Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is bringing its size-inclusive effort to its youngest wearers.
The 2022 Abercrombie kids denim collection now comes in short, regular and long jeans lengths in sizes 5/6 to 17/18, with each pair featuring waistband adjusters. The brand collected feedback from more than 1,000 parent, child and employee interviews focused on the changes stakeholders wanted to see in the kids’ clothing marketplace, according to Kelly Hall, senior vice president and general manager of Abercrombie kids.
The result is an inclusive denim collection tailored for kids in a range of heights and weights.
“Age is just one factor in finding the right fit, but by introducing multiple lengths, expanding the size range, and including waistband adjusters in every pair, kids can now enjoy the same experience as adults: find a waist size, find a length, and enjoy their comfiest denim fit,” Hall said.
The updated denim collection announced Thursday arrives after nearly two years of production and fit testing by more than 300 kids of different ages and sizes. It launched as Abercrombie & Fitch Co. marks the five-year anniversary of its gender-inclusive ‘everybody collection,’ an assortment of genderless kids’ apparel including graphic T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, jeans, sweatpants and accessories.
Abercrombie-owned Hollister Co. has also released gender-inclusive products. Last year, the brand launched Social Tourist, a clothing line curated by social media sisters Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, whose followings top 198.6 million on TikTok and 73.8 million on Instagram.
Social Tourist’s gender-inclusive collection allows customers shopping in women’s sizes to choose their usual sizes and suggests those shopping in men’s sizes to go one size up.
The size- and gender-inclusive assortments signal the company’s considerable efforts to clean up the one-time discriminatory image chronicled in a Netflix documentary released earlier this year.
For the first time in over a decade, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is on track this year to become a “net store opener” by launching 60 new stores, 1o more than it originally planned. Additionally, the company achieved its strongest first quarter since 2014. For the period ending April 30, net sales rose 4 percent from $781.4 million to $812.8 million.