In the late '90s and early '00s, Abercrombie and Fitch was the first stop for many shoppers on their trip to the mall. Shirtless jocks stood guard at store entrances, selling a potent mix of sex and wholesomeness. Pulsing dance beats and the brand's fierce scent drew in hordes of young people hoping to buy themselves a seat at the cool kids' table. Led by outspoken CEO Mike Jeffries, A&F cashed in on an "all-American" image and enshrined its clothes as must-haves for the new ... (Full plot summary below)
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In the late '90s and early '00s, Abercrombie and Fitch was the first stop for many shoppers on their trip to the mall. Shirtless jocks stood guard at store entrances, selling a potent mix of sex and wholesomeness. Pulsing dance beats and the brand's fierce scent drew in hordes of young people hoping to buy themselves a seat at the cool kids' table. Led by outspoken CEO Mike Jeffries, A&F cashed in on an "all-American" image and enshrined its clothes as must-haves for the new millennium. But over time, revelations of exclusionary marketing and discriminatory hiring practices began to engulf the white hot brand in scandal. Featuring interviews with dozens of former employees, executives, and models, WHITE HOT: THE RISE and FALL OF ABERCROMBIE and FITCH unravels the complex history of the iconic brand that influenced an entire generation.
Leave your thoughts about White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.
| Screen DailyNikki BaughanIt is a fascinating, horrifying story and Klayman eschews any tricks or gimmicks — bar some lively collage animation — to allow this explosive narrative to evolve through the eye-opening experiences of those who lived it. |
| RogerEbert.comNick AllenWhile this documentary from Alison Klayman can be insightful in taking us inside a phenomenon, its approach can be too broad, with filmmaking that relies on its own weaning sense of trendy. |
| Paste MagazineLex BriscusoThe movie is a worthy examination of the culture surrounding Abercrombie and why it became so toxic—and how we followed suit—but it could’ve been a slightly more rounded-out story had it focused on all elements of the company’s biases. |
| The PlaylistChristian GallichioWhen the film drifts into the larger discourse of Abercrombie’s fall, it favors simplistic answers — namely the democratization of social media — over a more critical interrogation of why Abercrombie fell, and how they are still trying to claw their way back to relevancy. |
| The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeThe doc circles its subject with a mix of fascination, reverence and minor disgust. |
| IndieWireDavid EhrlichCathartic and outrageous as it can be to hear the juicy — but wildly unsurprising — details of how Abercrombie operated behind the scenes, Klayman’s film doesn’t ground them in any greater sociopolitical context. |
| The New York TimesBen KenigsbergWhile the movie provides encouraging evidence of how much societal sensibilities have changed, it is fundamentally dressing up well-worn material. |
| User ReviewAcrofiloJust a series of interviews that uncover mostly nothing about the company led by closeted-homosexual Mike Jeffreys. A very limited documentary that holds nothing when compared to other recent corporation failure documentaries such as The Inventor (about Theranos) and WeWork: The Making and Breaking of a 47 Billion Unicorn. These, in turn, are also far surpassed by their dramatized counterparts The Dropout and WeCrashed. Basically, don't waste your precious time looking for insights or entertainment in White Hot. |
| User ReviewMrJPrimeMore woke crap no one will watch. Cancel Netflix. More woke crap no one will watch. Cancel Netflix. |
