Abercrombie & Fitch: A brand I think needs a makeover and how I would do it

Back in May this year, American teen clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch came under fire when CEO Michael Jeffries told Salon magazine in an interview:

In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

It became painfully clear to the general public that his idea of "cool" did not include fat, older or poor individuals when it was revealed that the company does not stock women's apparel above a UK size 14 and reportedly burns unsold clothes rather than donate them (to maintain their exclusivity).

In essence, Michael Jeffries' brand identity, reflected by its staff, models and exclusive policies was meant to look something like this:

Unfortunately for him, the sort of association people are making with the A&F brand looks something more like this:

Taking an Organic View of the Brand we can see that A&F's brand identity is not in control of the managers, but is co-created as a result of individuals' experiences with its interfaces (be they employees or leaked statements to the public), and importantly, brand communities. 

The latter has played a huge role in putting A&F clothes onto Michael's unintended, excluded, target market: homeless people. Writer Greg Karber started a popular campaign with his viral video "Abercrombie & Fitch Gets a Brand Readjustment #FitchTheHomeless" which got people and celebrities donating their A&F clothes to the homeless, protesting outside of stores, tweeting about it, outraged by the brand. After all, Westerners live in a society that likes to think it's inclusive - and dislike being told what we can and cannot wear.

So how can I fix this?

A&F need to take back the brand into their own hands and give it a good makeover that will rinse the bad taste that's been left in consumers' mouths.

1. Admit you were wrong - there's nothing more cringe-worthy than a brand ignoring its crushing negative publicity, except for half-apologies like "I sincerely regret that my choice of words was interpreted in a manner that has caused offense."
2. Launch a counter campaign - Send Abercrombie & Fitch employees out into the streets to do good by homeless people. Embrace the movement by donating unsold items of clothing, but also offer them a free shower, haircut, shave and spritz of cologne. If they are going to wear A&F, they should rock it. Encourage the public to do the same.
3. Show commitment - step two will seem like just another PR stunt if not backed up by a cold hard paper contract. Set up a foundation to recycle/donate clothes, raise awareness/funds for local homeless shelters/poverty alleviation schemes, and encourage employee volunteering.
4. Increase clothing sizes stock - back down on this sticky issue. Teen activists have been petitioning for this and it makes business sense too: the plus size shoppers are now the majority, and they want to buy cool clothes too.
5. Move on - incorporate the new brand image into all aspects of the business, subtly, by focussing on the clothes themselves rather than elitism. Think "Share good fashion" for the Christmas gifting campaign rather than "Share A&F".