NEW ALBANY, Ohio, Sept. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Abercrombie &
Fitch Co.'s (NYSE: ANF) Hollister brand today announced its 2015
anti-bullying campaign, All Equal. In partnership with
indie-pop siblings, Echosmith, known for their hit single, 'Cool
Kids', the program helps increase anti-bullying awareness. Now in
its third year, the campaign continues to gain momentum and aims to
reach more than 1 million middle and high school students around
the world this year. Since launching the initiative in 2013, the
company has donated more than $400,000 to supporting causes, reached over
750,000 students and awarded scholarships to 20 deserving
students.
"Many of our customers are affected by the profound and lasting
impact that bullying can have," said Fran
Horowitz, Brand President of
Hollister. "We are passionate about supporting this cause. Our goal
in bringing the All Equal campaign to schools is not only to
raise awareness, but to provide students with the tools and
resources they need to stand up against bullying."
The campaign features an educational video and peer-to-peer
curriculum developed by renowned anti-bullying expert and clinical
psychologist, Dr. Joel Haber. The
video and curriculum are being distributed to more than 20,000
schools around the United States,
providing students with the tools they need to prevent and overcome
bullying. The program is designed to promote inclusivity and
respect, and teaches students to take a stand against bullying and
cyberbullying in their schools.
"Most people struggle to fit in and feel like outsiders at some
point in their lives, which is why we joined this campaign and what
inspired our song 'Cool Kids'," said Sydney
Sierota, lead singer of Echosmith. "Anti-bullying is a
cause that's close to our hearts and we're excited to work with
Hollister to raise awareness around this important issue. To us,
anti-bullying is about self-acceptance and love for others, and we
hope that through this campaign and our music, people find
inspiration in these messages.
Alongside Echosmith, Hollister has designed a line of graphic
t-shirts that feature inspirational messaging to help raise
awareness around anti-bullying. Starting Friday, September 11, the t-shirts will be sold
in all Hollister locations in the US, and online at
www.HollisterCo.com. In addition, the company will launch a
round-up program in all US Hollister stores, allowing customers to
round up their purchase price to the nearest dollar. The first
$100,000 of proceeds* from the
graphic t-shirt line and round-up program will be donated to No
Bully, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that leverages student
empathy to stop bullying and cyberbullying. For information on how
No Bully is bringing schools innovative solutions to bullying,
visit www.nobully.com. All additional proceeds will be donated to
other charitable organizations that support the health and wellness
of kids and teens.
A key component of the initiative is a college scholarship
program that honors outstanding students around the world who have
persevered academically while experiencing bullying, as well as
those who have led the fight against bullying in their schools and
communities. Through a partnership with the National Society of
High School Scholars (NSHSS) Foundation, the company will award 10
renewable scholarships in the amount of $2,500 to students starting college in the 2016
school year. Interested applicants can find out more information at
www.nshssfoundation.org.
Horowitz said, "These students play an important role in the
campaign. Alongside Echosmith, previous scholarship
recipients are featured in this year's educational video. We
hope that their messages of inclusion and strategies for combating
bullying inspire students to join the movement."
*Proceeds equal sale price minus the cost to produce the
tee.
About Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Abercrombie &
Fitch Co. is a leading global specialty retailer of high-quality,
casual apparel for Men, Women and kids with an active, youthful
lifestyle under its Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids and
Hollister Co. brands. At the end of the second quarter, the
Company operated 783 stores in the United
States and 171 stores across Canada, Europe, Asia
and the Middle East. The Company
also operates e-commerce websites at www.Abercrombie.com,
www.abercrombiekids.com and www.HollisterCo.com.
About Echosmith
LA-based alt-pop band Echosmith first
emerged onto the scene in 2014, with the success of their debut
album Talking Dreams and platinum hit 'Cool Kids' propelling them
into the spotlight. They quickly earned rave reviews from the likes
of ELLE, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and Grantland for their
distinctive melody-minded, New Wave-influenced sound, and have
performed everywhere from Ellen and Late Night with Seth Meyers to the American Idol finale.
Jimmy Fallon has now dubbed them
"one of the biggest breakout acts of 2015," thanks to Gold smash
'Bright' and new single 'Let's Love', which they debuted with
back-to-back performances on The Tonight Show and The Today Show.
The Sierotas –Sydney (vocals/keyboard), Jamie
(vocals/guitar), Noah (vocals/bass), and Graham
(drums) –have played to crowds of thousands at festivals and with
sold-out shows in the U.S. and Europe, and even joined Taylor Swift as special guests on her 1989 Tour
in Philadelphia to perform 'Cool
Kids'. Echosmith is on tour for the foreseeable future in 2015,
playing festivals around the world and as support on Twenty One
Pilots' U.S. tour this fall.
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SOURCE Abercrombie & Fitch Co.