AMERICA’S LARGEST DOMESTIC CLOTHING COMPANY AMERICAN APPAREL ARE FAMOUS FOR THEIR EFFORTLESS BASICS AND OVERTLY SEXUALISED FORM OF ADVERTISEMENT.
‘Passion. Innovation & ethical practices for the clothing industry. That’s American Apparel.’ – http://www.americanapparel.net/aboutus/
ON THEIR ABOUT US PAGE, AMERICAN APPAREL DEMONSTRATE THEIR ‘ETHICAL ETHOS’
- AS A COMPANY THEY CARE ABOUT THEIR WORKERS – BOASTING THAT THEIR WORKERS EARN UP TO 50 TIMES MORE THAN THEIR COMPETITORS.
- COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY – PHRASES LIKE ‘SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT’, ‘LANDFILL-FREE’ AND ‘SOLAR PANELS’ COME INTO PLAY.
- FASHIONABLE BASICS. SWEATSHOP FREE. MADE IN THE USA.
THE ‘MADE IN THE USA’ BRAND HAS BEEN CIRCULATING IN THE MEDIA FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. IN 2014 THE BRAND’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS MADE THE DECISION TO OUST THE FOUNDER, AND CEO, DOV CHARNEY. SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND MISCONDUCT ISSUES AROSE AND OUTTED CHARNEY, RESULTING IN A LOT OF CONTROVERSIALITY.
ON OCTOBER 5TH 2015 AMERICAN APPAREL FELL VICTIM TO FAST FASHION AND FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. AFTER THE BRAND SEEMED TO ‘SHAKE OFF’ THE SEX SCANDAL AND MISCONDUCT BETWEEN CHARNEY AND YOUNG EMPLOYEES, IT SEEMED THAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO ECONOMICS. THE BRAND HAS RELEASED STATEMENTS THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH CASH TO ‘SUSTAIN OPERATION FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS’.
CHARNEY’S LINE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT:
“SEX IS INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO FASHION AND APPAREL. IT HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE. AND OUR CLOTHING IS CONNECTED TO OUR SEXUAL EXPRESSION.”
I FIND THIS EXTREMELY EASY TO BELIEVE WHEN LOOKING AT AMERICAN APPAREL’S ADVERTISING STRATEGY. THE BRAND DESIGNS, CREATES AND PRINTS THEIR OWN ADVERTS WHICH HAVE BECOME WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR PROVOCATIVE CONTENT THAT SOMETIMES BORDERLINE PORNOGRAPHY. THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN KNOWN TO CAST ACTUAL PORN STARS IN THESE ADS. IT IS ALSO NO SECRET THAT MANY OF THE SLEAZY ADVERTS HAVE BEEN BANNED AND CAUSED DISTRESS.
THE GARMENTS THEMSELVES SOLD BY THE BRAND ARE ICONIC, TIMELESS AND WELL MADE. ON THIS BASIS THE BRAND CANNOT BE FAULTED, THEIR GARMENTS ARE RECOGNISABLE AND FOLLOW ALL THE ETHICAL BRAND VALUES. THEY HAVE BEEN DESIGNED AND MADE TO CELEBRATE ALL THINGS AMERICAN.
ALL THE SCANDAL ENCOMPASSING AMERICAN APPAREL COULD BE SALVAGED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF A GENDER-FRIENDLY SUB-BRAND. BY ILLUSTRATING A CONTRASTINGLY DIFFERENT ATTITUDE TOWARDS FASHION, SUPPORTING GENDER POLITICS AND AVOIDING THE CONTROVERSIAL ADVERTS I THINK THAT GENERATION GEN WOULD BE A SAFE APPROACH TO FASHION. AND SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP TO PULL AMERICAN APPAREL OUT OF THEIR FASHION BLUNDER.
THE STATUS OF GENERATION GEN WITHIN INDUSTRY WILL NOT BE JEOPARDISED BY THE MOTHER BRAND OF AMERICAN APPAREL BUT INSTEAD WOULD ENHANCE IT. THE AMERICAN APPAREL CONSUMER IS LOYAL AND GLOBAL. THE ONLY DOWNSIDE TO THE SUB-BRAND WOULD BE THE BRANDS CURRENT FINANCIAL STATE – AND BECAUSE OF THIS, I THINK GENERATION GEN WOULD NOT BE SUITABLE.
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