American Apparel, if you ever needed a reason to buy American made clothes, this is it

[DainBramaged]

They MAKE THEIR CLOTHING IN LA

They pay $12 to $14 dollars an hour -the highest pay worldwide for the manufacturing of apparel basics, and significantly more than California's minimum wage.

They employ more than 5,000 people in their LA area manufacturing facilities, making them one of the largest apparel manufacturing employers in the country.


Their idea of vertical integration is:


Made in USA / Jobs
Sustainability
Corporate Responsibility
Political Activism

They embrace diversity, immigration reform, and especially Legalize Gay.


This is a company of the real people and for the real people. Not the 1% who don't care about anything except bank accounts and greed.

Thanks for reading


http://www.americanapparel.net/


http://www.americanapparel.net/storelocations/Index.aspx

http://store.americanapparel.net/

[OneGrassRoot]

1. GREAT to know. Thanks! n/t

[valerief]

2. Thank you!

[Fumesucker]

3. I looked up their brick 'n mortar stores in my area..

It's quite interesting to me anyway that one is smack dab in the middle of the local "Haight-Ashbury" hippie community of long standing and the other is in the "Beverly Hills" locale of seriously pretentious upscale shopping..

[Recursion]

4. What about the fact that the owner is a misogynistic creep who sleeps with all the models?

That kind of weighs against that.

[FSogol]

5. and all their ads seem to be exploitive? n/t

[Recursion]

6. And there are standing instructions to ask any size zero customer to apply to work

Ugh

[DainBramaged]

21. Yep, I guess you think GM makes shit too?

[Recursion]

27. Nope. I like their cars. Why? (nt)

[closeupready]

40. Their ads literally make me sick to my stomach.

Their clothing is actually soft and well-made, though.

[redqueen]

44. Ugh... you're not kidding. I won't ever shop there that's for sure. (nt)

[Major Nikon]

9. All the models?

Fact?

I'm thinking not.

Wiki tends to shed a bit more light on the subject:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dov_Charney#Controversy

[Recursion]

10. I've worked for him. He's a misogynistic creep. Nobody should support that company. (nt)

[DainBramaged]

20. Yep, because YOU have an axe to grind, fuck the company and the good they do

sure, you're MY role model.



Not.

[LanternWaste]

31. Seems to me that social issues are just as valid a reason..

Seems to me that social issues are just as valid a reason to purchase/not purchase from a store as are nationalistic ones.

[Tom Ripley]

36. I knew Dov about 15 years ago; at that time he was a really kind and generous person

I don't know why he became the way he is now

[MADem]

11. Ewww. Who owns the business? nt

[tammywammy]

15. American Apparel is a publicly traded company n/t

[Recursion]

26. Fine, "founder, CEO, and majority shareholder". How's that? (nt)

[Johonny]

43. I thought he got dumped as CEO

might still own majority stock. Pretty sure they brought in a new CEO. The company has huge negatives last year and a lot of debt. Not sure it can survive as cotton prices have hurt them. The clothes themselves are rather nice. They seemed to work better as an LA store than a huge over expanded store. There in store ads aren't eye popping by LA standards but doubt they work in rural areas. At least since they over expanded they didn't work. Like the product, last CEO caused major damage to franchise name. Can't argue against that.

[MADem]

41. Who is the Big Boss? nt

[Katashi_itto]

25. Fact he "sleeps with all the models?"...Ummm he's a lucky guy?

"misogynistic creep" like to see proof of that.

[Recursion]

28. Start with the multiple sexual harrassment lawsuits by employees

And it gets worse than that.

[DainBramaged]

33. So fucking what, punish the workers because the founder has a loose dick

you amaze me........I bet you own Apple shit too......

[Recursion]

51. Me? No. I don't use proprietary operating systems (nt)

[EOTE]

34. Major Nikon posted a very concise rebuff to that.

I'll post it again:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dov_Charney#Controversy

Looks to me that the lawsuits were pretty much all shakedowns.

[DainBramaged]

39. The Agenda cops only want to believe what they want to believe

Why does everyone have to be pure when it comes to American made?

[robinlynne]

37. 7 or 8 rape charges filed so far. maybe more.

[Taverner]

48. If he's a misogynistic creep that's one thing. But sleeping with the models is kind of a plus...

[nolabear]

7. Ah, the DU Teardown, right on schedule.

[MADem]

12. What--if you don't bring pom poms, STFU? Come on.

I think some of the objections-if true-deserve discussion.

That's not a "teardown"--that's salient information.

I never heard of the company, or the boss, before today. I'm interested in the full story. Does that make me part of the "teardown" team because I want to know something about the ethics of the owner before I open my wallet?

[DainBramaged]

18. Basicalliy I don't give a fuck about the negative nillies

let them buy made in Asia crap fuck it. Some days you just have to say what the fuck and hold your nose, and this from the same people who own foreign iron.

