Abercrombie and Fitch - fecking wankers

[Minifingers]

For this:

"He doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people," Lewis told Business Insider. "He doesn't want his core customers to see people who aren't as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they're one of the 'cool kids.'"

"In an interview with Salon last year Jeffries [founder of A&F] explained his attitude: ?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. A&F claims to only employ beautiful staff in its stores [Rex]
He continued: "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."

Apparently overweight, 'unattractive' and plus-size people don't 'belong' in A&F clothes.

What a cunt.

The clothes are overpriced too.

So hope this is his 'Gerald Ratner' moment.

[TheOrchardKeeper]

The twat elite?

[Omnishambolic]

Hardly news, they've been very open about that from the start (see their staffing policy, eg woman with one arm not allowed to work on shop floor).

It's the very opposite of Gerald Ratner saying his products were crap, ie you're a fool to buy them. He's saying only cool people wear our stuff, ie if you're a teenager (who fits into our sizes - most shops after all don't want fat people in their look, or you'd be able to get a size 20 in all the shops, so he's hardly unique in that respect either) then you'll look cool if you shop at A&F.

[bruxeur]

But A&F is for chavs. Is that his target market too?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I'm torn between a mass middle-aged frumpy Road Trip to check out the shops, very slowly or ignoring the idiocy and not giving them the publicity bu muttering about it.

[OrbisNonSufficit]

It's not exactly news that fashion and particularly fashion marketing favours the thin and pretty, is it? If you don't like it, don't buy the clothes.

[Tailtwister]

Just had a look at their clothes. Pretty nasty and tacky if you ask me. I'm quite glad I'm not his target market tbh, he can keep his nasty tacky junk.

[molly199]

Reading this and realised Im wearing an ambercrombie jumper, that someone bought me from holiday and its fake. part of my comfy not moving clothing, I must be cool althou im no were near skinny oops and not loads of friends either maybe I should bin it.

[KatieScarlett2833]

Their stuff does wash well though....
(Runs and hides)

[Minifingers]

Orbis - Zara clothes are primarily designed and made for slim people (their 'large' is a size 14), and they have a brilliant image. I can't imagine them ever coming out and saying 'our clothes are only suitable for beautiful, slim and cool people'. It's horrible.

I feel like going and buying something really unflattering with a massive A&F logo on it and stretching it across my 47 year old saggy arse in protest.

(a bit over sensitive - have an overweight but beautiful teenage dd who is incredibly self-conscious about her body. I hate to think of her going to this shop with her friends and being made to feel like an ugly freak).

[gazzalw]

Personally feel that anyone who shops in any of those 'brand' stores that appeal to lithe teens is a clone. I cannot believe teens buy into this 'herd' mentality as far as dressing is concerned - so boring and staid really - whatever happened to individuality?

[BabyMakesTheYoniGoStretchy]

Get a cheap top and have Arse&Fanjo emblazoned on it.

[ubik]

It's kind of 'anti-fashion' rather like Jack Wills, Hollister and yes Boden. Being a cookie cutter all-American cutie isn't the aspiration of most British teens, except the wealthy year-round-tan ones.

Give me Top Shop and Zara any day

[notsoyoniface]

A very nasty company. Racist and disabilist (sp)too.

[peeriebear]

They are being torn a new arse on their FB page, for what it's worth.

[FryOneFatManic]

Saw pictures of this chap. He wouldn't be allowed in his own stores....doesn't fit the profile of the customers they want

I feel that many stores have some form of subtle way of trying to attract the customers they want, whether by the size of goods or some other means. Him being so blatent may have been an attempt at making his stores sound cool, but actually it just makes him seem like a twat.

[Rosa]

Well some kid in Africa is wearing some stuff that I donated ....so I am pleased there will be a cool kid in the AF logo in Africa ..bet mr Jeffries will not like that. Plus I can say for sure that a couple of the staff in the shop I WENT to are stuck up and rude like him but I wouldn't say they are good looking .... Quite glad I don't fit into his stuff to be honest do I don't have the dilema ...

[NiniLegsInTheAir]

Well I'm slim and young although not necessarily beautiful but would never even think of wearing A&F. Their stuff is crap and the cool people I know wouldn't be seen wearing their clothes. What an own goal.

[DorisShutt]

My friend and I took great delight in wandering round one of their stores being "old ladies" and muttering about price, quality and falling standards of the youth today. She even got the flashlight app on her phone out to check what colour something was.

We had a ball counting the looks from the beautiful people!

[catsmother]

I've just looked him up on Wikipedia and agree with FryOne. In fact he looks like he's related to that woman who had all the horrid cosmetic surgery - think her name was Wildenstein or similar.

Also agree that many fashion brands may well wish and hope that their products would only ever be worn by "beautiful" people so as to show them off to their "best" advantage but to come out so blatantly and say such a thing is really sneery and arrogant. Feel for any teen lacking self confidence who doesn't "fit" - either metaphorically or literally - into their clothes and reads this, adding to their angst about not looking "right" etc.

[peeriebear]

Just googled the guy- he looks like he's made of raw dough
It's like Hitler promoting the Aryan Master Race whilst himself being a dark, unattractive shortarse.

[youmeatsix]

i assumed it was a PR thing and nothing more, getting everyone talking about them, and a load of airheads parting with cash because they fit the demographic so must be "beautiful & thin" i hope it is a Ratner moment, but because of their core clientele, i highly doubt it will be

[UnChartered]

[WorraLiberty]

It's nothing new though is it? I don't think I've ever seen a fat person working in a fashion boutique...and when was the last time you saw a mannequin with saggy boobs and belly fat sculpted to it?

He's telling it like it is and that could either work for the company or against it.

Time will tell.

[squoosh]

Goodness gracious me. I hope he puts his A&F hoodies on backwards to cover up that ugly old physog of his!

Whatta looker!