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Featuring the Flagship
Located at 23 Avenue Des Champs Elysees, Abercrombie & Fitch is located in a mansion that draws tourists daily. The entire store is as much as an attraction as it is an experience; from the facade you can see through the iron gates at the entrance, past the manicured bushes and around the back through the beautiful gardens, to inside the dimly lit store where you enter through golden gates and are greeted by techno music, low lighting and black interior that cages clothing in glass displays and lavish layouts showcasing their items. Unlike other stores on Des Champs Elysees, this store serves as more of an experience than a store to shop.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées is famous for its upscale shopping, cinemas and cafes. It’s just over two miles long, full of gardens and known for being a fashion avenue, many travel to or make sure to stop by here while in Paris. Abercrombie and Fitch’s flagship store in Paris is located in a mansion that used to be a cinema. Out of all the (high end) shops on Avenue Des Champs Elysees this one of the few that is landscaped entrance. Shoppers and visitors flock here to shop or be spectators of the building featuring a beautiful facade. Old and artistic, this store is museum like on the outside, with a dark and heavy wood interior, allowing them to feature their product and lay their merchandise laid out in a luxurious way - down to the staff looking ‘all American’, the type of people the brand sets out to appeal to.
Abercrombie and Fitch was founded in 1882 by David T. Abercrombie selling fishing rods, hunting guns, fishing boats and tents along with hiking, camping and hunting gear. Later Abercrombie was joined by Ezra Fitch and the store began to focus on selling high quality, comfortable clothing promoting American style as opposed to being a sporting goods store. Headquartered in Ohio, their main office serves as a campus that promotes interaction where innovation, design, merchandising, development and application occurs. Abercrombie & Fitch’s flagship mansion caught fire the morning of November 24th, 2013. Merchandise and furniture were destroyed and the entire store went through a full restoration prior to being able to reopen.
-Abercrombie & Fitch stores take a different approach to marketing and employment
-“Models” aka “brand employees” are employees that work in the store
-Models/employees used to have to purchase and wear A & F clothing while working
-Stores are dimly lit , are playing electronic music and have the scent of after shave
-Use to head hunt for employees in colleges and clubs
Though Abercrombie stores have a history of having different levels (as they used to sell many things so different items dedicated to different floors), this outstanding building with huge gates that houses different interior design and decorations from other stores. Many go to admire it and have mixed feedback after the experience. Some say the clothes don't match the interior of the store (classy store, casual clothes), others do or do not like how it gives off a nightclub vibe, the dim lighting is uncomfortable for some, others are shocked it’s housed in such a nice building. Regardless of complaints or cheers, it seems everyone is content that they went, at the end of the day, Abercrombie & Fitch succeeded in getting people talking and building a buzz.
Special thanks to Ben Samia for bringing the buzz about the A & F Paris flagship store to the Mad Hatter Tech., inspiring this blog for the buzz machine.
