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Anthropologie

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Anthropologie
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
FoundedOctober 31, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-10-31)[1]
Wayne, Pennsylvania, U.S.
FounderRichard Hayne[2]
Headquarters
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
U.S.
Number of locations
216 (September 2015)
Key people
Tricia Smith (CEO)
Products
  • Clothing
  • accessories
  • cosmetics
  • footwear
  • houseware
ParentUrban Outfitters
(1992–present)
Websiteanthropologie.com

Anthropologie is an American retailer operating in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the UK that sells clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decorations, beauty products, and gifts.[3]

Anthropologie is part of URBN brands, which includes Urban Outfitters, Free People, BHLDN, and Terrain.

History

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In 1970, former Lehigh University roommates and later University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School classmates Richard Hayne and Scott Belair needed a project for an entrepreneurial class. They decided to open a retail store called Free People.[4] According to some sources, Hayne's ex-wife Judy Wicks co-founded the company with him.[5] After opening another store, Urban Outfitters, Hayne worked the concept behind Anthropologie, aiming to sell products targeting 30 to 45-year-old women.[6]

In the autumn of 1992, Anthropologie opened its first free-standing store in a refurbished automobile shop in Wayne, Pennsylvania.[7] In 1998, the brand launched a mail-order catalog.[8] Anthropologie launched a website that same year.[9] In 2009, Anthropologie opened its first international store in London, England. It followed the other brands in URBN in expanding to the United Kingdom.[10][11] Also in 2009, Anthropologie opened its first Canadian outlet at the Shops at Don Mills, a shopping centre in Toronto.[12]

In 2018, following an exposé of the mohair industry in South Africa, Anthropologie joined other fashion retailers in banning the sale of products containing goat-derived fur.[13] In October 2019, Urban Outfitters announced the opening of Anthropologie Home Outlet in Pittsburgh, which focuses only on home furnishings.[14] In 2020, Anthropologie became a target of protests when it ignored calls from PETA to ban the sale of items made with alpaca hair.[15]

In April 2021, Hillary Super stepped down as CEO of Anthropologie, and Tricia D. Smith, who had served 26 years at Nordstrom, took over as Anthropologie’s global CEO.[16]

Collaborations

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Anthropologie had partners with various artists and designers worldwide for its products. Collaborators have included Tracy Reese, Peter Som, Collette Dinnigan, Mara Hoffman, Liya Kebede, Byron Lars, Ekaterina Kukhareva, Chris Benz, Kit Kemp, Vera Neumann, Amber Lewis, Joanna Gaines [17] and Claire Desjardins.[18][19]

References

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  1. ^ "History". URBN. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  2. ^ Schooley, Tim (October 25, 2019). "First look: Urban Outfitters debuts Anthropologie Home Outlet at Mount Nebo Pointe". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "Unraveling Anthropologie's Intoxicating Store Experience". Anthropologie. December 4, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Brown and White Staff (March 8, 2013). "Lehigh alumnus Richard Hayne builds Urban Outfitters empire". lehighvalleylive. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  5. ^ McCuan, Jess (April 1, 2004). "Judy Wicks, White Dog Enterprises". Inc.. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  6. ^ "Our Story". URBN. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  7. ^ Danziger, Pamela N. "Urban Outfitters Gains As It Launches A New Vision For Anthropologie". Forbes. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "Stories: ANTHROPOLOGIE LAUNCHES GERMAN ONLINE SHOP". the-spin-off.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  9. ^ "History". URBN. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  10. ^ FashionUnited (September 25, 2008). "Anthropologie expands to Europe". FashionUnited. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  11. ^ "Urban Outfitters Inc. aims to supersize Anthropologie stores". Philly.com. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "Inside Toronto's first Anthropologie store". Toronto Life. May 28, 2009. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Inside Textiles Ltd., "Fashion brands ban mohair after PETA exposé," KnittingIndustry.com, 4 May 2018.
  14. ^ "First look: Urban Outfitters debuts Anthropologie Home Outlet at Mount Nebo Pointe". www.bizjournals.com. October 25, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  15. ^ Jessica Testa, "How PETA Won Its Messy Fight and Took a Seat at the Table, The New York Times, 31 May 2020.
  16. ^ Dunn, Catherine (April 12, 2021). "Urban Outfitters Inc. names new CEO of Anthropologie after pandemic hurt sales". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  17. ^ "My Collaboration with Anthropologie". magnolia.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  18. ^ Bellucci, Tara (September 10, 2012). "Vera Neumann". Apartment Therapy. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012.
  19. ^ "Anthropologie unveils new designer collaboration for home". Home Textiles Today. September 29, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
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