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White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch

Play trailer 1:57 Poster for White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch 2022 Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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66% Tomatometer 29 Reviews 29% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
In the late '90s and early '00s, Abercrombie & 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 & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH unravels the complex history of the iconic brand that influenced an entire generation.

Critics Reviews

View All (29) Critics Reviews
Robert Levin Newsday Only people with a serious interest in the recent history of Abercrombie & Fitch, or mall retail in general, should bother with this movie. Rated: 2/4 Apr 29, 2022 Full Review Mark Feeney Boston Globe White Hot makes for lively viewing, though the jangly soundtrack and overactive graphics get wearying. It’s basically two films: a bit gushy on the the go-go years, then relentlessly censorious about the fall. Apr 28, 2022 Full Review Hannah Lynn TIME Magazine Klayman pinpoints how and when the perception of Abercrombie started to change, both in the eyes of consumers and employees. Apr 25, 2022 Full Review Dónal Lynch Sunday Independent (Ireland) If you want a good overview of the scandals currently engulfing ex Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries this is a good place to start. Feb 5, 2024 Full Review Katherine Monk Ex-Press.com An antiseptic dissection of the mall chain that defined a decade of WASPy aspiration, White Hot peels back the flannel and Oxford cloth of Abercrombie & Fitch to reveal a merchandizing plan rooted in exclusion. Rated: 3/5 Dec 5, 2022 Full Review Valerie Kalfrin AWFJ.org White Hot is perhaps best viewed as a peculiar time capsule. Here’s a brand that hit the zeitgeist through old-fashioned advertising, not Instagram, a bubble of proud privilege that cracked once social media grew enough to amplify marginalized voices. Jun 13, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Huw D Badly researched poorly produced propaganda piece. Jealous and envy is not a good character trait and this show embodies it. I only watch as I use to shop at A&F between 2004-2014. Best avoided. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/14/23 Full Review Leaburn O Boring doc that struggled to fill its runtime. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/08/23 Full Review Audience Member This is the perfect documentary for every 90’s high school kid that chose to be awkward and then hate everyone else for it. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/08/23 Full Review jon s It's yet more fodder for the identitarian outrage mob which, in its never-ending quest to find something about which to be offended, is now picking at the carcass of a mall retailer that's been irrelevant for the better part of two decades. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dan r 'White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch' is an interesting documentary which has recently dropped onto Netflix. SYNOPSIS: 'Abercrombie and Fitch conquered malls in the late '90s and early '00s with gorgeous models, pulsing dance beats and a fierce scent. But their "all-American" image shattered as exclusionary marketing and hiring practices came to light.' In reality only people with a serious interest in the recent history of Abercrombie & Fitch or fashion itself will really get the most out of this. And therefore it was very lost on me. However, there is something interesting here as it's lively in it's delivery with a great soundtrack and fun graphics. Quirky. 6/10 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member An interesting look into something I knew extremely little about. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the late '90s and early '00s, Abercrombie & 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 & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH unravels the complex history of the iconic brand that influenced an entire generation.
Director
Alison Klayman
Producer
Alison Klayman, Emmet McDermott, Hayley Pappas
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2022