Leadership at Abercrombie & Fitch - Meet the CEO (Chief Eccentric Officer?)

I'm not quite sure where to start with this one. Some quite extraordinary claims/allegations being made about the leadership style of the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and the culture of that business. You can read about them here in the article in the Independent.

The story was originally reported via Bloomberg TV - here is the initial feature:

The claims are reported in dozens of other online news resources. For example, the Guardian describes how:

The boss of Abercrombie & Fitch requires male models who work as stewards aboard his private jet to wear boxer briefs, flip-flops and a "spritz" of the retailer's own brand aftershave, it has been claimed in a US court case.

According to an "aircraft standards" manual, male flight crew are told to present themselves clean shaven in a uniform of Abercrombie polo shirts, boxer briefs, jeans, flip-flops and gloves (black for when handling silverware and white for laying the table) while working on Abercrombie chief executive Michael Jeffries' executive jet.

It ought to be pointed out that Abercrombie & Fitch have denied the allegations - which have arisen as a result of a legal dispute with a former employee. Nevertheless, the details make for some gripping reading! And as the article points out, it is not the first time that Abercrombie & Fitch have hit the headlines for their controversial HRM policies and culture - which has built a successful retail brand around the attractiveness of youth. Between 1995 and 2008 the clothing chain's sales increased 22-fold and net profits almost 58-fold.