At the turn of the millennium, clothier Abercrombie & Fitch dominated the U.S. teen market. The brand courted cash and controversy across its marketing activities from shirtless male greeters to its risqué magalog. Published between 1997 and 2003, A&F Quarterly offered interviews with celebrities, travel tips and movie suggestions, along with selling clothes and featuring the erotic photography. This paper argues that the immaterial lifestyle developed by the A&F Quarterly helped to give life to the style of clothing sold by Abercrombie & Fitch at the time (i.e. the fashion). In doing so, this paper brands - like clothing - as a material of the fashion system. Moreover, the lifestyles that accompany any fashion can be understood as a form of cultural intermediation that frames the consumption of outside products while also drawing on the cultural capital of outside goods.
About the presenterMyles Ethan Lascity
Myles Ethan Lascity is an assistant professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University. He holds a doctorate in Communication, Culture and Media from Drexel University and a a master’s in Visual Culture/Costume Studies from New York University. His research interests include fashion branding and media consumption.