[Arctic Dave]

8. Really? I asked my wife the other day and she thought they were owned by Gap.

There line is more for young people isn't it?

[lib2DaBone]

13. I will look for them... buy AMERICAN....made in American quality.

[Brickbat]

14. I'll stick to union-made stuff. Too much baggage at AA.

[MADem]

42. Non-union, to boot? Sounding less and less like a gem.... nt

[Cal Carpenter]

16. Anti-union company run by a disgusting perv

No thanks.

[DainBramaged]

19. Whatevar..............

:crazy:

[Cal Carpenter]

22. ...

If you are truly interested in looking beyond their own marketing materials, here's a start. Just google his name, it doesn't take much. It doesn't matter to me where people shop, it isn't a political statement, it is a consumer choice. But if you are going to come here and talk about how great they are, you'll have to be prepared to hear the other side.

http://www.satyamag.com/mar07/edit.html

http://problemofleisure.blogspot.com/2005/07/dov-charney-is-schmuck.html

http://www.claudineko.com/storiesamericanapparel.html

http://www.claudineko.com/storiesAA2.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/fashion/sundaystyles/10HARASS.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/fashion/sundaystyles/10HARASS.html

[DainBramaged]

23. Meh I would spend my money there in spite of your assertions

Apple cultists buy Apple products in spite of the abuses of the labor force in China, so don't come waving your sheet of purity at me

[Cal Carpenter]

29. I'm no purist

and I don't claim to be. As i said above, where we shop and what we buy is not a political statement.

You came on a political board and used a company's own marketing pages to show what a 'great' company it is, I'm just trying to show a different side. A quick google will tell you even more.


Shop where you want to, it's none of my business.

[DainBramaged]

32. But you are telling me I shouldn't shop there because you have an axe to grind with the founder?

The purity patrol, always alert, always ready to distract from buying American.............what I buy IS a political statement, because I refuse to wear imported Chinese shit if there is an American alternative, even if the owner can't keep his dick in his pants.


Steve jobs didn't give a shit about the American worker, and the same folks who put us down for trying to buy American PROUDLY wear their Apple logo on their chest.


Go push your agenda elsewhere.



Cya.

[Cal Carpenter]

35. "you are telling me I shouldn't shop there"

No, I am not, LOL. Reread my posts. You came here with an agenda, I dared question it.

I have no more to add to this 'discussion' (sic).

[robinlynne]

38. the founder has been charged with rape over nand over. He settled each case out of court with

payments. It was not "sleeping with".

[MADem]

45. Ick. To put it mildly. nt

[redqueen]

50. Jesus. (nt)

[FarLeftFist]

17. I DO buy from AA.

[Vinca]

24. I looked up underpants . . . the kind older women usually buy.

$18 a pair. I would love to support this company, but my wallet can't.

[Hotler]

30. k&r n/t

[CAcyclist]

46. not union though nm

nm

[DainBramaged]

47. I guess in this case we have to hold our nose

[GreenStormCloud]

49. Waaay too expensive for me.

I looked up their web site and they advertise men's pants for $63 to $75 each. Haband's online sells men's pants for $12 to $20 for normal pants and insulated pants for $28.
I am glad you can afford the higher prices. I can't.

BTW - I have been buying from Haband for over twenty years (They used to be mail order.)and have no problems with the quality.

[WildEyedLiberal]

52. Maybe if they didn't make ugly hipster clothes and weren't blatantly sexist

Not to mention the exploitative and misogynistic advertising. I remember looking at one of their free magazines (it had articles, activism related things, etc.) several years ago, and there was an "article" that was solely pictures of topless girls standing with trucks. That's it. I guess it was "arty," or "edgy," but shockingly, there were no pics of nude or half-naked guys anywhere in the magazine. Odd :eyes:

Also - and I KNOW this is going to step on a lot of toes here, but I think it needs said - those terrific wages often go to illegal immigrants. The company talks about immigration reform frequently and has bragged about not caring about the legal status of its employees. I certainly don't support exploitation of immigrant labor, legal or illegal, but I do think it's shitty that there are unemployed American citizens in LA but a great deal of these wonderful fantastic well-paying American Apparel jobs are going to people who are not American citizens.

So, no, I'll do my business at a company that doesn't exploit women and doesn't brag about hiring illegal immigrants instead of American citizens who would probably love to have a 12 dollar an hour job.

[BrendaBrick]

53. Wrangler Rebuilds After Tornado in Hackleburg, AL

Saw this just recently on ABC, which offers various "Made in America" segments:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/bringing-america-back-wrangler-rebuilds-tornado/story?id=14826097 (little over 2 minutes)

[Arkansas Granny]

54. Sounds great, but I checked their prices. I can't afford it.

[Mudoria]

55. Too expensive for me