WINGNUT: Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries has a long list of rules for staffers on his Gulfstream — including which undies they wear.
Michael Jeffries
WINGNUT: Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries has a long list of rules for staffers on his Gulfstream — including which undies they wear. (
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When the high-flying CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch boards his $50 million corporate jet, he doesn’t want to see the “end square” of the toilet paper folded in the lavatory.
So Michael Jeffries made clear his wishes in a highly detailed 47-page “Aircraft Standards” rulebook for the crew.
Among the manual’s demands:
* Male staffers are to be clean-shaven and wear a uniform of Abercrombie polo shirts, flip-flops and a “spritz” of the firm’s cologne — and boxer briefs. All staffers must wear sunglasses.
* When Jeffries, 68, or boyfriend Matthew Smith make a request, the reply must be, “No problem” — not, “Just a minute,” or “Sure.”
* Stewards must wear black gloves to handle silverware — but white gloves to set the table.
* Toilet paper must not be “exposed” and its “end square” should not be folded. “Washclothes are to be tri-folded.”
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH’S HUNKY MALE MODELS
The staffers, described as actors and models, were also instructed to check for fingerprints on the Gulfstream G550 jet, arrange fresh flowers, center salt and pepper on meal trays, properly fold seat-belt buckles — and make sure the Phil Collins song “Take Me Home” is playing when passengers board.
Details of the manual came to light in a federal age-discrimination lawsuit filed in 2010 by former pilot Michael Stephen Bustin, now 55, who said he was fired and replaced by a younger pilot.
The clothing company’s general counsel said the suit was without merit and refused to comment on the rulebook. Jeffries has been praised for his attention to detail as head of the retailer, which posted revenue of $4.2 billion in the latest fiscal year.
The aircraft rulebook tells crew to “bring Michael’s lucky wallet to him” after they present him with copies of Abercrombie’s nonpublic reports.
Jeffries is also particular about his caffeine. He drinks Assam tea in the morning but switches to Darjeeling after 2 p.m.
On flights longer than two hours, crew members can have a meal — but “if the passengers are eating cold food, crew members are not to eat hot meals.”
There are also instructions for handling Jeffries and Smith’s dogs, Ruby, Trouble and Sammy.
“When Ruby and Trouble travel, Ruby will sit opposite Michael in the cabin, in Sammy’s seat. When Sammy travels, Ruby will sit in Trouble’s seat,” the manual says.