English Comp I
09/25/12
Abercrombie & Fitch vs. Armani
‘’Fierce,’’ ‘’work it,’’ ‘’bespoke,’’ ‘’black,’’, ‘’covert couture,’’ ‘’edgy,’’ ‘’fashion forward,’’ ‘’aspirational,’’ ‘’faux pas,’’ ‘’so last season,’’ ‘’glamourista,’’ ‘’retro-futurism,’’: these are some of the words most familiar to fashionistas around the world. Milan, Paris, New York City, London, and Tokyo: these are the cities to be in if you want to know what each designer is preparing for next season, places to be if you want the best and new collection for your clothes. Nowadays, designers know not only that they need the newest and finest clothes but also the psychological appeal that will make the consumer want to buy their clothes. Abercrombie & Fitch and Armani both employ the same type of models, but Armani the one that appeals to more conservative and upscale customers is more effective.
The designers use the same type of models in their ads. They employ typical young models, athletic, handsome, charming, radiant, almost angelic. They know how to target their audience and appeal to their emotions because most of the consumers want to look like the models in their advertisements. The models that they put in the ads are those who the everyday consumer doesn’t resemble. The designer implies that buying the product will make the consumer look like the model. Ultimately, both designers appeal to a certain type of consumer and demographics according to their style of clothing design.
Less clothes and more revealing is what Abercrombie & Fitch commercializes and advertises. In New York, their store has semi-naked models greeting customers. Some of the models might only he wearing jeans, and, in other cases, they might be walking around in their underwear. Their target audience is the guy next door outgoing, fun, young, athletic, casual, and, most of all, nice-looking. In this particular ad, Abercrombie and Fitch use black and white contrast. The scene gives the