Actually they are a very old company and are listed ...or was in the fortune 500. My Grand Father told me a long time ago the he used to wear A&F Khakis Pants for his gold mining expiditions.
Founded in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie, A&F had been an outfitter of sporting and excursion goods. It struggled financially from the late 1960s until it was purchased by The Limited in 1988 and repositioned, under the management of Michael S. Jeffries (current Chairman & CEO), as the "Casual Luxury" lifestyle brand in present day
Prominent figures who patronized the company in its excursion goods days include Teddy Roosevelt,[10] Amelia Earhart,[10][11] John French Sloan,[12] Greta Garbo,[10] Katharine Hepburn,[10] Clark Gable,[10] Cole Porter,[10] John Steinbeck,[13] Ernest Hemingway (who is said to have bought the gun he used to commit suicide at Abercrombie & Fitch Co.),[14] John F. Kennedy,[15] Robert Peary,[15] Duke Windsor,[15] Ernest Shackleton,[15] and Dwight Eisenhower.[15]
Now, I am sure the above are not all gay.....
I do feel that modern day marketing has focused on the male torso with the company and have apealed to the youthful images and want to sell that look and help create a culture around it....
It's all just soft porn...sex SELLS!!!