Abercrombie & Fitch stopped using shirtless male greeters in stores in 2015.
The change was part of a broad effort to abandon the company’s sexualized marketing and appearance-driven retail culture. In April 2015, Abercrombie announced that it would no longer use shirtless models or lifeguards at events and store openings for its Abercrombie and Hollister brands. The updated policy was expected to take effect by the summer, making 2015 the accepted year.
For much of the 2000s, shirtless male greeters had been one of Abercrombie’s most recognizable marketing devices. Customers often photographed themselves with the greeters, while the stores reinforced the same image through muscular male advertising, dim lighting, loud music, and heavy fragrance.
The shift followed Mike Jeffries’s departure in late 2014 and came amid declining sales and criticism of the company’s exclusivity. It did not mean every aspect of the brand changed overnight, but it marked a clear break with the visual strategy that had defined Abercrombie’s peak. The change is sometimes confused with the 2014 leadership transition, but the greeter policy was announced in 2015.