Netflix has added a new documentary to its library – this time looking at the lawsuits and claims against fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch in White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.
Founded in 1892, the fashion brand was originally created for outdoorsmen, but after it was bought by The Limited in 1988, it began targeting the young adult market and grew into one of the largest clothing brands in the US.
Mike Jeffries joined the brand in 1992 and was the CEO until 2014 when he resigned following a number of controversies around discriminatory hiring practices and distasteful marketing.
He was the person behind the now-infamous interview with Salon, where he said Abercrombie’s clothes were meant to be worn by “cool” people and not unattractive or overweight buyers, saying: “Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”
He has since apologised for the 2006 interview, which prompted criticism when it re-emerged in 2013, saying: “We are completely opposed to any discrimination, bullying, derogatory characterisations or other anti-social behaviour based on race, gender, body type or other individual characteristics.”
So, who is Mike Jeffries and where is he now?
As the documentary airs on Netflix, here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Mike Jeffries?
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Mike Jeffries is the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.
He was responsible for re-establishing the clothing company and developing its modern brand image.
Jeffries was born in Oklahoma in 1944 but grew up in Los Angeles, where his father owned Party Time, a chain of party supply stores.
Jeffries went to business school, and prior to joining Abercrombie & Fitch, he worked at a number of brands, including his work with Allen Questrom (of JC Penney) and Millard S Drexler (the previous CEO of Gap Inc).
In 1984, Jeffries founded Alcott & Andrews, a brand targeted at career women. However, in 1989 it closed after falling into bankruptcy, which was attributed by industry executives to over-expansion. Jeffries then took a role at Midwest clothing chain Paul Harris, before joining A&F in 1992.
Where is Mike Jeffries now?
In 2014, Jeffries stepped down as A&F CEO surrounding extensive criticism of the company’s performance and 11 straight financial quarters of negative company comparable-store sales.
After leaving Abercrombie & Fitch, Jeffries has kept a pretty low profile.
It’s not clear what he’s doing work-wise, but Women’s Wear Daily reported that in 2017 he listed his townhome for sale with an asking price of $16 million (£12.3 million).
Fran Horowitz is the current CEO of A&F, after joining in 2017.
White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch is available on Netflix now.
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