Netflix’s latest documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch, released on April 19, explores the trajectory of the preppy retail brand: how it took the early 2000s by storm with its exclusionary branding and how, ironically, its promotion of an all-American white look signalled its decline and marked its disappearance from mainstream relevance. The man who orchestrated Abercrombie & Fitch’s notorious branding – loud, preppy, sexual and very white – was former CEO Mike Jeffries. “A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong,” Jeffries once said in a 2006 Salon interview, which was quoted in the documentary. “Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.” But where is Jeffries now and what happened to Abercrombie & Fitch when new leadership took over? Mike Jeffries sold his town house Since his departure from the company in December 2014, Jeffries, 77, has kept a low profile and maintained privacy. House of the Week: Mike Jeffries’ Sutton Square Townhouse https://t.co/UhdSi7RDr6 pic.twitter.com/T3jzv5l6gu — Caterina Di Iorgi (@Caterinadiiorgi) August 27, 2017 However, he made headlines in 2016 when he listed his Midtown Manhattan East town house, Sutton Square, for US$19.5 million, Elle Decor reported. He then relisted it again for US$16 million. A year later, as per City Realty , he finally sold it at US$12.9 million. Meet Walt Disney’s billionaire-bashing grandniece, Abigail Disney A hefty US$27 million retirement pay cheque Jeffries didn’t leave the company empty-handed. In 2015, Columbus Business First reported that he walked away with at least US$27 million in cash and retirement benefits. The report added that the bulk of the hefty fee came from Jeffries’ retirement plan, valued at US$19.33 million. The pay cheque is dwarfed by Jeffries’ net worth of US$300 million though, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Abercrombie & Fitch sold its corporate jet According to Business Insider, Abercrombie & Fitch sold its corporate jet Gulfstream G550 for US$11 million after Jeffries retired. However, it’s not the value of the jet that shocked the public, but the 47-page rule book that governed its staff’s behaviour and attire. The rule book was made public through a 2010 lawsuit filed by the jet’s pilot who claimed that he was fired for being too old, per Huffington Post. Jeffries and his life partner, Matthew Smith, required employees to abide by absurd rules, from the seating arrangement of Jeffries’ dogs to the precise temperature at which the crew may wear coats (10 degrees Celsius). One of the highlights of the book was how models should respond when Jeffries or Smith made a request by only saying “no problem”. Why did these 5 Chinese tech billionaires step down? His long-time partner caused tension in the company Jeffries, who is openly gay, relegated his powers to Smith, raising suspicion among Abercrombie & Fitch executives and management. Signs you know the Abercrombie & Fitch documentary is going to be good. pic.twitter.com/HHu72thYlx — Sara Cress (@saracress) April 20, 2022 In a 2013 Buzzfeed exposé, two former executives who spoke on conditions of anonymity described Smith as “dangerous” and said that he was unaccountable if he made a wrong decision regarding the company. On top of that, in 2014, sales also plummeted, forcing him to retire. A totally new look In 2017, Abercrombie & Fitch appointed Fran Horowitz as its CEO to lead the brand’s transformation. In the past five years, the brand saw many changes: it shed its preppy exclusivity in a bid to become a more inclusive brand aimed at young millennials and Gen Zers looking for fashion basics, Digiday reported. In light of the Netlix special on $ANF , I am re-upping my deep dive from March into the company's remarkable return to form under Fran Horowitz. Meet the CEO who miraculously made Abercrombie & Fitch cool again https://t.co/Mn2fV0CLRE — Phil Wahba (@philwahba) April 26, 2022 The brand has also redeemed its body-shaming past with a more inclusive sizing, according to Modern Retail. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .