Wexner brought on Mike Jeffries as A&F’s CEO, who cracked a formula for success that is outlined in the documentary. It fell out of popularity but in 1988, it was acquired by the clothing chain operator The Limited, whose CEO Les Wexner was dubbed “The Merlin of the Mall” for his marketing tactics on brands like Victoria’s Secret. The company began as an outdoors Americana brand worn by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway. It might surprise many to learn that A&F’s roots extend back far further than the glory days of the suburban mall. “Exclusion is part of our society.”īenjamin O'Keefe, who started an online petition after reading a Salon interview with CEO Mike Jeffries, is featured in 'White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.' Courtesy of Netflix “It’s why people liked that brand,” says Benjamin O’Keefe, an activist who mobilized a campaign against Abercrombie’s discrimination in 2013 and is featured heavily in the film. According to the employees, journalists and activists who appear in the film, the overwhelming theme is that discrimination was actually a feature rather than a bug. The new Netflix documentary “White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch” dissects both the aspirational nature of the brand and pulls back the curtain on the lawsuits and public relations disasters that tarnished its otherwise pristine image.
