A Former Abercrombie & Fitch Employee is Speaking Out Against the Treatment From the Company

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Image: @Kirbymansour | TikTok

In a recent Netflix documentary, the clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch was exposed for promoting a toxic work environment. The documentary presents the rise and fall of the company, from employees being instructed to act like they are annoyed by customers to being sued by former employees for race and sex discrimination. Overall, although the company since rebranded, many learned about the inside of the company, and it didn’t look very good. Now, a former employee of A&F is not only saying that everything in the documentary is true, but the creator believes that it is actually worse than what the documentary showed, as they said things were left out.

@kirbymansour

My life as a manager at ABERCROMBIE. I have stories for days y’all #PringlesCanHands #MoveWithTommy #abercrombiejeans #abercrombie #TalkingTree

♬ original sound – Kirby Mansour

The creator, who goes by Kirby and owns a salon, said that she was a manager at the store in 2013. Her video instantly went viral, as everyone wanted all of the tea. Kirby had a lot to share, saying that the company only hired “good-looking people.”Although this is touched on in the documentary, she confirms it is true and says that people are either put to work on the floor as a “model” or in the back as “impact.” She says the basis of that was decided on whether you were “attractive enough” to be seen on the floor by customers. And although this is shocking, many people were aware of this, but many agreed it is crazy to be confirmed. She also says that the higher-ups in the company were incredibly strict with how you presented in the store. She says that one day, one of the “models” called out and she asked someone from “impact” to be upfront. When her district manager came to visit, she was told that they would rather close the store for the day than have someone from the back on the floor.

@kirbymansour

Reply to @handoeshair starting my series. Let me know what y’all want to hear next ☺️ #Totinos425 #abercrombiejeans #abercrombieandfitch #abercrombie #hollister

♬ original sound – Kirby Mansour

She also notes that the workers were nicknamed “models” so that the store could get away with being picky about the way people dressed and looked. She says that every time the season changed, people got a new “style guide” and had a new uniform of what they would be expected to wear. When asked about recruiting, she said it was her “least favorite” part of her job as a manager. She explains that managers were expected to recruit around 10 people a day, but the lawsuits had emerged and almost nobody wanted to work there.

@kirbymansour

#abercrombie #abercrombieandfitch #abercrombiejeans #storytime

♬ original sound – Kirby Mansour

Overall, Kirby stresses the fact that these events happened 10 years ago, and that the company has a new CEO that is hopefully nowhere near as bad as the prior management. Many say they have noticed a difference from the brand as they try to be more inclusive and not focus so much on vanity.

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