You know, it isn't easy to get the world to universally hate you, but fashion design company Abercrombie & Fitch have somehow managed to master the art in one fell swoop. According to CEO Mike Jeffries, there are a lot of people out there who just aren't good enough for his wares – like all of us that now wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything with his fashion label on it.
So this week everyone got really upset at the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, after a seven-year-old Salon article surfaced in which he stated the only customers he's interested in serving are the "cool kids," and that "a lot of people don't belong" in his clothes or store. Further, according to Robin Lewis (a "retail expert" and consultant), Jeffries is only interested in catering to young, attractive clients.
The Internet exploded, naturally, and Mike Jeffries became one of the most hated guys-you-never-heard-of-before just about overnight. My initial reaction to this attitude--conflating "coolness" with thinness, and the blatant use of "otherness" as a branding strategy--was shock and anger. (Read More)
