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In December 2010, 28 workers making clothes for Abercrombie & Fitch and Target were killed in a massive fire at a sweatshop in Bangladesh. Some were burned to death, some suffocated to death, some jumped to their death, and hundreds more were seriously injured.

Seven corporations sourced from the factory where the fire took place. Five of the seven companies have responded by taking steps to do the right thing, and labor rights groups are working overtime to hold them to their promises. But Target and Abercrombie & Fitch see things quite differently. To date, their only response has to been to claim they are "reviewing options for financial contributions" and suggest a "training program" for workers "to reduce the risk of recurrence."

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The government of Uzbekistan is continuing to remove millions of children across the country from school and forcing them to pick cotton during the current harvest season. While over 65 of the world’s largest apparel brands and retailers have developed policies related to Uzbek cotton, two companies have remained silent. Gymboree and Abercrombie and Fitch have refused to support human rights and speak out against forced child labor in the cotton industry. Take action NOW to tell Gymboree and Abercrombie and Fitch to respect international labor rights in their cotton sourcing.

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A girlcott has been launched by the Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers group, a group of 23 girls representing different schools, neighborhoods, ethnic groups, religions, races, sexual orientation, athletic and academic interests. The group's national girlcott effort is aimed at encouraging A&F to stop selling shirts with slogans such as "With These Who Needs Brains..." and "I hope you can make more then I can spend..." and to begin selling more empowering wear instead. The group is calling on conscious consumers to girlcott A&F until a change is made.

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Abercrombie & Fitch has been officially inducted in the International Labor Rights Forum's 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Fame. This list includes apparel and textile companies that use sweatshops in their global production, tend to evade fair labor standards and are slow to respond to improving working conditions. Most of the companies employ laborers who work in dangerous conditions and for long hours for poverty wages. Many of 2010's inductees also use child labor and suppress worker's rights to organize. Other inductees include L.L. Bean, Gymboree, Hanes, Ikea, Kohl's, Pier 1 Imports and Walmart.

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In 2002, Abercrombie was one of 26 companies that paid $22 million to settle a lawsuit filed in U.S. courts by factory workers from Saipan who claimed that they made clothes in sweatshops.

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In 2009, the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, Michael S. Jeffries, received $36,335,644 in total compensation. The median worker, however, made $33,190 in 2010. Thus, Jeffries made 1094 times the median worker's pay.

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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a suit against Abercrombie and Fitch on behalf of Samantha Elauf, a 19-year-old Muslim student from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Elauf claims that Abercrombie refused to hire her because she wears a hijab, allegedly prohibited by the company’s “Look Policy” that permits employees to wear clothing only consistent with the Abercrombie brand; furthermore, employees are prohibited from wearing hats or other coverings in addition to black clothing in general. Elauf is suing for back pay and compensation for her emotional pain and anxiety

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In 2005, CEO Michael S. Jeffries earned $5.054 million in total compensation including stock option grants from Abercrombie & Fitch Co. From previous years, Jeffries cashed out $108.46 million in stock option exercises and has an additional $204.19 million in unexercised stock options.

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In February 2005, a shareholder of Abercrombie & Fitch filed a derivative lawsuit against the company and certain present and former directors. The lawsuit concerned the compensation arrangements involving Michael Jeffries, the company's chairman and chief executive and claimed his compensation package was a failure to protect company assets. The case was settled before going to trial, with Abercrombie & Fitch adopting more responsible compensation for Jeffries. Namely, his Stay Bonus was reduced from $12 million to $6 million and based on certain performance goals.

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In November 2004, Abercrombie agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action discrimination lawsuit brought by nine former employees who claimed they were fired, or hidden--asked to work in storage rooms or put on overnight shifts--because they didn't fit into the "Abercrombie look" enough to work with the public. The settlement applies to all women and all African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos who either applied for a job at an Abercrombie store (or attempted to do so and were discouraged), or were employed there between February 24, 1999 and November 16, 2004.

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In September 2004, a civil lawsuit alleging photos were taken of girls in dressing rooms at an Abercrombie & Fitch store was settled for an undisclosed sum. According to the lawsuit a friend of an Abercrombie & Fitch employee was able to cut a hole in the ceiling and take the pictures. The lawsuit claims a woman learned that photos were taken of her when an acquaintance told her that employees were bragging about it and passing around pictures. Abercrombie & Fitch has denied responsibility for the alleged actions.

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Abercrombie & Fitch received heavy criticism for selling thong underwear for children bearing slogans such as "eye candy" and "wink, wink." The company has also come under fire for its sexually provacative catalogs aimed at teens.

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Abercrombie & Fitch recalled a line of T-shirts after receiving hundreds of complaints about the shirts’ graphic designs, which portrayed Asians through caricatured faces with slanted eyes and conical hats. One of the shirts had a slogan that says, “Wong Brothers Laundry Service -- Two Wongs Can Make It White” in prominent lettering beside two smiling figures in conical hats. Another portrays a man pulling a rickshaw. It reads, “Rick Shaw's Hoagies and Grinders -- Order by the foot. Good meat. Quick feet.” Company spokesman Hampton Carney, from Abercrombie's New York public relations firm, said, “Since some customers have been offended by their content, we are pulling these shirts from our stores. . . . They'll be off the Web site as well.”

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Abercrombie and Fitch has been charged with racial discrimination, as the brand allegedly only hires “Caucasian, football-looking, blonde-hair, blue-eyed males; skinny, tall” employees. The company portrays an “All-American” image yet many argue that “All-American” does not mean “all-white.” Employees have also admitted that Abercrombie sometimes hires minorities but that they are not offered to work in sales; instead, they work in the stock room where nobody sees them. In November 2004, Abercrombie and Fitch settled the suit action suit against it for $40 million. The company has also agreed to create an office of diversity to increase its efforts in hiring minorities.