Los Angeles Apparel

Last updated
Los Angeles Apparel Inc.
Company type Private
Industry Manufacturing, fashion
Founded2016;8 years ago (2016)
Los Angeles, United States
Founder Dov Charney
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Dov Charney (CEO)
Products Clothing
Number of employees
1,500 (July 2022) [1]
Website

Los Angeles Apparel is a manufacturer, designer and distributor of clothing based in South-Central Los Angeles. [2] [3] The company was founded in 2016 by Dov Charney, the founder of American Apparel. [4] [5] [6] Los Angeles Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, and currently employs over 1,500 personnel. [1] [7]

Contents

History

Los Angeles Apparel was founded by Dov Charney in 2016 in Los Angeles, California after he was terminated from American Apparel by its board due to numerous allegations including sexual harassment, racism, and sexual assault. Charney rejected a $4.5 million severance package and role as "creative director" in the company [8] and launched Los Angeles Apparel as a wholesale business, similar to American Apparel's origins in 1989. [9]

About 90 percent of the factory's machinery once belonged to American Apparel. [10] [11] Charney bought fabric, computers, sewing machines, and other equipments from American Apparel in the bankruptcy sale. [12] In late 2016, Cincinnati based TSC Apparel made a multimillion-dollar business deal with Los Angeles Apparel, [13] selling the startup's clothes to concert producer Live Nation Entertainment and screen printers who previously purchased American Apparel. [7] [10] [14] [15]

In an effort to emphasize the importance of the workers who produce the apparel, their names and faces were printed on the labels of shirts back in 2017. [16]

In 2020, public health officials ordered the shut-down of Los Angeles Apparel due to "flagrant violations of mandatory public health infection control orders." Charney was able to sidestep the initial lockdown measures and keep employees from unemployment benefits by reopening as an essential business making and selling masks. 300 workers were infected with COVID-19 and 4 workers died before the factory was ordered to close. [17]

Production

Los Angeles Apparel was started as a wholesale business. [18] The company is upfront about the fact that its clothing and business model is similar to that of American Apparel. [10] [19] Los Angeles Apparel is a manufacturer and distributor of apparel to screen printers, apparel companies, and boutiques. The company focuses on production of T-shirts, sweatshirts, cotton bodysuits and swimwear. [20]

The company is a vertically integrated manufacturer with knitting and dyeing done in Los Angeles. [19]

Similar to the values held by American Apparel, the corporate identity has a commitment to "sweatshop free" manufacturing. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PLBY Group</span> US global media and lifestyle company

PLBY Group, Inc. is an American global media and lifestyle company founded by Hugh Hefner as Playboy Enterprises, Inc. to oversee the Playboy magazine and related assets. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California.

Gildan Activewear Inc. (/ˈɡɪldən/) is a Canadian manufacturer of branded clothing, including undecorated blank activewear such as t-shirts, sport shirts and fleeces, which are subsequently decorated by screen printing companies with designs and logos. The company also supplies branded and private label athletic, casual, and dress socks to retail companies in the United States including Gold Toe Brands, PowerSox, SilverToe, Auro, All Pro, and the Gildan brand. The company also manufactures and distributes Under Armour and New Balance brand socks. The company has approximately 44,000 employees worldwide, and owns and operates manufacturing facilities in Rio Nance, Honduras and the Caribbean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Made in USA</span> Phrase indicating that something was produced in the United States

A Made in USA mark is a country of origin label affixed to American-made products that indicates the product is "all or virtually all" domestically produced, manufactured and assembled in the United States of America. The label is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

American Apparel Inc. is a North American clothing retailer. The brand began with operating retail stores between the late 1980s and late 2010s. Its operations are based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Canadian businessman Dov Charney in Spring of 1989, it was a vertically integrated company that ranked as one of the largest apparel manufacturers and marketers in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-Swiss</span> American footwear company

K-Swiss, Inc. is an American athletic shoe brand based in Downtown Los Angeles. It was founded in 1966 and is currently owned by Chinese sports equipment manufacturing company Xtep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Spaceship Company</span> Spacecraft manufacturing company

The Spaceship Company (TSC) is a British/American spacecraft manufacturing company that was founded by Burt Rutan and Richard Branson in mid-2005 and was jointly owned by Virgin Group (70%) and Scaled Composites (30%) until 2012 when Virgin Galactic became the sole owner. TSC was formed to own the technology created by Scaled for Virgin Galactic's Virgin SpaceShip program. This includes developments on the care-free reentry system and cantilevered-hybrid rocket motor, licensed from Paul Allen and Burt Rutan's Mojave Aerospace. The company is manufacturing Virgin Galactic's spacecraft and has plans to sell spacecraft to other buyers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dov Charney</span> Canadian entrepreneur (born 1969)

Dov Charney is a Canadian entrepreneur and clothing manufacturer. He is the CEO of Yeezy and the founder of American Apparel, which was one of the largest garment manufacturers in the United States until its bankruptcy in 2015. Charney was fired from American Apparel due to numerous allegations including sexual harassment, racism, and sexual assault. Charney subsequently founded Los Angeles Apparel.

<i>The 48 Laws of Power</i> 1998 non-fiction New York Times bestseller book by Robert Greene

The 48 Laws of Power (1998) is a self-help book by American author Robert Greene. The book is a New York Times bestseller, selling over 1.2 million copies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Speech Coalition</span> U.S. trade association for the adult entertainment industry

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit trade association of the adult entertainment industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws.

Hanesbrands Inc. is an American multinational clothing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It employs 65,300 people internationally. On September 6, 2006, the company and several brands were spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation.

