Tees emblazoned with phrases deemed offensive to women have been yanked from Abercrombie & Fitch clothing stores thanks to a group of teen girls who launched a nationwide “girlcott.” Bowing to pressure from the public and supporters of the Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers (the group of nearly two dozen girls who spearheaded the protest), the retailer announced Friday that it is pulling two shirts off the market: one with the slogan “Gentlemen Prefer Tig Old Bitties” and a second reading, “With These, Who Needs Brains?” across the chest.  “We recognize that the shirts in question, while meant to be humorous, might be troubling to some,” the company said in a statement. Several more questionable tees — with expressions like “Blondes Are Adored, Brunettes Are Ignored,” “I Had A Nightmare I Was A Brunette,” “Do I Make You Look Fat” and “No Money, No Car, No Chance” — are still available but could be pulled, pending negotiations with the girls later this month. The group has offered to help A&F come up with more empowering messages to put on its clothing in the future. The idea for the boycott came during a meeting the girls had at a retreat this summer. As they were brainstorming ideas of what they could do to make a difference in their community, discussion soon shifted to the Abercrombie tees, which many of them saw as “nasty and disgusting,” said 13-year-old Jettie Fields, the group’s co-chair. “There’s a certain degree to where those shirts can be funny, but with the one that said, ‘With These, Who Needs Brains?,’ I think that’s really pushing it and takes it too far,” Fields said. “Girls need to know it’s not necessary to wear these shirts, and that if they stop buying them, then Abercrombie will stop selling them.” The group held a press conference and then was blown away by the amount of support and media coverage the boycott received, Fields said. “We had no idea it would get this far, so we’re all just really happy,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, people are actually taking us seriously. They don’t just see as a group of little girls.’ The fact that we were able to take down a huge corporation and have them listen to us, that’s an awesome victory.” “We are delighted they won,” said Sarah Gould, president of the Ms. Foundation for Women. “These T-shirts … are potentially dangerous to girls and their health because it reinforces the message that girls are only as good as what their bodies are, and that’s very undermining to a girl’s healthy development. This girlcott just proves that today’s teen girl is much smarter, more aware and very socially active. She won’t blindly follow a trend or wear clothes from a brand just because it is deemed ‘cool.’ “ This isn’t the first time

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Abercrombie & Fitch introduced abercrombie in 1997 with 9 stores. The purpose was to attract a younger audience to the American Abercrombie brand. The name of the concept took the same font of its parent, but with a navy color. The abbreviation from “Abercrombie & Fitch” to “abercrombie” with lowercase letters was intended to provide a children’s image. The store prototype was as the A&F one, but with variations also intended to appeal to the younger audience. Early abercrombie models include Ronnie Smith, Cassie Ventura, Christina Akatsuka, Christian Valentin, and Lindsay Lohan.

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In this recession, there are struggling apparel retailers all across the country. Then there's Abercrombie and Fitch. The upscale teen retailer has suffered 10 straight months of double-digit same-store-sales declines. In the second quarter of 2009 alone, sales were down an eye-popping 30% across the company's three name outlets: the flagship Abercrombie brand, which has 567 stores; Hollister, a 520-store teen chain; and Ruehl, a 29-store chain for young adults that Abercrombie shut down in June. Abercrombie & Fitch lost $26.7 million, which includes $24.4 million in charges associated with the closing of Ruehl, in the second quarter. During the same period in 2008, Abercrombie scored a $77.8 million profit. "Abercrombie has mismanaged this economic downturn more than any other retailer," says Britt Beemer, CEO of America's Research Group, a retail consulting firm.

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Teen apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. reports earnings for the fiscal second-quarter quarter on Friday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: Abercrombie & Fitch

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The founders of Links of London, husband and wife Annoushka Ducas and John Ayton, have launched a new fine jewellery business operating from 11 department stores.

The 700 sq ft flagship branch of Annoushka opened in Harvey Nicols in London yesterday July 29 and more concessions are due to open in Harrods, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Liberty and Westfield in London.

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