“Strip Tees” and the rise of Dov Charney’s revival brand “Los Angeles Apparel”

Art by Leona Bergin

Photos of barely legal and barely clothed girls plastered the streets of Los Angeles. Mainly blank space and a large Helvetica font that always made the point of reminding you their clothes are American-made and sweatshop-free. Today, eerily similar ads float around New York City, and it’s not just a case of inspiration. American Apparel was known for its era-defying style and immortalized as the brand of indie sleaze, before filing for bankruptcy in 2016 and later closing all stores in 2017. 

During the 2000s and early 10’s, American Apparel was what everyone was wearing: basic color-blocked ringer tees, hot shorts, and velvet halter dresses. This demand for cult basics has brought in a new company, Los Angeles Apparel, which just opened its first store here in New York City – and is owned by the same man.  But has the passage of time caused us all to forget what went on behind the scenes, why American Apparel ended up failing? 

Kate Flannery offers an unprecedented perspective as a scout into the company and owner and founder Dov Charney during the brand's height in her 2023 memoir, “Strip Tees.” Young Kate has just graduated from Bryn Mawr and gets hired at the trendy, growing company American Apparel, a fashion brand that prides itself not only on ethical production, but also frames its semi-pornographic marketing as part of a sex-positive revolution. Which would be a simple question of taste if Flannery had not recounted the times Charney routinely had sex with his employees, hired based on appearance, jerked off in stores or in front of journalists, encouraged employees to have sex with each other, and more. But these acts weren’t done in the dark, but in open daylight, where everyone could see what was going on. In 2014, Frank Bruni published The New York Times' Op-Ed Piece about the company's CEO acting unethically and the claims of sexual misconduct made by both current and former staff members. This hit Charney and American Apparel hard. There was a drop in popularity and subsequently quality after this article went semi-viral, which eventually led to its acquisition by retail behemoth Gildan. Throughout the book, Flannery considers her own possible involvement in the American apparel system on several occasions (such as enlisting other young women to work in this unfriendly setting); however, it is not as if she had a second job that could suddenly support her. "Strip Tees" captures a moment in our recent past that is already sepia-toned in nostalgia, as well as a timeless portrait of a young woman who must choose between what business demands and self-respect requires. Flannery skillfully captures the atmosphere of the early 2000s through its music, fashion, television, and overall vibe in an excellent memoir that addresses harassment cycles by demonstrating their operation rather than breaking them down theoretically.

But the closing of American Apparel wasn’t the end for Charney as it was for Flannery. After being fired by American Apparel in 2014 due to a series of misconduct accusations, Charney sued American Apparel's parent company, Standard General, in May 2015 for defamation. A month later, he filed a second complaint alleging fraud and conspiracy, seeking $100 million in damages. In response, American Apparel released court documents detailing the alleged scope of Charney's alleged misconduct, which were not pleasant to read, including sending sexually explicit texts to coworkers and storing videos of him having sex with models and staff on company property. But Charney's legal actions were unsuccessful. In 2016, a judge denied his attempt to repurchase American Apparel, and the following year, Charney's defamation suit was dismissed. Despite his legal losses and having to leave American Apparel, Charney did not leave the fashion industry completely. In 2016, Los Angeles Apparel was established. The concept is comparable to that of American Apparel, which supplies wholesale apparel to businesses that manufacture all of their clothing in the United States. And unfortunately, it isn’t that different all around. According to Charney, who discussed his new endeavor in an interview with The Guardian: “The people aren’t different, the materials aren’t different, the environment isn’t different.” So what exactly changed? Has Charney learned his lesson? If not, will we have to watch this unethical scene play out again?

Jett Jenkins