White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch

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White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch
White Hot Poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed by Alison Klayman
Produced by
  • Emmet McDermott
  • Hayley Pappas
  • Alison Klayman
CinematographyJulia Liu
Edited by
  • Jen Fineran
  • Colleen Flanagan
  • Brian Goetz
  • Steph Ching
Music byAmy Wood
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • April 19, 2022 (2022-04-19)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch is a 2022 American documentary film made for Netflix and directed by Alison Klayman. [1] [2] The film focuses on Abercrombie & Fitch's massive success and controversies during the late 1990s to 2000s. [3] [4] It was released on April 19, 2022. [5] [6]

Contents

Synopsis

White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch details the store's success and controversies, including its racist and exclusionary practices. The documentary focuses on the rise in popularity of the brand after the arrival of CEO Mike Jeffries in 1992, and his practices which led to a 2003 class-action suit which alleged racial discrimination in the stores’ hiring policies. [7] Director Alison Klayman explores the company's toxic culture, featuring interviews from some of the original participants in the class action lawsuit. The documentary also features Samantha Elauf, who was rejected by Abercrombie for employment due to wearing a headscarf to the interview. Abercrombie fought back and the case ultimately went to the Supreme Court in 2015, which ruled in favor of Elauf. [8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of 27 critics' reviews are positive. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

Michael Stanton Jeffries is an American businessman who was CEO of clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014. During Jeffries' tenure, Abercrombie & Fitch grew from a "fashion backwater" losing $25 million yearly to a lifestyle brand grossing $2 billion yearly by 2006. Jeffries was criticized for using semi-nude models in his company's advertising, selling clothes with racially and sexually insensitive slogans, and his candid stance that Abercrombie & Fitch marketed solely to the "cool kids".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abercrombie & Fitch</span> American retail company

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on contemporary clothing. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of February 2020, the company operated 854 stores across all its brands.

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References

  1. Couch, Aaron (March 31, 2022). "Netflix's 'White Hot' Trailer Follows Abercrombie & Fitch's Rise and Fall". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  2. Cormack, Morgan (March 24, 2022). "This wild Abercrombie & Fitch Netflix doc should be on your radar". Stylist. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  3. "'White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch' Trailer Delves Into the Dark Side of the Famed Retailer | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. Chapman, Wilson (March 31, 2022). "Netflix to Explore the 'Rise and Fall' of Abercrombie & Fitch in Documentary Debuting in April". Variety. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  5. June, Sophia. "Netflix Documentary 'White Hot' Chronicles The Rise And Fall Of Abercrombie & Fitch". Nylon. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  6. March 31, Dave Quinn. "Abercrombie & Fitch's Rise and Fall Explored in Explosive Trailer for New Netflix Doc". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. "What Happened to Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries After Events of 'White Hot'". MSN. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  8. "Abercrombie & Fitch Used to Rule the Mall. The Netflix Documentary White Hot Is a Deep-Dive Into What Made it Toxic". Time. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  9. "White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 22, 2022.