I'm of the opinion that people that _hate_ Hollister/A&F/JW just for the reason taht they are Holl/fitch/JW are very very silly.
Also the people that complain about the shirts just having the logo blazoned across them.
I wear a LOT of hollister and have only started really wearing it this year. That being said, I do have in my wardrobe a lot of nameless stuff, a lot of high designer brands, a lot of high street stuff and everything else.
Hollister/AnF and JW are just another brand. They're considerably pricier than some other brands but they are VERY comfy. The trackies are, by far, the most comfortable things you can wear as bottoms. Short of actually turning up to lectures in my boxer shorts, I dont think I could imagine anything more cosy than them. The shirts are of a good quality and the t-shirts are of a durable and nice material. In general I take better care over my hollister gear than I do my h&m, river island etc. because it is genuinely nicer in both material and design.
sure, there are people that buy it because its LOLOL hollister and there are people that only wear it to fit into the stereotype. but dismissing a brand simply because of this is either a massive case of jelly or a resentment of that class of people.
I wear hollister because it looks and feels nice.
PS: Price is relative. What is insanely expensive to some is jsut regular for others.