one thing i love: american apparel

Last Saturday afternoon, while enjoying a drunken stumble through beautiful Downtown Denver I found myself outside the American Apparel store on 15th.  Hypnotized by the vibrant colors and tiny-underwear clad hipster girl in the window, I had not choice but to venture inside.

Wandering from rack to rack as the Postal Service serenaded me over the sound system, I felt strangely at home.  I also felt overwhelmed with the desire to stock up on neon mint tee shirts and bright blue hoodies.  The colors really are amazing.

I finally decided on a purple/pink marblized tee and proceeded to the checkout counter where another dreamy fishnet clad punk rocker rang me up.

The total was $25 or so.  I was kind of shocked, but knew I’d made a sound investment (the thing looks good now, and will look even better after a month or so in the gym).  

I decided to do a bit of research on the brand, and was intrigued with what I found.  Not only do they offer their factory employees a benefits package that exceeds my own, but founder Dov Charney lives a lifestyle even more colorful than the clothing he sells.

On the benefits:

American Apparel workers can take free English-language classes and yoga classes on-site. They have free Internet access and massage therapy and subsidized lunches and bus passes. Employee health care has been privatized and subsidized by the company for about a year and a half, Charney says.

On Dov Charney:

On the factory floor at American Apparel — the company he runs just outside of the Garment District here — he’s the loud, lanky boss with mutton chops, a rock-star demeanor and an often-discussed love life that seems outsize even by Los Angeles standards. But in an industry that has all but fled American soil for cheaper labor elsewhere, he’s also the businessman who has pledged his loyalty to homegrown apparel, above-average wages and worker- friendly factory conditions.

On the style:

Four years ago, he pulled his then-little-known rag business into profitability after years of red ink. He didn’t do it selling boxy, mass- market T-shirts. Instead, he weaves thin-fiber cotton yarn into styles favored by urban trend-seekers in cities such as San Francisco and New York.

On critics of his brand’s ‘exploitive’ ad campaigns:

Of course we’re objectifying women. You want a smock? Go to the Middle East.”

It’s hard to argue with logic like that, or a guy ballsy enough to speak his mind - political correctness be damned. 

For stylish, simple, and well fitting cotton goods, look no further than American Apparel.

Info via SF Gate

Visit American Apparel here