As if Abercrombie & Fitch didn’t have enough problems. The teen retailer has been criticized for its racy ads, stale fashions, and decision (since reversed) to shun large customers. Its sales have been slowing. Mike Jeffries, the company’s controversial chief executive, lost his job as chairman early this year as a result. Now the Supreme Court has decided to hear a case in which a Muslim woman in Oklahoma alleges that Abercrombie declined to hire her because she wore a head scarf for religious reasons.
Abercrombie is all about image. The company calls its sales associates “models” and strictly enforces its “Look Policy,” which details acceptable hair styles, make up, jewelry, clothes, and clothes. Jeffries even had a 40-page manual for the actors and models who worked on the company’s Gulfstream jet. Men had to be clean shaven and wearing Abercrombie polo shirts, boxer briefs, and flip flops. The manual was disclosed in an age discrimination lawsuit by a former pilot.
