Michael S Jeffries - People & Companies - WWD.com

All Profiles

Profile

Michael S Jeffries

Chairman and CEO Abercrombie & Fitch http://www.abercrombie.com T 614-283-6500

WWD.COM

Photo By David Turner

Michael-Jeffries

Michael S Jeffries is chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, the edgy, specialty retailer whose brands include A&F, Abercrombie, Hollister, Ruehl and Gilly Hicks.

Jeffries built the ailing brand into a multibillion-dollar enterprise by casting out its fly-fishing heritage and focusing on teen apparel with a rebel attitude. Controversy is a constant, whether stirred by racy T-shirts and catalog imagery, hiring practices or Jeffries’ own handsome compensation.

He attended the London School of Economics before earning his BA in economics from Claremont McKenna College, a private California school. He then went on to earn his MBA from Columbia University in 1968. Jeffries got his start at the now-defunct Abraham & Straus department store and Bullock’s before founding the Alcott & Andrews women’s career wear chain, which went bankrupt in the Eighties. He went on to Paul Harris as a merchandiser, and when that apparel chain failed in 1992, Jeffries joined Abercrombie (then owned by The Limited, now known as Limited Brands) as CEO. He took the company public in 1996 and added the chairman title three years later.

Jeffries’ brand of sizzle — including provocative photography from Bruce Weber — resonates with teens, who pushed the chain’s sales to $3.7 billion in 2008.

WWD.com is the authority for news and trends in the worlds of fashion, beauty and retail. Featuring daily headlines and breaking news from all Women's Wear Daily publications, WWD.com provides the most comprehensive coverage anywhere of fashion, beauty and retail news and is the leading destination for all fashion week updates and show reviews 6 from New York, Paris, Milan and London.

ADVERTISEMENT
Click to skip this ad
  • My Favorites
  • Images (0)
  • Articles (0)
minimize
    See More