Hundreds flock to Abercrombie & Fitch launch
It's a scene familiar to all by now — hoards of shoppers forming long queues, waiting in line just to set foot in a first-of-its-kind store in Singapore.
At 10am sharp on Thursday, American casual wear giant Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) finally opened the doors of its flagship store here to an estimated crowd of 425.
And it was about time. After months of anticipation, eager shoppers had formed a queue from as early as 5am the same day outside the Knightsbridge store, which is also the retailer's first flagship in Southeast Asia.
Greeting shoppers at its doorstep were two men-candies — fully dressed, quite unfortunately — and another "shirtless greeter" positioned further inside the store.
Unfortunately, we do not have visuals of the store's interior due to the U.S. fashion retailer's strict "no photography" policy, which Yahoo! Singapore understands is uniform worldwide.
We had the privilege, however, of enjoying a closed-door media preview of the store a day before its opening and boy, was it an experience.
Like other A&F stores across the globe, the local one oozes sex appeal with its dim lights, booming loud beats and enthusiastic, attractive sales staff.
Walls are adorned with painted murals of the store's iconic (shirtless) athletic men and there is a not-to-be-missed 6-foot statue of a stark-naked man, apparently sculpted after an Abercrombie model from New York.
And of course, there's the signature life-sized moose head sticking out of a wall.
Spanning across three stories, the first two floors of the megastore (level 1 and basement) are dedicated to menswear while women's fashion can be found on the second level.
Fans of the "All-American" brand will be glad to note that the 20,000 sq feet store stocks identical products as other flagships across the world, be it the Fifth Avenue outlet in New York or London's Savile Row store.
Most shoppers Yahoo! Singapore spoke to found the A&F experience unique and refreshing.
"It's a new experience, it feels like (I'm) going into a pub," said 24-year-old Ves Neo, an associate engineer who spent about S$300 on a shirt and a pair of jeans.
"The lights are very dim and the whole store smells of their cologne," added Toh Jimin, a store supervisor who had taken leave to join in the store's opening. "They (the staff) have this dress code too… it's all very casual and relaxed," added the 30-year-old.
And naturally, the shirtless models remain a big hit with the ladies.
Shopper Lau Siyi was excitedly showing off the two photographs she took with the models.
"I just sent the photos to my friends; they'll be coming later at night," added the 37-year-old architect, who queued for over an hour from 9am to enter the store. She left with a bag of Christmas gifts for her friends.
"You're welcomed in by a few of their topless models, and then you have very beautiful people inside… everyone is very friendly, and there's lots of variety too" she added.
However, some were less than impressed.
A 20-year-old male shopper, who wanted to be known by his initials YMZ, said the lighting was "really a bit too dim" and made it harder to shop.
Still, it might be worth noting that he didn't seem to have that tough a time finding what he wanted.
The shopper, who queued for 45 minutes to enter the store, left after another 45 minutes of shopping satisfied with his new S$490 coat.
