Last week, Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries caused outrage when comments that he had made in 2006 about “larger people” shopping in his store went viral.
“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” said Jeffries in an interview with Salon magazine in 2006.
“Candidly, we go after the cool kids. 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,” he added.
Let’s just say that Jeffries’ comments made a lot of poeple very angry and now the CEO has finally spoken out and addressed the criticism surrounding his remarks.
Mike Jeffries doesn’t want “larger people” wearing his clothes
In a statement issued today, Jeffries does not apologise for the comments but says that his “choice of words was interpreted in a matter that has caused offense.”
The CEO said that his “7-year-old, resurrected quote has been taken out of context,” but reemphasised that Abercrombie & Fitch “targets its marketing at a particular segment of customers.”
“We are completely opposed to any discrimination, bullying, derogatory characterizations or other anti-social behaviour based on race, gender, body typ or other individual characteristics,” he added in the statement.
Since the comments went viral, a writer from LA called Greg Karber launched an online campaign to undermine the brand’s “cool kid” image. The video encourages viewers to donate their Abercrombie & Fitch clothing to their local homeless shelter and share what they’re doing on social media. You can check it out by clicking here.
