No sizes above 42. Or, if you prefer, the European 38 or the American Large. Only thin, beautiful, cool, and above all rich girls: only people of a "certain level", as they say, can wear Abercrombie&Fitch, the famous American brand of youthful pret-a-porter.
The unbearable diktat, in stark contrast with the ethical initiatives of other chains, such as H&M, which provide plus-size collections and contain prices, does not come from the latest fashion or from the whims of the classist bourgeoisie who do not want to mix with the plebs , but by Mike Jeffries himself, owner of the clothing chain famous for its disco shops, which imposed that women's clothing larger than 42 should not be sold. “Are we exclusive? Absolutely yes – said the number one of Abercrombie at Salon magazine -. We don't want the public to think that anyone, even poor people, can afford to wear our clothes. Only people of a certain status can buy from us”.
Economic status, as is known from the prices charged, but also physical. Just like the models who welcome customers in the boutiques dancing in sexy poses to the rhythm of disco music, the physique of the buyers, indeed above all of the buyers, must also be impeccable. “Jeffries doesn't want his top clients to see other, less sexy people wearing the same clothes they wear”Robin Lewis, co-author of "The new rules of retail" and head of the Robin Report newsletter, even told Business Week.
In short, let it never be that some twenty-year-old with a perfect silhouette can recognize the same trendy jeans worn by a girl of his age perhaps a little more fleshy and less fashionable than her. Jeffries meanwhile rejects the accusations of discrimination and throws it on the strategy: “Companies in difficulty try to target all customers, without distinction, young, old, fat, thin: this makes their lines insipid, without personality. They will never excite anyone's tastes." But if the alternative is not even being able to get dressed…
