Abercrombie & Fitch: EYNTK about the Mike Jeffries allegations
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For those of us growing up in the early noughties, Abercrombie & Fitch was the store we found ourselves frittering our hard-saved pocket money away on.
It was the cornerstone of cool, famed for its dark décor, strongly scented stores and array of shirtless shop assistants that worked as ambassador ‘models’ of the brand.
Now, following a two-year investigation, a new BBC documentary reports on the seedy underbelly that allegedly operated throughout Abercrombie & Fitch’s heyday, as the former CEO stands accused of exploiting young men for sex.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool.
Who is Mike Jeffries?
Mike Jeffries was the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, having been hired by business magnate Les Wexner to reinvigorate the flagging brand in 1992. He was one of the driving forces behind making Abercrombie & Fitch a highly coveted brand.
His work at the company saw him lauded as one of America’s highest paid CEOs, but for all his success, Jeffries was considered a controversial figure.
In 2006, he raised eyebrows during an interview with Salon magazine where he said Abercrombie & Fitch was intended to be "absolutely exclusionary".
"Candidly, we go after the cool kids," he said. "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.
"That's why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don't market to anyone other than that."
Jeffries left the company in 2014 amidst declining sales. It was reported that he left the company with $27 million (£22.4 million) in cash and retirement benefits.
What are the allegations against Mike Jeffries?
A two year investigation by BBC’s Panorama spoke to eight men, who alleged they attended events between 2009 and 2015 that were ran for Jeffries and his partner, Matthew Smith. They claim that these parties involved sex acts.
The men claimed they had been recruited by a middleman who wore a snakeskin patch that covered his missing nose, who the BBC identified as James Jacobson.
Half the men recruited claim to have been initially misled about the nature of the events, or were not told sex was expected. Others said they understood the events would involve sex, but not exactly what was expected.
One accuser who spoke on the record is David Bradberry. He claims when he met Jacobson, he alleged he was the key to meeting the owners of Abercrombie & Fitch.
Following their meeting, Bradberry claims Mr Jacobson suggested Bruce Weber - then the official photographer for the brand - should take his picture.
"Jim made it clear to me that unless I let [Jacobson] perform oral sex on me, that I would not be meeting with Abercrombie & Fitch or Mike Jeffries," Bradberry continues. "I was paralysed. It was like he was selling fame. And the price was compliance."
Another alleged victim, the former model Barrett Pall, told the BBC: "My feeling of being in that room was: an animal. I was not a human to any of these people. I was a body. I was being presented to someone, to do what they wanted with.
"What happened to me changed my life – and not for the better."
How has Mike Jeffries, and Abercrombie & Fitch, responded?
Jeffries, and his partner Smith, were contacted by the BBC several times, by letter, email and phone to comment on the detailed list of allegations, but they did not respond.
Abercrombie & Fitch told the BBC it was "appalled and disgusted" by his alleged behaviour, before adding that new leadership had changed the company into "values-driven organisation we are today", and has "zero tolerance for abuse, harassment of discrimination of any kind."
Meanwhile, James Jacobson said in a statement via his lawyers that he took offence at the suggestion of "any coercive, deceptive or forceful behaviour on my part" and had "no knowledge of any such conduct by others".
"Any encounter I had was fully consensual, not coercive," he said. "Everyone I came into contact with who attended these events went in with their eyes wide open."
What happens now?
Abercrombie & Fitch says it is investigating allegations against Jeffries, and is currently talking to “an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation” into the claims.
Brad Edwards, a civil lawyer who examined the BBC's evidence, said US prosecutors should investigate whether what these "brave men" describe could be sex trafficking.
"There may have been evidence of coercion for some of the men, whereas others might not have felt the coercive tactics," Edwards said.
"Remember, coercion is the reasonable belief that serious harm will be inflicted - and serious harm could be reputational harm, financial harm, physical harm [unless you comply]."
Elizabeth Geddes, who was a federal prosecutor for more than 15 years and also reviewed the allegations, said: "There's certainly an argument that these young men were subjected to potential coercion.
"I think there are grounds for a prosecutor to open an investigation and look closely at this conduct to determine if a criminal prosecution is warranted."
The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer
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