Syrian Canadians refers to Canadians who claim Syrian ancestry and newcomers who have Syrian citizenship. According to the 2016 Census, there were 77,050 Syrian Canadians compared to the 2011 Census where there were 50,840.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legalize LA</span> Activist campaign promoting amnesty for illegal immigrants

Legalize LA was an activist campaign promoting amnesty for illegal immigrants, propagated through billboards, protests, clothing, advertisements, educational pamphlets, and grass roots support, underwritten by American Apparel. Originating locally in Downtown Los Angeles, the company took the campaign national in early 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garbutt House</span> Historic house in California, United States

Garbutt House is a 20-room mansion in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles built from 1926 to 1928 as the residence of Frank A. Garbutt. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peak Sport Products</span> Chinese sportswear/sports equipment company

Peak Sport Products Co., Limited is a Chinese manufacturing company of sportswear and footwear based in Quanzhou. Founded in 1989 as a shoe manufacturer, the company was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2009, however due to low performance on the stock exchange, it had been acquired in August 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonny Makeup</span> American rapper

Jonny Makeup is an American socialite, musician and Internet personality. He got his start in the early 2000s as a nightlife performer and musician. This led to forays into the fashion industry, and appearances on E! Entertainment and Logo TV reality series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rana Plaza collapse</span> 2013 industrial building collapse in Savar, Bangladesh

The Rana Plaza collapse was a structural failure that occurred on 24 April 2013 in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka District, Bangladesh, where an eight-storey commercial building called Rana Plaza collapsed. The search for the dead ended on 13 May 2013 with a death toll of 1,134. Approximately 2,500 injured people were rescued from the building. It is considered as one of the deadliest structural failures in modern human history, as well as the deadliest garment-factory disaster in history and the deadliest industrial accident in the history of Bangladesh. Amnesty International called this "The most shocking recent example of business-related human rights abuse."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clothing industry</span> Industry encompassing the design, manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing of clothes

Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry, embellishment using embroidery, via the fashion industry to apparel retailers up to trade with second-hand clothes and textile recycling. The producing sectors build upon a wealth of clothing technology some of which, like the loom, the cotton gin, and the sewing machine heralded industrialization not only of the previous textile manufacturing practices. Clothing industries are also known as allied industries, fashion industries, garment industries, or soft goods industries.

Michael Stars is a Los Angeles–based apparel and lifestyle retail company that offers women's and men’s fashion. The company was founded by the married couple Michael Cohen and Suzanne Lerner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YMI Jeans</span>

YMI Jeans is an American company which manufactures denim jeans. The company is based in Los Angeles, and was founded in 2000 by David Vered, Michael Godigian and Moshe Zaga.

The Gerald Loeb Award is given annually for multiple categories of business reporting. The "Video/Audio" category replaced "Broadcast" in 2014 and 2015. It was split into separate "Audio" and "Video" categories beginning in 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 Deborah, Belgum (July 12, 2022). "Los Angeles' Recent Minimum Wage Hike Challenges Apparel Factories". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  2. Howland, Daphne (June 26, 2016). "Dov Charney's American Dream". Retail Dive. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  3. Quirk, Mary Beth (June 23, 2016). "Ousted American Apparel Founder Dov Charney Tries Again With Los Angeles Apparel". Consumerist . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  4. Asch, Andrew (June 22, 2016). "Charney's Los Angeles Apparel Factory Staffs Up, Looks for Growth". Apparel News. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  5. Abarbanel, Aliza (September 26, 2016). "Dov Charney Is Back With A New Line of Sexualized Basics". Business of Fashion . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  6. Sherman, Lauren (June 27, 2017). "Dov Charney's Next Act". PM Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Sauer, Abe (June 26, 2017). "American Apparel's Dov Charney Is Back With Los Angeles Apparel". Brandchannel. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  8. Edwards, Jim. "Inside the 'conspiracy' that forced Dov Charney out of American Apparel". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  9. Tsui, Diana (June 27, 2017). "Can You Distinguish Dov Charney's New Line From His Old One?". The Cut . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 Taylor, Kate (July 13, 2017). "American Apparel's founder seems to be resurrecting his 'dead' brand under a new name". Yahoo! Finance . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  11. Kale, Neha (July 12, 2017). "Ex-American Apparel CEO Dov Charney is counting on your amnesia for his fashion comeback". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  12. Townsend, Matthew (July 12, 2017). "Dov Charney Couldn't Keep American Apparel, So He Restarted It". Bloomberg . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  13. Promogram (April 5, 2017). "TSC Apparel Partners With Charney-Run Los Angeles Apparel". Promogram. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  14. Feldman, Ari (July 12, 2017). "Dov Charney Is Remaking American Apparel. Can He Remake Himself?". The Forward . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  15. Anderson, Caroline (April 6, 2017). "Dov Charney's Los Angeles Apparel Inks Deal with American Apparel Distributor". Los Angeles Business Journal . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  16. Pugh, Ezra; Drost, Ellen A. (2021). "Los Angeles Apparel: Locally Made in a Global Market". Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy. 4 (4): 778–796. doi:10.1177/2515127420982511. S2CID   234452045.
  17. Gibson, Kate (July 13, 2020). "Los Angeles Apparel's factory shut after 300 workers contract coronavirus". CBS News.
  18. Rastello, Sandrine (August 3, 2017). "American Apparel Is Ready to Relaunch Its Website". Bloomberg . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  19. 1 2 Belgum, Deborah (February 2, 2017). "Dov Charney: From American Apparel to Los Angeles Apparel". Apparel News. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  20. Rovu, Christopher (June 21, 2017). "American Apparel: End of An Original". ASIcentral. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  21. Pugh, Ezra; Drost, Ellen A. (2021). "Los Angeles Apparel: Locally Made in a Global Market". Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy. 4 (4): 778–796. doi:10.1177/2515127420982511. S2CID   234452045.