Abercrombie & Fitch fires back at Netflix over the White Hot documentary: ‘We’ve evolved’

Netflix’s upcoming documentary film White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch is one of the most anticipated new releases for April 2022, especially for fans of Netflix docs and those who might have shopped at the popular American retailer before.

Ahead of the documentary’s debut, the company issued a statement regarding the documentary’s contents and the past allegations of discriminatory hiring practicing.

In the spirit of full transparency, an official statement was shared a few days ago via the Abercrombie & Fitch Instagram account. You can read the entirety of the statement right here.

Abercrombie & Fitch claims the brand has ‘evolved’ since coming under new management

The Instagram post shows a text image that reads “Thank you for giving us the chance to show you who Abercrombie is today, and for being part of who we will be tomorrow.”

Then the caption reflects the full statement where the team acknowledges the former era of problematic behavior that took place during the decades that will be addressed by White Hot.

Per the statement, Abercrombie & Fitch says that they have “evolved” as a brand and are “grateful for the support you have given us as we’ve taken intentional steps to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone.”

"“Thank you for giving us the chance to show you who Abercrombie is today, and for being a part of who we will be tomorrow. We know the work is never done and remain committed to continually creating a company of which we can all be proud,” reads the rest of the statement."

The company showed its gratitude toward the consumers who have remained steadfast supporters over the years and continued to shop at the stores. While not as popular or mainstream as they once were, Abercrombie still continues to be a well-liked retailer for many across the country.

Most of the comments on the post indicate goodwill toward the brand, but it will be interesting to see if they receive backlash or more attention after White Hot premieres on Netflix. The upcoming documentary will explore Abercrombie & Fitch’s pop culture reign in the late 90s and early 00s, with a focus on how the brand honed in on exclusion.

White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch is set to premiere on Netflix April 19.