The Abercrombie and Fitch group are not strangers to controversy but this latest battle may be a difficult one for them to get out of.
That’s because retailers on London’s posh Savile Row are campaigning to stop the brand opening a store on the street.
As anyone who’s ever been to the Bond Street store before will know you are greeted on the door by a topless man and the inside of the top resembles a night club rather than a clothing store. It’s all loud music, dark lighting and intimidatingly good looking staff. Not very Savile Row at all.
Savile Row is of course best known for its high end bespoke tailoring services and suit shops and is perhaps one of the most iconic streets in the world however Abercrombie want to open a kids shop on the street and local traders are not happy fearing the shop will damage their reputation. One of the tailors has even been quoted as saying ‘Slapping an American kids’ shop in the middle of Savile Row would be a knife in the gut for us.’
To try to apease the residents of the street Westminster council have banned the shop from having a night club style launch (like the did with their Bond Street store) however that isn’t going to keep the traders quiet for long with one of them boasting ‘$30 shirts are not Savile Row’.
As for whether they’ll be successful in their bid to get the shop stopped has yet to be seen but going head to head with such a huge American brand has really never ended all that well for anyone so we fear their battle may be in vain.
