Given that leggings haven't been en vogue for more than 10 years and American Apparel storefronts have been absent from UK high streets since 2017, it's easy to forget what a chokehold the shop had on noughties and 2010s culture.
From skater dresses to nylon disco pants, the clothing brand had a way of marketing '80s-inspired gym gear as 'wardrobe staples' and we all lapped it up. Now, though, a new Netflix documentary as part of the Trainwreck series exposes the darker side of the clothing empire – including how founder, CEO and chairman Dov Charney allegedly encouraged sexually explicit behaviour in the workplace and routinely violated boundaries.
What happened to American Apparel?
American Apparel first opened its doors in 1989 and proudly claimed its clothes were 'sweat shop free' and made in the US and that employees were paid well over the minimum wage. Over time it became known for its risqué clothing adverts where models were often seen posing with their legs apart or almost nude – many of which were shot by the founder himself.
It arrived in the UK in 2004 and became an immensely popular signal of the 'indie sleaze' sartorial movement. However, 10 years later in 2014 Charney was ousted after allegations of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour towards employees. In 2011, five former American Apparel employees filed sexual harassment lawsuits against the entrepreneur. Because three of those cases were cleared by a judge and two went to arbitration, he was never found liable.
While Charney has repeatedly denied the allegations of harassment, he also said 'sleeping with people you work with is unavoidable'. Speaking to The Guardian in 2017, he said, 'I never had a romantic relationship with a factory worker. Ever! It wouldn’t be possible! But a creative equal? Yeah! And if anything, I’ll tell you, I don’t know who was the predator – you know what I’m saying?'
As for his dismissal at work, Charney claimed his ousting was illegal and demanded reinstatement. However, he was later replaced with Paula Schneider.
By 2015, American Apparel was facing bankruptcy. In 2016, the company rejected a $300 million takeover bid from Hagan Capital Group and Silver Creek, two investment firms aligned with Charney. In January 2017, it was acquired for $88 million by Canadian sportswear manufacturer Gildan Activewear. American Apparel still exists online today.
What is uncovered in Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel?
In the new Netflix documentary, former employees alleged that new hires were given a 'welcome bag' containing a vibrator, a book called The 48 Laws of Power, a Leica camera and a Blackberry so that they would always be on call. Charney is shown to be an overpowering figure with little regard for the feelings and boundaries of his staff.
It also showed archival footage of the former founder Charney walking around the factory naked in front of female employees. Other employees in the documentary claimed Charney often wanted to conduct business in his private home – one man called Jonny Makeup actually lived there too. It was described as a 'playboy mansion for hipsters'. Makeup told the filmmakers, 'I’ll probably be in therapy until the day that I die.'
The episode also featured employment and civil rights lawyer Toni Jaramilla who spoke about working with several women who claim they experienced sexual harassment while working for Charney at American Apparel. They signed non disclosure agreements to not comment on Charney or the clothing brand, however some allegations were leaked, so the Netflix special uses voice actors to read excerpts from their complaints. One claims Charney invited 18-year-olds to his bedroom and used to walk around in front of employees in a towel.
Aside from allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct, the documentary heard that Charney regularly abused his power too. One employee named Carson said Charney once called him at around midnight and said, 'I hate you! I hate you!' over and over again, before hanging up. 'That was a regular day at American Apparel,' Carson explained, adding that he sometimes worked 36-hour shifts.
There are also clips featured in the documentary where Charney can be heard calling his employees 'morons' and 'dummies'. Charney denies all allegations. It ends with archival footage of him saying, 'I’m not sorry about shit', in an interview with VICE.
What did Dov Charney say about the Trainwreck documentary?
A spokesperson for Charney said: 'Charney has never been found liable for any misconduct — sexual harassment or otherwise — by any judge, jury, arbitrator, or independent investigation. Unfortunately, the Netflix documentary grossly misrepresents the story of American Apparel and Charney, relying on paid actors to emotionally restate long-disproven allegations.'
The statement continues, 'No credible insiders — including Charney himself — participated in the production. One can only hope the full, unvarnished story of American Apparel and the forces behind its downfall will one day be told.'
What did Dov Charney do after leaving American Apparel?
Charney swiftly founded another clothing manufacturer, Los Angeles Apparel, in 2016 which sold similar products to the original and operated from the same factory. However, when the pandemic took hold in 2020, Charney reimagined the business and started selling face masks and medical gowns. By June, he was condemned by public health officials and CBS News reported that Los Angeles Apparel got shut down for 'flagrant violations of mandatory public health infection control orders'.
Charney then found a loophole and reopened the factory as an essential business, keeping employees at work, which sadly led to a large Covid outbreak and four employees died. He filed for bankruptcy in 2022, owing $30 million (£21m) to a hedge fund associated with his original brand American Apparel. According to Bloomberg, his debts and assets reached $50 million (£36m) each.
According to the documentary, he then began working on Kanye West's fashion brand, Yeezy. Rolling Stone reported that Charney printed West’s controversial 'White Lives Matter' T-shirts in 2022.
Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel is available to stream on Netflix now.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).