Abercombie Gay CEO Wants his Young Fit Staff to Adhere to his 47 Page set of Rules

Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries has high standards and he expects the hired help to meet these standards - especially at 40,000 feet, it has been alleged.

According to a 47-page 'aircraft standards' manual, male flight crew on board his private Gulfstream G550 jet, were required to be clean shaven and wear Abercrombie boxer briefs, polo shirts, jeans, flip flops and 'spritz' the retailer's cologne at regular intervals.

They were also required to act a certain way and say certain things, even towards Jeffries' dogs, according to an age discrimination lawsuit brought by a former pilot who claims he was replaced by a younger model.

Stewards must wear black gloves when handling silverware and white for laying the table and should reply 'no problem', rather than 'sure' when asked to do anything by either Jeffries, 68, or his boyfriend Matthew Smith.

Staff must also wear sunglasses and they are banned from wearing coats unless the temperature falls below 50F.

conducted monthly inspections of the jet hanger, according to a witness deposition, and was said to have an 'affinity for cleanliness and tidiness'

Boyfriend: Matthew Smith 

Carpets are to be vacuumed in perfectly straight lines, there are to be no fingerprints anywhere in the cabin and the crew are also required to play Phil Collins' Take Me Home as the jet takes off on homeward bound flights. 

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 original complaint stated: 'Smith and Jeffries made disparaging and exclusionary comments about older individuals and made it clear to [Bustin] that [Abercrombie & Fitch] preferred younger people as employees, in keeping with its "young" corporate image.'

The document, obtained by Bloomberg News,even details seating arrangements for Jeffries' dogs Ruby, Trouble and Sammy.

The aircraft rulebook tells crew to 'bring Michael’s lucky wallet to him' after they present him with copies of Abercrombie’s nonpublic reports, according to the New York Post.

They must also arrange fresh flowers and serve the 68-year-old Assam tea in the morning but Darjeeling after 2pm.

On flights longer than two hours, crew members may have a meal — but 'if the passengers are eating cold food, crew members are not to eat hot meals'. The meal must also not be 'aromatic'.

Smith conducted monthly inspections of the jet hanger, according to a witness deposition, and was said to have an 'affinity for cleanliness and tidiness', the witness said. 

Once, when a jet mechanic showed up with an American flag sticker on his tool chest, Smith allegedly asked him to remove it because he wanted things to be 'clean looking'.

Abercrombie's general counsel, Rocky Robins, told Bloomberg that Bustin's claim was without merit and refused to comment on the rule book.

The cabin crew are provided by model agency Cosmopolitan, according to a 2009 agreement with Jet Aviation Business Jets. 

Cosmopolitan states on its website that it provides 'professional male and female models, expertly groomed and trained to host your event, promotion, product launch, or opening'.

Abercrombie & Fitch is known for its young, attractive male staff, who are often stationed outside the store topless, attracting a host of young customers - a key part of its success.

Between 1995 and 2008 the clothing chain's sales increased 22-fold and net profits almost 58-fold, according to Bloomberg.

But the retailer has struggled in the recession and same-store sales are expected to fall 10 per cent in the second half of the this year after an eight per cent drop in the six months to the end of July.

This is not the first time the famous clothing store has faced a lawsuit. Earlier this year, male staff in the Italy branch claimed they were forced to do press-ups as punishment.

By RACHEL QUIGLEY
Daily Mail UK