TRAIN WRECK: THE CULT OF AMERICAN APPAREL

When the U.S. brand American Apparel (AA) launched in 1989, it quickly became a hot commodity. Founded by Dov Charney, the company promoted its products as “ethically made – sweatshop free.” With its distinct vibe and provocative advertising, Dov built his empire around simple clothing basics, manufacturing everything in the United States and claiming to pay workers above minimum wage. With stores operating in 11 countries, working for AA was considered to be the pinnacle of retail. Soon Dov’s true colours were exposed and his success was marred by serious allegation of abuse, inappropriate relationships with employees, and sexual misconduct, leading to several lawsuits. Many staff members were traumatised by their experiences. A government investigation uncovered that 1,500 factory workers had falsified documents and were residing illegally in the country. In 2014 Dov was removed as CEO by the board and AA filed for bankruptcy the following year. The brand was later purchased by a Canadian company in 2017. Today, all physical stores are closed and only online shopping remains. A tale of how bad behaviour and flouting the rules caused a fashion failure.