More men accuse Abercrombie & Fitch of sexual exploitation
Allegations centre around the actions of founder, Mike Jeffries.
In the latest development in the allegations of misuse of power at the iconic clothing brand, Abercrombie & Fitch, the BBC is reporting additional allegations against the company's ex-CEO Mike Jeffries, and his partner Matthew Smith.
Along with allegations of abuse of authority, and sexual coercion, there are also claims that some men were injected with drugs.
The report includes the story of "Luke" - who at the time was 20 years old and living in Los Angeles. Luke claims that in 2011, he was flown to Madrid for a photo-shoot for A&F but it turned out to be an erotic role-play in which Jeffries and Smith had sex with Luke - which he alleges he did not consent to.
As part of its reporting on A&F, the BBC have spoken with at least 20 men about events organised by Jeffries and Smith that seemed to centre around the alleged sexual exploitation of young men.
The period in focus is 2009 until 2015 - the period that Mike Jeffries was CEO of the clothing retailer.
According to the reporting, the events at which the alleged sexual encounters took place were organised by the assistants of Mike Jeffries - a group of young men who wore A&F uniforms and travelled around the world with him and Matthew Smith.
The reporting includes allegations that Jeffries' assistants injected some attendees in the penis - which would likely be an injection of Trimix, which ensures erections.
Civil proceedings have been brought against Jeffries, Smith, and A&F. The lawsuit alleges that A&F funding sex-trafficking.
How did we get here?
Allegations against Jeffries and Smith first surfaced in October 2023 when several men went public with allegations of sexual exploitation at Abercrombie events during the period 2009-2015. The parties specified were held in London, Paris, Marrakech, and the US.
According to the allegations, Jeffries and Smith would engage in sexual contact with the young men or order the men to have sex with each other. All men involved reported being paid after the events.
The men making the allegations explained that they were recruited for the Abercrombie events by a middleman hired by Jeffries and Smith. The middleman allegedly sexually auditioned the men by requesting oral sex or performing it on them.
There seemed to be varying experiences as to what the men making the allegations thought that they were applying for. Some said that they were told that sex would not be expected, others said that they were deceived about the nature of the event that they were attending, others indicated that the prospect of being booked for modelling work for Abercrombie was used to recruit them to attend the events.
One man believes that he was drugged and raped during one of the Abercrombie parties.
Who is Mike Jeffries?
Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014. He is credited with building the clothing brand into an iconic retailer - hugely popular with young shoppers in the 90s and early 2000s.
He stepped down in 2014 following declining sales and left with a retirement package valued at around USD$25m.
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