The man behind Abercrombie & Fitch

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/01/24/jeffries/

by rms • 18 years ago

10 20 18 years ago

salon.com

paul_reiners• 18 years ago

That 'campus' sounds scary. Like Hitler Youth but with nicer shirts.

kingkongrevenge3• 18 years ago

The Nazis had very nice shirts. The SS uniforms were designed by Hugo Boss.

xirium2• 18 years ago

I thought that kingkongrevenge was joking, but apparently Hugo Boss AG was founded in 1923 and became the official supplier of uniforms to the SA and SS guards ( http://www.no1-in-beauty.com/Articles/hugo_boss.htm ). The founder died in 1948 and his company started making suits in 1953.

gruseom• 18 years ago

Why was this downmodded? The close relationship between the Nazis and many prominent artists is well-known. Leni Riefenstahl was one of the most influential modernist directors. Rudolf Laban is taught to acting and dance students today. Nazism was highly aestheticized, and to great effect; Hitler's rallies were choreographed and so on. No doubt this is partly why many artists, including some great artists, were attracted to the Nazis.

pg• 18 years ago

There is something very wrong about that picture. It's like a picture of a 20 year old with a 60 year old's facial features photoshopped onto it.

ivankirigin2• 18 years ago

plastic. surgery.

soundsop• 18 years ago

I don't understand how a smart person becomes so hopelessly out of touch with a reality that he make himself (his physical self) into something approaching grotesque.

xirium2• 18 years ago

With those biceps, he may be taking human growth hormone.

wallflower• 18 years ago

"Mike Jeffries is the Willie Wonka of the fashion industry.. Examples of his strange behavior abound. According to Business Week, at A&F headquarters Jeffries always goes through revolving doors twice, never passes employees on stairwells, parks his Porsche every day at the same angle in the parking lot (keys between the seats, doors unlocked), and has a pair of "lucky shoes" he wears when reading financial reports."

I am friends with a former A&F employee, who is very attractive and confident. Behind the soft-porn young american look/magalog that is the A&F marketing ethos, there is a darker side of requiring low-hourly-wage earning employees to spend nearly all their wages on A&F clothes (lawsuit was settled) and attractive employees being required to recruit other attractive employees (either sex) to work for A&F, whenever they were out and about (e.g. partying).

a-priori• 18 years ago

Regardless of his tactics and business ethics, I found the most interesting part to be his attitude and devotion.

One quote I found interesting is, "I really don't care what anyone other than our target customer thinks".

redorb• 18 years ago

$80 shirts, $100 pants ... no thanks.

kingkongrevenge3• 18 years ago

I'd love to see what fraction of sales are ultimately paid for by mom and dad.

$100 isn't unreasonable for well made wool pants that can last the better part of a decade. But for cheap shit that will disintegrate within two years?!

rontr• 18 years ago

A&F: revenue - $2 billion a year, valuation - $5 bil

Facebook: revenue - $150 mil, valuation - $15 bil

aston• 18 years ago

Growth potential, dude!

rms2• 18 years ago

Is it legal to openly discriminate for attractiveness when hiring?

Or do they not have to discriminate, because ugly people never apply to work there?

kingkongrevenge3• 18 years ago

I believe you can discriminate however you want as long as it doesn't involve race, age, sex, physical handicaps, military background, polygraphs, or explicit IQ testing. These things are specified by statute.

asdflkj• 18 years ago

That can't be the whole story. A company hiring a roofer can't discriminate on the basis of physical handicap? What if he is in a wheelchair?

foonamefoo• 18 years ago

Are you sure about IQ testing?

The man behind Abercrombie & Fitch

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