Abercrombie & Fitch was established in 1892 by David Abercrombie as Abercrombie Co. Abercrombie was joined by Ezra Fitch in 1900 and the company officially became Abercrombie & Fitch Co. After financial troubles in the 1960s and 1970s, it was acquired by The Limited. Mike Jeffires took over the company and repositioned it as an aspirational youth apparel retailer. Controversies followed with the subsequent publication of A&F Quarterly.

In recent times, A&F has been gaining further financial success. The company launched four brands in a period of ten years and has begun to expand on an international basis across various world markets.