Fashion statements.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

The Hollister store opens Thursday at Valley River Center, and 13-year-old Aubrey Roush of Eugene is none too happy about it.

The store's arrival has created more than a little buzz at the Eugene mall - partly because of its lower prices on shirts, jeans and other upscale casual wear, and partly because it's new. There's only one other Hollister in all of Oregon, at Clackamas Town Center near Portland.

That's where Aubrey and a friend recently spent five hours shopping for back-to-school clothes.

"Not many of our friends know there's a Hollister in Portland, and we were hoping to keep it a secret so we could be the only ones with Hollister stuff," says Aubrey, who begins eighth grade Tuesday at Cascade Middle School.

"Now we'll have about two days to show our Hollister stuff before everybody else gets it," she says.

But to hear other fashion-savvy teens tell it, Hollister brings a much-needed addition to the local clothing scene. It's getting harder and harder to show up at school wearing anything distinctive, "and that's really annoying," says Sheldon High junior Cami Jordan.

The line on Hollister? Most teenagers will tell you it's like Abercrombie & Fitch, only cheaper. In fact, Hollister is owned by Abercrombie & Fitch.

"Hollister is to Abercrombie what Old Navy is to The Gap," explains Devin Williams, a North Eugene High grad who's bound for the University of Oregon this fall. Old Navy provides cheaper versions of what's available at The Gap, which owns Old Navy as well as the more upscale Banana Republic.

Not everyone is ga-ga about Hollister's arrival. Increasingly, many teens opt to do their clothes shopping in larger cities with wider selection. Some, such as 18-year-old Cassi DeBaldo of Eugene, see Hollister as more of the same.

"I just go to Portland if I need clothes," DeBaldo says, clutching an "I (heart) NY" bag while window shopping at Valley River. "Everyone here has the same stuff."

Aimed at the 14- to 18-year-old market, Hollister offers racks of jeans and chinos, off-the-shoulder sweaters and sheer tops, as well as shirts of the T, polo and button-up persuasions. The store claims a California beach theme - Hollister is supposedly the clan name of a "surf ranch" in California - with surfboards, palm trees and blaring technomusic all part of the market-research ambiance.

Many teens are already familiar with the store, having shopped Hollister online. The interactive Web site pitches its gender-specific apparel to "Dudes" and "Bettys," reminds visitors to use their red Club Cali card to chalk up "reward points," and sells music CDs and computer screensavers along with jackets and mini-skirts.

The Valley River store will take up more than 6,700 square feet of the former Emporium space - almost as much as the 7,400 square feet claimed by Abercrombie & Fitch a few doors down. A few of Hollister's new employees - about 60 in all - were scheduled to be on the store's faux front porch Friday and Saturday, pitching the benefits of the Club Cali "loyalty program."

Lindsey Matsler, a Creswell High senior shopping between daily-double volleyball workouts, expects to be a regular visitor at Hollister. "It fits more in a high school kid's budget," she says.

Mackenzie Smith, a South Eugene High grad attending the UO this fall, has shopped Hollister online with positive results. Hollister's quality may be a notch lower, she says, but that's the trade-off for finding a top for $18 instead of $25, or denim jeans for $50 instead of $70.

But Dave Newsom, district manager for nine Hollister stores across the West, says the same factories and vendors provide what's sold at both Hollister and Abercrombie. "But our price points are lower because our target market is younger," he says.

Translation: Abercrombie has higher mark-ups because that's what its wealthier customer base will pay.

Still, Hollister's opening at Valley River will almost certainly be noticed at the mall's Abercrombie outlet, says 24-year-old store manager Mike Hartwig.

"It's probably going to hurt us," he says. "We have our Abercrombie faithful, but there's always people looking for bargains. We shoot for college-age kids, but get more from high school and middle school - and Hollister's going to eat that up, for sure."

CAPTION(S):

Devin Williams, below, wears casual look. Above are Hollister's Malibu fleece ($39.50), So Cal cap ($19.95), Sands Beach trouser ($44.50). Hollister offerings include vintage cable leg warmers (left, $17.50), a Ventura baseball T (above, $19.50) and El Pescador athletic pants (right, $34.50).