I'm Rebecca Lervoy and this is you can't make this up as the podcast where we uncover the true stories behind

your favorite Netflix documentaries and films.

On today's episode, we take a closer look at White Hot,

the rise and fall of Abercrombie and Fitch.

One of the things that Abercrombie did quite brilliantly was put up brown shutters over the

windows and a big image in the front doorway at the entry.

So you really couldn't see what was in the store unless you went into the store.

No other mall retailer was doing that.

I mean, they forced you to come over the threshold.

Today we're talking to Director Allison Klayman.

The clothing store Abercrombie and Fitch conquered malls in the late 1990s with

gorgeous models at the door, pulsing dance beats from inside, and a fierce scent everywhere.

It had the aura of a popular nightclub where only the cool kids could get in.

But while the brand was running white-hot,

its popular all-American image began burning out.

T-shirts with problematic graphics, executives behaving badly, a hyper-sexualized aesthetic,

and its focus on being exclusionary wasn't just a marketing

ploy.

If you weren't young and white and had magazine cover good looks, then Abercrombie and

Fitch was neither the store nor the employer for you.

She basically said, I'm really surprised that you even wanted to work there.

She's like, I'm sure you were fine to clean up, but that store made it clear from my eyes that they didn't want people like us there. And I'm joined now by Director Allison Klam and Allison welcome to you can't make this up.

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