Folks here in Central Ohio have been keenly following the management drama at struggling teen-clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, which is headquartered here, including the recent departure of longtime CEO Michael Jeffries.
One of the criticisms of A&F was that they missed the shift in teens away from branded clothing. Branding is now decidedly uncool.
I never really noticed the shift away from logo-saturated clothing on campus because Ohio State logos are still extremely popular among students, but the importance of this cultural shift was driven home during a visit yesterday to a Macy's store.
A woman was trying to buy a polo shirt for her 14-year-old grandson, but, she told the clerk, "He doesn't want anything with a logo on it." The woman couldn't find a polo shirts without a stitched logo, and the clerk informed her that this particular Macy's didn't stock any polo shirts without logos.
And so that Macy's store lost a sale that day.