Abercrombie & Fitch silent on diversity pledge as new London store opens
Abercrombie & Fitch committed to diversity pledges following years of criticism, but bosses failed to comment on the diversity of store colleagues at the new London store when The Capitalist approached them
The noughties are back, baby: and that means Von Dutch caps and Abercrombie & Fitch. All of a sudden ‘Brat Summer’ sounds appealing. The return is quite the coup for the company once voted “America’s most hated retailer”.
The firm has been heavily criticised in the past for its approach to hiring conventionally hot white guys to work in its stores and front campaigns, much of which is detailed in the 2022 Netflix documentary ‘White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch’.
Following the wave of criticism, Abercrombie & Fitch promised to change. Its website now pledges that the brand will reflect “the diversity of the communities we serve around the world” and it has previously said it won’t hire models solely based on body type or physical attractiveness. But when the firm was contacted by The Capitalist about its approach to hiring staff for its new Shoreditch store, which opens next week, the company declined to provide any details. I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether the fashion giant is true to its word.