I remember walking in and just being hit with the sense – Oh my god, they’ve bottled this. They have absolutely crystalized everything that I hate about high school and put it in a store.
Moe Tkacik – American journalist.
Tkacik is speaking about her experience at the retail store Abercrombie and Fitch in the documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie and Fitch.
Once I walked into the A&F located in the Westfield Mall in downtown San Francisco. It was loud and it was dark and I walked right back out.
I just watched this fascinating documentary and there’s quite a story to A&F – the rise under CEO Mike Jeffries – financial success – illegal business practices – mottos such as “we go after the cool kids.” Apparently, corporate managers really did not want what they considered unattractive people to work in their stores or even to buy their clothes.
Did you know that A&F was originally a sporting goods store? It opened in 1892 and sold everything outdoorsy – golf clubs, tennis rackets, camping gear, hunting rifles, sports clothing, and so on. When business declined in the 1980s, Limited Brands bought A&F and revamped it, selling an American collegiate look to teenagers. It was a huge hit, until it wasn’t.
As I said, this is quite a story! White Hot is currently streaming on Netflix.
OverDressed for Life 