Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries under fire for 'harmful' anti-plus-size policy

American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries came under fire on Thursday from a Hong Kong health expert after a writer claimed Jeffries “doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store”.

The comments made by Robin Lewis, co-author of , and CEO and Editorial Director of The Robin Report, to on Wednesday have reignited the furore around Jeffries, who is no stranger to controversy when it comes to plus-sizes for women. Those who frequent the retailer will find that A&F – which has a branch in Central, Hong Kong – doesn’t carry XL or XXL in women’s sizes.

Jeffries, Lewis said, “doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people, and he doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the ‘cool kids’.

“The only reason Abercrombie offers XL and XXL men’s sizes is probably to appeal to beefy football players and wrestlers,” Lewis, a professor at the Graduate School of Professional Studies at The Fashion Institute of Technology, added.

Dr Daniel Ho Sai-yin, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Community Medicine, branded the comments “harmful”. He said: “I wish the company would be more sensitive to the feelings of people who are not their target customers.

“Direct and indirect weight criticisms could be harmful to psychosocial health.”

H&M, Forever 21, and American Eagle, A&F’s main competitors, all have plus-sized sections; it feels strange that A&F is going in the opposite direction, limiting their sizes from XS to L.