Lifestyle Brand Of Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Ruehl No.925 (marketed as “RUEHL No.925″ ), or simply Ruehl , is an upscale American lifestyle brand from Abercrombie and Fitch . It is inspired by the artistic and cultural heritage of New York City’s Greenwich Village. The brand is designed for post-graduate individuals aged 22 through 35, retaining consumer basis past collegiate consumers for the A&F company. RUEHL retails its apparel, leather goods, and lifestyle accessories through its stores.

On June 17, 2009, Abercrombie & Fitch announced that it would close all 29 RUEHL locations by the end of the fiscal year (January 2010).

• Fictional background

According to Abercrombie & Fitch’s publicity material, RUEHL came to be as so:

In the 1850s, the German Ruehl family immigrated to West Village (a division of Greenwich Village). There, they moved into 925 Greenwich Street and opened up a leathergoods shop. Their first customer was a little “inquisitive” bulldog who walked in with a “steadfast demeanor” and a “confident attitude”. The shop then on became popular, providing the Ruehls with a decent living. The Ruehl’s son later moved next door into No.923 and took over the business. Being inspired by the fashion of James Dean and his work, he introduced RUEHL jeans. Afterwards, the grandson, moved into the present 925 Greenwich Street, bringing together all the previous elements of the business with his interests in the finer aspects of life; books, music, and art. In 2002, Abercrombie & Fitch bought the rights to the family’s name.

The above story is intentionally fictional. The background is not readily made available to customers, but was created to help tie in all the elements of the RUEHL brand. There exist no building numbers past the 800s on Greenwich Street and there are no records of an established Ruehl family in the Village either. There is nothing very German about the name, in the same sense that sister brand Gilly Hicks is not Australian, although both claim to have roots to those cultures. The store structure consists of three walkways and the logo for the brand is the bulldog. The family’s name “Ruehl” is in fact a variation of the German last name “Ruhl.” Furthermore, the name “RUEHL No.925″ signifies the title of an occupied residence (by the fictitious Ruehl family).

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• Launch

  RUEHL No.925 finally opened on September 24, 2004 with three locations. These were at Garden State Plaza (New Jersey), Woodfield Mall (Illinois), and the International Plaza (Florida). Designed to look and feel like Greenwich Village, RUEHL really presented a new, “more sophisticated” lifestyle than other Abercrombie & Fitch brands. The store prototype of this time was a two-floor prototype measuring at 9,500 sq ft (880 m2). Due to its structural form and size, locations capable of housing the prototype became hard to acquire.

  Mike Jeffries did not launch an online store upon the opening of RUEHL. He wanted to attract customers to the stores to experience the RUEHL atmosphere. What was launched was a promotional website which gave store listings, previewed the private online policy, and allowed for email subscription to receive news on RUEHL.

  Original prices upon opening were roughly 30% higher than at Abercrombie & Fitch (e.g. destroyed blue jeans $148.00 USD). Many consumers deemed this as too high for young professionals who normally begin their careers at fair incomes.

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• The logo: Trubble

  The official logo for RUEHL No.925 is the French bulldog Trubble. He is the little “inquisitive” bulldog with a “steadfast demeanor” and “confident attitude” who walked into the Ruehl family shop in the mid-1850s - so states the fictional background to RUEHL. He was, as the fake literature continues, the family’s first customer (to their surprise and delight). Subsequently, Trubble became the logo for the brand.

  His name, “Trubble”, is a play on the word “trouble.” It signifies the trouble that Mike Jeffries and his development team underwent to create an appealing logo for RUEHL. Before deciding on Trubble, the company experimented with different designs on RNY polos. The logos included: “R925″; an artistically cursive “R”; and “RUEHL / No.925″. The bulldog from the RUEHL background was finally selected and christened “Trubble” - a sort of counterpart to the Abercrombie moose, the flying Hollister Co. seagull, and the Gilly Hicks Koala. Trubble is today embroidered on Polos and silk-screened on other merchandise. Trubble also occasionally has a series of tees dedicated to his iconic image.

  RUEHL released the marketing slogan “Get into Trubble at RUEHL” in August 2008.

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• Closure of Ruehl

  On June 17, 2009, Abercrombie & Fitch announced it would close all 29 RUEHL stores.

  Mike Jeffries, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., said:

  It has been a difficult decision to close RUEHL, a brand we continue to believe could have been successful in different circumstances. However, given the current economic environment, we believe it is in the best interests of the Company to focus its efforts and resources on the growth opportunities afforded by our other brands, particularly internationally. While I am disappointed with the ultimate outcome, I am grateful for the effort and commitment the RUEHL team has shown in developing and positioning that brand in the marketplace. In particular, the recent strides made in differentiating and elevating the RUEHL assortment make this an especially difficult decision. However, all of our brands will benefit from our experience and lessons learned with RUEHL.

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