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Essay on Abercrombie & Fitch Case Study

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Abercrombie & Fitch Case Study

Abercrombie & Fitch is one of the leading clothing companies in the world. They manufacture

and sell apparel that target the 18-24 year old demographic who represent the “All-American

Look.” Many people argue about the definition of what is “All-American,” since the United

States continues to evolve and include many different cultures and races. Abercrombie & Fitch

has been successful for over 100 years, but recently has come under constant scrutiny about its

hiring practices.

Company Overview

Abercrombie & Co. was founded by David Abercrombie on June 4, 1892. In 1900, Ezra Fitch

joined the company and it then became known as Abercrombie & Fitch. Since the very …show more content…

What did the company do to change its policies? Did they change

their definition of “All-American?” Do they still enforce the new diversity policies in their stores

today? Abercrombie & Fitch continues to operate and successfully sell their apparel in the

United States and around the world.

Situation Overview

In June 2003, Eduardo Gonzalez, along with several other African American, Hispanic, and

Asian former Abercrombie & Fitch employees, filed a class action lawsuit against the company

for racial discrimination. The former “brand representatives” felt that the company assigned

them specific tasks and areas to work in based on their ethnicity.

The lawsuit, Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch was originally filed in U.S. District Court in San

Francisco in June 2003 by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

(MALDEF), the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Asian Pacific American Legal

Center and the law firm of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann, & Bernstein, LLP. The suit was

consolidated with other cases charging employment discrimination against women and

minorities filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the law firm of

Minami, Lew, & Tamaki, LLP., and the law firm of Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C.

Even with overwhelming evidence being present and several employees coming forward to attest

to

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