Michael Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, explains why the clothing retailer won't sell XL or larger clothing to men and women:
In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.
This is what Michael Jeffries looks like. I don't dare comment on his looks. He'd probably sue me. Or his plastic surgeon would.
But wait, there's more.
The Smoking Gun published a list of rules everyone must follow when traveling on Abercrombie & Fitch's corporate jet.
It's hysterical. And more than a little scary.
For example, the male flight attendants are not allowed to button up their shirts.
Actually, "scary" doesn't cover it. How about creepy?
All the rules come from an Abercrombie & Fitch manual that, according to The Smoking Gun, "was recently filed in U.S. District Court in connection with an age discrimination lawsuit brought against the Ohio-based clothing firm by an ex-pilot."
And, yes, the rules are for real. Bloomberg News confirms it.
