The A&F Quarterly catalog was discontinued in 2003. Abercrombie & Fitch announced on December 9, 2003, that it would retire the publication and end it with the Christmas issue.
The Quarterly was more than a conventional mail-order catalog. Introduced in 1997, it combined clothing promotion with lifestyle features, photography, travel material, and a carefully constructed collegiate image. That editorial approach helped make the publication a major part of Abercrombie & Fitch’s late-1990s and early-2000s marketing strategy.
The magazine also became controversial because of its provocative photography and articles, attracting criticism from parent, religious, and advocacy groups. Those disputes are often remembered as the reason it ended, but the company’s announcement framed the decision as a desire for “new thinking” and a new marketing campaign.
A related detail is easy to miss: retiring the A&F Quarterly did not immediately end all Abercrombie catalogs. Company filings state that the Quarterly was retired in December 2003 while the regular Abercrombie & Fitch catalog continued.