Picture the scene: you're 15, just had your braces taken off, and are en route to New York for a family adventure. Your mum wants to go to the top of the Empire State Building. Your brother can't wait to check out Grand Central Station. And you? Well, there's only one destination on your bucket list. As you bustle down Fifth Avenue, you catch sight of them. The most beautiful (and topless) men you've ever laid eyes on. Your mum insists on taking a photo of you next to them. You're mortified but secretly thrilled. Yep, you guessed it: it's your first experience in an Abercrombie & Fitch store, circa the mid Noughties.
Needless to say, Abercrombie & Fitch has mostly disappeared from our wardrobes as well as our high streets. In the wake of criminal charges and serious allegations against former CEO Mike Jeffries, the brand, by association, has largely become persona non grata over the last decade.
