A&F Quarterly: Abercrombie Bringing Back Controversial Magazine (PHOTO)

Abercrombie & Fitch is bringing its A&F Quarterly back to US stores, Portfolio reports. First launched in 1997, the mix of articles and partially-nude models was considered totally scandalous. It was pulled from the stores in December 2003, but come July 17, shoppers will be able to pick up a copy in Abercrombie outposts.

The new edition of the Quarterly will hopefully help sales, which were down 23 percent last year. Abercrombie did a test-run with the new Quarterly in London's shops last year that was evidently successful. The brand is also a "player on the social media front--its Facebook page has more than 1 million fans, its Twitter feed has a modest 2,323 followers (although some individual stores have their own feed), and a MySpace page keeps listeners updated on in-store music," writes Portfolio. And, of course, there are the shirtless male models perched outside the doors at the chain's Fifth Avenue store in NYC. They're probably good for business.

Here's one of our favorite A&F Quarterly covers, starring Heidi Klum in 2002:

Comments

[santiago sherwood]

08:39 PM on 07/19/2010

there is nothing more beautiful than the female form that is why god stopped after he created women, because he got it right.

[mrmikes]

06:59 PM on 06/23/2010

Lief the hat off.

[Tom Beall]

07:02 AM on 06/23/2010

Guess thats what they need to sell a shirt for $80 that was made for 10 cents in a Chinese sweat shop.

[socalcde]

07:07 PM on 06/22/2010

Wasn't Heidi already a mother in 2002? Posing nude doesn't seem like something to do when you're somebody's mother.

[tomas0808]

06:47 PM on 06/22/2010

A & F clothes are tacky garbage

[elektra mourns]

01:19 PM on 06/22/2010

the whole point is to be homoerotic...and it brings gay men into the store as buyers

[Leto II]

12:47 PM on 06/22/2010

These quarterlies were filled with beautiful young women but also showed some very homoerotic images. There were plenty of pics with half naked guys hanging all over each other. It was kind of funny.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that..."

[MikeDu]

11:31 AM on 06/22/2010

Whoever originally came up with the concept that its better to sell one T shirt at $50 than 5 T shirts at $10 should be taken out and shot Utah-style.

[landofopportunity]

11:46 AM on 06/22/2010

AGREED

[Paul S]

12:38 PM on 06/22/2010

LOL!

[robk06825]

11:09 AM on 06/22/2010

The old A&F catalog was soft porn and eye candy.

[malander]

10:59 AM on 06/22/2010

Never been in an A&F, might go now to pick up free soft porn...

[LouisvilleJoe]

12:05 PM on 06/22/2010

Since it can't be found anywhere else for free.

[The Cause Endures]

09:56 AM on 06/22/2010

Could the headline putting "CONTROVERSIAL" in all caps be any less shameful? Huffpo complains about the problem of the low information voter, but then exploit that voter's low functioning.

[MagCynic]

09:52 AM on 06/22/2010

Sweet. Maybe more people will buy $60 ripped jeans again.

[electricladyland]

09:51 AM on 06/22/2010

Just bring back Heidi Klum circa 2002. And pose her nude just above my face please.

[DevRock]

09:37 AM on 06/22/2010

WOOT!!!!

[OMG1]

09:21 AM on 06/22/2010

I have the 40, 40, 40 Rule...

If you are over 40, you should not be wearing A&F.... you just look like a pedo.
If you are 40 lbs over weight, you should not be wearing A&F... you just look like fool.
If it costs over $40, that's just way too much for a ripped up and torn pair of jeans.

[robk06825]

11:08 AM on 06/22/2010

So true.

[MNJim]

12:51 PM on 06/22/2010

Good rules---I wish more people would observe them. There are guys at my gym wearing skin-tight A&F t-shirts, that show all the contours of their rings of flab. They look like snowmen.