Hollister Co. has only been around a little more than a decade, yet its name and logo are easily recognized even by people outside of the target market. However even those die-hard, brand loyal customers probably don’t know that much about the company history. Part of the reason it has done so well so quickly is that it targets a market that had not yet been very well targeted and that’s teens.

Meant to appeal to the age group of 14-18, this brand helps trendsetting teens have a place to shop. While more casual and a lifestyle brand compared to more flashy and trendy clothing lines for teens, Hollister has grown in popularity quickly for the short time it has been around. So here is a little info “behind the scenes” for this company.

Take a Look Inside

Founded in July of 2000, Hollister almost shouldn’t already be as popular as it is. It seems this brand had a following from the moment it started. A large part of that is due to the popularity of the company that founded it.

Abercrombie & Fitch is the parent company behind Hollister and already had a cult like following of its own at the time. The vision Abercrombie & Fitch had for Hollister Co. was to be a more affordable line geared towards the 14-18 year old age group. It is continually ranked a top clothing brand among teens, year after year.

The image and inspiration for the clothing design for Hollister comes from a Southern California image. The look is clean, classic and casual while still keeping it cool and modern. Based out of headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, Hollister give shoppers the opportunity to browse online, at full retail and at factory outlet store locations.

The first store was opened in Columbus, Ohio, and from there expansion took off. Today there are international locations including locations throughout parts of Canada, the U.K. and the rest of Europe. More growth is on the horizon, including possible product line expansions.

Currently, though, Hollister is best known for products such as:

Graphic Tshirts
Crew Tshirts
Henleys
Cardigans
Polos
Jeans
Boxers
Flip Flops
Pullovers
Outerwear
And much more

Their colognes and perfumes were probably the most recent product line expansion as well as body care products.

Shopping the Hollister Way

The age group is teens and the gender is male and female. Now it is about the look. Here are just a few examples of popular products from the Hollister Co. line of apparel and merchandise. Currently shopping this brand means choosing from “Dudes,” “Bettys,” Jeans, Gifts,“So Cal Looks” and “Club Cali”, and lines are given names of California beaches.

El Porto Beach Hoodie -- This snuggly warm hoodie for him includes the classic and iconic Hollister logo and comes in the vintage Hollister wash. While certainly a timeless classic, it is updated with an opening in the interior left pocket for your headphones to slip through. Available in classic Blue and other popular colors.

Venice Beach Henley -- For her, this is a classic ribbed long sleeve shirt made of a super soft fabric. Slim fit, it is available in a range of vibrant and subdued hues including turquoise, heather grey, dark pink and white.

Jeans -- Who doesn’t love a favorite pair of jeans? Teens live in their favorite pair of denim, and Hollister offers many different styles and cuts for Dudes or Bettys. The current classic or trendy styles of jeans for Dudes include Super Skinny, Skinny, Boot, Classic Straight, Classic Taper and Slim Straight. For Bettys, there are Jegging, Flare, Boot, Skinny, Boyfriend and Super Skinny.

If you are looking for an even better deal than what you will find at Hollister Co. retail stores, then look no further than factory outlets. While there are not as many Hollister outlets as some other name brand clothiers have, there are just enough to find one near you or during your next getaway.

Here are a few locations for you to consider:

Tanger Outlets Westbrook, CT -- In addition to Hollister, here you can shop from other brand name outlets including Rue 21, LOFT Outlet, J. Crew and Timberland Factory Store.

Ontario Mills in Ontario, CA -- Near Los Angles in So Cal is this factory outlet shopping center. Aside from just Hollister Co., you can also find Abercrombie Outlet, Disney Store Outlet, G by Guess or LACOSTE Outlet.

Tanger Outlets Commerce, GA -- Just outside of the Atlanta area you can find this factory outlet shopping center. After you stock up on Hollister items, check out stores such as Crazy 8, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Fossil and Calvin Klein.

Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, TX -- In the Dallas area, there is this massive outlet center because in Texas it is go big or go home. Aside from Hollister Co., some of the other name brands there are Famous Footwear Outlet, Pacific Sunwear Outlet, Gap Factory Store and Books a Million.