It's supposed to be "Out with the old and in with the new" as we approach the end of the year.
But one mall staple is hoping you'll see it with new eyes — Abercrombie & Fitch.
"It was the teen retailer that all the kids aspired to shop at in the '90s," says Michelle Dalton Tyree of Fashion Trends Daily. "It was the cool kid of the mall. Emphasis on was."
Part of its meteoric rise was due to former CEO Mike Jeffries, who got America buying the company's clothes by branding them as exclusive and only for the cool kids.
"A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely." he told Salon in 2006. "Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny."
But like the kid that was once cool in high school, it's now the uncool one a decade later — and it's in trouble, too.
Abercrombie is the nation's most disliked retail brand, according to the 2016 American Satisfaction Index.
The company also closed 200 locations in the past two years, and reported the 15th straight quarter of declining sales among its stores.
"Fast fashion stores like Zara and H&M are the biggest threat to Abercrombie," says Tyree.
Now, the company has launched an ambitious campaign and redesign in order to win back shoppers.
Step one is revamping the experience of walking into a store — so, say bye-bye to the overly sexy ads and shirtless young men greeting you.
"The stores, which were known for being dark and have a clubby vibe, have lightened up, too," adds Tyree.
A new ad campaign is also trying to undo the idea that Abercrombie is exclusive.
President Fran Horowitz said in a statement: "Our new brand reflects that confidence and independence of spirit as well as our own dedication to a more diverse and inclusive culture."
So, one of the billboard ads that you can now see in places in Los Angeles includes this:
"Clearly, they are trying to say, 'This is NOT the old Abercrombie you knew,'" says Tyree. "I thought it was very interesting that they were addressing their old controversial image head on."
But the company may run into hurdles when it comes to the price of their clothes.
"Kids now have a lot of other places to spend their money," says Tyree, and the valuable teen demo of today values experiences. "If it's a choice between Coachella and clothes, then Coachella wins out."
So, teens may opt to use their limited fashion budget at a fast fashion outlet, and those tend to be trendier than Abercrombie, too.
"They have been slowly expanding the clothing assortment, but they still don't have this quite right," says Tyree. "They have to add more lifestyle elements to the mix — like towels and bags — as well as more athleisure wear.
"But I'd bet on an Abercrombie comeback is inevitable, so don't count Abercrombie out just yet!"