Placing a significantly distant second to the Abercrombie name for most of its history

Placing a significantly distant second to the Abercrombie name for most of its history, the moose as a motif, was destined for failure. Consigned almost exclusively to decorating holiday flannels, customers would be forgiven for not even recognizing the moose as a logo, connecting it, instead, to Santa’s Dancer, Prancer, and Blitzen, or dear old Rudolph.
Also this past spring, Abercrombie tried Hawaiian print shirts reminiscent of Tommy Bahama’s (OXM), though forgot to include the colorful palette, instead stenciling outlines of flowers on contrast colored fabric. For fall, Abercrombie is borrowing a page from Urban Outfitter’s (URBN) Anthropologie, decorating the chest of that dual-priced cardigan with miniature beads set in a floral pattern--a throwback to styles popular in the 1940s and 50s. Success remains to be seen, and may require Abercrombie girls being big fans of AMC’s "Mad Men."
During its May post-earnings conference call, self-proclaimed fashion pace setter, CEO Mike Jeffries, finally admitted he missed the dress craze—three years in a row, by my count. In fact, even more than aerie, Gilly Hicks owes everything to The Limited’s Victoria’s Secret (LTD), offering intimates, loungewear, pajamas, and a "bra library" displaying 40 styles. Ironically, Abercrombie & Fitch was spun out of The Limited in a September 1996 IPO, with Michael Jeffries as its CEO at the time. Who’s following whom?
Then there’s the matter of how few females actually fit into Abercrombie’s clothes, though the men’s sizes run to XXL, hewing to industry standards that fit a full range of shapes and heights. CEO Mike Jeffries has been quoted saying not everyone "belongs in our clothes," and makes no secret that he prefers selling only to consumers with the "Abercrombie look."