BBC reveals subject of ‘Panorama’ investigation special

nme.com:

BBC has confirmed Abercrombie & Fitch ex-CEO Mike Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith are the subject of a Panorama special.The network announced an hour-long episode would air Monday October 2 last week, with no details on what the documentary would cover.The special, which is now available on BBC iPlayer, is titled The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side Of Cool and investigates various allegations of exploitation and abuse from men against the fashion mogul.In the documentary, it’s claimed Jeffries and Smith used a “middleman” named James Jacobson and other “recruiters” to find young men for sex events they hosted around the world between 2009 and 2015.Eight men discussed their alleged recruitment for the events in the documentary, with the majority claiming Jacobson sexually “auditioned” them by requesting or performing oral sex before being introduced to Jeffries or Smith.Half the alleged victims claimed they were initially misled about the nature of the events or not told sex was involved.

Others said they knew the events would be sexual, but were allegedly unaware of what was expected of them. All except one said they felt harmed by the experience.

Those who attended the events were all paid afterwards.Several of the alleged victims claimed Jacobson and other recruiters raised the possibility of modelling opportunities with Abercrombie & Fitch if they attended the events.While Jeffries and Smith have not responded to the allegations, a representative for Jacobson denied any wrongdoing and said he didn’t recall making promises of modelling opportunities.“Any encounter I had was fully consensual, not coercive,” a statement through his lawyer said (via the BBC).