Abercrombie & Fitch boasts a rich 125-year heritage with many transformations and some unlikely customers along the way. While best known as a millennial mall haven in recent decades, the brand gained its notoriety as “The Greatest Sporting Goods Store in the World” with the clientele to prove it, from outfitting Amelia Earhart in flight jackets to Ernest Hemingway in hunting and fishing gear. Another unexpected luminary on that list of patrons is the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, whose A&F chinos inspired the brand’s latest capsule collection.
John F. Kennedy was arguably the best dressed gent to have ever assumed the Oval Office, mastering a relaxed but sophisticated style off-duty that exuded his preppy New England way of life – and that athletic, adventurous spirit is one that resonates so well with the Abercrombie & Fitch brand. So, when the company discovered a pair of chinos (the exact ones that had been owned and worn by John F. Kennedy, pictured above) were to be sold at auction last year, the brand immediately purchased them for their own archive.
"The opportunity to purchase JFK's Abercrombie & Fitch chinos came through our friends at the Vintage Showroom in London, who have helped us build and curate the brand's archives," Aaron Levine, SVP of Design for Abercrombie & Fitch explained. "It is an honor to get to work with such a rich heritage, and to offer our customer products with authentic stories is a unique opportunity. The design team has lovingly re-worked the proportions of this chino, for a modern twist which sits higher on the waist, baggier in the leg and cropped at the ankle. It is an iconic style, befitting of an American icon." The A&F design team references its archive every season for style, shape, fabric, and color, which includes over 100 pieces dating back to its founding.
From there, Levine got to work, reinterpreting the president’s classic Americana flair and love of sailing across outerwear, tees, swim trunks, and the hero chino pant.
The cotton twill chino features tonal herringbone pocketing and natural corozo buttons meant to sit high on the waist with a slightly oversize fit, wider leg and shorter inseam, retailing for $98. “You can wear them with a tucked in t-shirt, braided leather belt and your go-to beat up vans for a great summer outfit,” Levine shared with Forbes. “I also love the vintage inspired hoodie with a heritage anchor print. We found this exact piece digging through our archive, and loved the unique silhouette and graphic, which we thought was still super wearable.”
Other standout pieces in the range include a “Sailing Club” logo hooded fleece, a modernized take on a style from the 1960s and a tribute to Kennedy’s outings in Hyannisport, a sailing jacket with the A&F “storm” logo, plus swim shorts in nautical and paisley prints, with complementary core pieces like graphic tees in patriotic red, white and blue hues.
John F. Kennedy wasn’t the only U.S. president to have worn Abercrombie & Fitch – the brand counts Teddy Roosevelt as a famous patron, too. The 26th president was friends with David T. Abercrombie since their camping club days, and many of Roosevelt’s expeditions were outfitted by A&F as well as part of the Rough Riders uniforms.
