The Real Difference Between Abercrombie And Hollister

Abercrombie and Hollister are two of the most beloved and sought-after brands in the fashion industry. Although equally popular and prevalent, there's a sense they're also interchangeable. When you burrow down, aren't the clothes basically the same preppy, expensive variety in either store? Don't the environments where they're housed both smell equally delicious and aren't they staffed by gorgeous, clean-cut young people intent on luring customers with the promises of the treasures contained inside?

In reality, Abercrombie and Hollister aren't all that different. If the two stores seem like they're connected in some way, well, they are. Both are nestled under the wider umbrella of Abercrombie & Fitch; they're sister companies to that all-conquering brand, if you will. Although neither have been around as long as A&F, which was founded all the way back in 1892, according to their website, they both boast reputations just as illustrious in their own right.

Although Abercrombie is a smaller subsidiary of A&F, it was founded slightly earlier, in 1998, while its bigger sister, Hollister, has been around since 2000. As Difference Between advises, Hollister focuses more on targeting slightly older teenagers (think 14 to 18), with their official site noting the brand, "Epitomizes the liberating and carefree spirit of the endless California summer for the teen market." Abercrombie, or Abercrombie Kids as it's sometimes known, skews younger, aiming to capture the imaginations of children and teenagers ages 5 to 14. The brand itself aims to celebrate, "The wide-eyed wonder of childhood." The marketing of both brands is, naturally, different because they're targeting entirely separate age groups. 

Since its 1892 inception, A&F has expanded to have stores in every corner of the globe, from the U.S. to Asia, Europe, and everywhere in between. Abercrombie and Hollister both helped to propel the brand even further by targeting kids, tweens, and teenagers alike with a selection of super-cute and unique clothing ideally fitted to their carefree but fashion forward outlooks. By cornering the market in this way, the wider A&F brand ensured it had a stronghold on everybody with enough buying power to walk into any of their stores worldwide.