• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 3, 2015

America’s teenagers are about to get a closer look at the “new” Abercrombie & Fitch, with less sexy — and more diverse — ads breaking in time for the coming holiday season.

The campaign breaks this week on the teen retailer’s Web site and social media channels, concentrating on what it calls “re-worked classic staples for Fall that showcase a new direction in design, focused on quality and style.” A spokesperson for the New Albany, Ohio-based brand confirms that the new look is a step back from the provocative imagery that made the brand famous. 

The retailer has been struggling for several years -- plagued by tumbling sales, store closings, and accusations that its marketing was too provocative, and its hiring practices discriminatory, all capped by the departure of long-term chairman Mike Jeffries nearly a year ago. Since then, the company still has not found a new CEO. But a revamped team, including new design personnel, has been trying to spark a reinvention.

In its most recent quarterly results, sales dropped 8% to $817.8 million, including a 7% same-store decline at Abercrombie & Fitch stores and a 1% drop at its Hollister division. But that was in line with its plan, and to that point executive chairman Arthur Martinez told investors that the results “give us confidence that we are on the right track, although we recognize that we still have much to achieve.”

And the use of British Indian model Neelam Gill, shot in New York by photographer Dan Martensen, also signals a shift for the brand, which has been under fire (and before the Supreme Court) for discriminatory hiring practices and its commitment to “classic East Coast collegiate style” in its associates.

“Although we are still on a journey of change, we feel that we have made developments in our brand creative, and this shoot starring Neelam Gill has been a step forward for us,” an Abercrombie & Fitch executive told Women’s Wear Daily.