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Abercrombie & Fitch - the company that was founded in 1892 - has had a long-standing history of ups and downs. After nearly a century of its establishment, the retail brand was acquired by Les Wexner's L Brands, with its charge passed to Mike Jeffries in 1992.
Under the leadership of Jeffries, Abercrombie & Fitch's image underwent a transformation - its marketing strategies were repurposed to target the American teen. However, towards the end of Jeffries' term, the brand was slapped with several lawsuits. Since 2017, Fran Horowitz has replaced Mike and currently heads the company as its CEO.
Besides being famous for its shirtless models, Abercrombie & Fitch has also acted as the launching pad for the careers of many celebrities. Here's a look at 10 such celebrities.
Celebrities who modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch
Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher, the No Strings Attached actor who is also a producer and entrepreneur today, started his career in the 1990s. Kutcher signed with Next - a modeling agency in New York - in 1998, and modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch the same year.
He also appeared in ad commercials for Calvin Klein and appeared on runways in Paris and Milan before he was cast as Michael Kelso on That 70s Show later in 1998.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift - the superstar who broke several records with her Eras Tour this year - had also posed as a model for Abercrombie & Fitch before she became a popular singer. Swift's ad campaign with the retail brand was launched in 2003, where she epitomized her song, Teardrops on my Guitar, while posing with a guitar for the ad.
The Love Story singer appeared in the ad in a white top and low-waist jeans, with one hand holding a guitar while the other wiping a tear from her face with a handkerchief.
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum is a German-American model recognized for her work with Victoria's Secret. As both retail brands were owned by L Brands in the 2000s, it could've led to Klum being featured in an Abercrombie & Fitch ad campaign.
Dressed in an LBD while posing in a Ferrari, Klum introduced a Euro high-fashion vibe that stood out from the brand's usual all-American style.
Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts, who made her acting debut at the age of nine, was also once featured in an Abercrombie & Fitch campaign. The Unfabulous actress shot for the retail brand in 2005. More recently, Roberts was named the global brand ambassador of Kiko Milano - the Italian beauty brand.
Lana Del Rey and Lindsay Lohan
Lana Del Rey and Lindsay Lohan - both of whom are considered pop icons of the time - had paired for an ad commercial decades ago. Back in the 1990s, when neither of them had started their music careers, Lohan and Del Rey had posed for an Abercrombie & Fitch shoot - with the picture later being printed on the brand's shopping bags.
In the picture, they're surrounded by other smiling faces, all of whom look more or less about their age.
Penn Badgley
While Penn Badgley is globally known as the infamous YOU actor today, he has also tried his hands at modeling in the past. In 2005, Badgley was featured in a shoot for an issue in the A&F Magazine, with his signature brooding look on display.
While the shoot wasn't used for any ad campaign, it possibly caught the attention of casting directors, as he was soon cast in The Gossip Girl.
Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum - considered one of the most handsome men alive - modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch when he was in his 20s. Tatum had appeared in the brand's ad campaign in 2001.
Talking about it with the Interview magazine on April 16, 2009, the G.I. Joe actor said:
"I was actually one of the guys in the catalog... We were in a locker room, and there were a bunch of dudes with abs all the way down to their … whatever the hell — their perineums? And then I was in the chicken suit standing next to them."
Jamie Dornan and Malin Akerman
Among the semi-nude ad campaigns of Abercrombie & Fitch, the one shot for the 2002 ad campaign stands out because of the presence of Jamie Dornan and Malin Akerman in it.
While the two celebrities went ahead to establish successful acting careers for themselves, back in the early 2000s, they were in their modeling days. Talking about the campaign in an 2007 interview, the 27 Dresses actress joked:
"I don’t really know what we were selling... We got to set and after two shots, the clothes came off. [The photographer] didn’t want any clothes on us… Needless to say, we got to know each other very well."
For the unversed, Mike Jeffries - the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch - was arrested in Florida on charges of s** trafficking and prostitution on Tuesday, October 22. Jeffries has been granted bail for a bond of $10 million and is currently under home detention.
