and they really paid off historically. In 1909, Abercrombie & Fitch mailed out their first catalog, and it cost them one dollar each to publish them, which at that time was a great deal of money. The catalog was free to customers in the store. They were the first store in New York to supply clothing to women, and men. In 1913 they moved the store, and began including sportswear, and had already adopted the slogan “The Greatest Sporting Goods Store in the World.” By 1917, they were located in a building on Madison Avenue, and occupied all twelve stories. Another landmark for them, they were the first United States store to import Mahjong. Fitch imported the game after a female customer inquired about it, translated the Chinese into English, and A&F was all the rage.

In 1927 A&F supplied Charles Lindberg with the outfit that he wore to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in his historic flight. In 1928, Ezra Fitch was ready to retire, and he sold his shares to his brother-in-law James Cobb. Under Cobb, several other companies were acquired, Von Lengerke & Detmold, Von Lengerke & Antoine, and Griffin & Howe.

The depression affected A&F just as it did every other business, and it was 1938 before they could even begin to recover. Though they did alright during the sixties, buy the seventies, they were not doing well. They ended up filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1977. A retail chain purchased them in 1978, and tried to revive them by opening new stores. That particular retail chain was Oshman’s.

By 1988, Limited had purchased A&F, but it was still in trouble. Michael Jeffries became the president and decided to direct the market toward teen clothing. The teen market seemed to be the best way for the business to go financially, and it was a success. What would Abercrombie & Fitch have thought about the LFO Song, Summer Girls? Fitch probably would have appreciated the free advertising.

Currently, Abercrombie & Fitch are still going, hanging in there even in this economy and are the sixth most popular brand by teenagers. They have had quite the memorable run and they are still going. Good luck Abercrombie. Now you have had the opportunity to discover the Abercrombie company history.

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