4 ms·

Dov Charney's American Dream: The rise, fall and comeback of an apparel empire

60 points by petercooper 9y ago

ChicagoBoy11 9y ago
For those wanting a really intimate and interesting look at Dov's new venture, Gimlet's "Start-up" did a great job profiling him over a few episodes. Definitely worth a listen. https://gimletmedia.com/episode/part-1-labels-season-4-episode-4/ https://gimletmedia.com/episode/part-1-labels-season-4-episo...
- petercooper 9y ago
  Yes, listening to that whole (and amazingly reported) story was what caused my interest to be piqued by this writeup. It covers a lot of similar ground, but the Startup podcast was such a fun listen.
eli 9y ago
Always neat to see one of our articles on HN! Especially one where the team worked really hard to make it happen. Dov doesn't give many interviews and the page layout & design is all new.
- petercooper 9y ago
  In case you're wondering, I was reminded about your sites in the thread about profitable email newsletters which I only stumbled across today. Saw how deep the Dov story went and just had to submit :-D
- olivermarks 9y ago
  tremendous article!
6stringmerc 9y ago
You know, back in the old days, we would've treated Dov like a bunch of unwanted cats and dispose of him by way of a burlap sack in a river. And, if Hermes Conrad could have his way, we'd throw the river into space. God takes Chris Cornell and leaves garbage like Dov Charney behind. This shit ain't fair y'all.
- ryanwaggoner 9y ago
  Sounds like we're clearly making progress.
HillaryBriss 9y ago
word from a designer i know: many garments produced by American Apparel at the end of Mr. Charney's reign were overpriced; poorly sewn (often with un-hemmed un-finished edges); sometimes little more than a piece of stretch fabric fashioned into a tube or a large rectangle; inconsistently sized and fit to the customer. also: the advertisements and commercials featured hyper-sexualized, semi-nude models who were often regular employees. it seemed to be an innovative way to run such a business but doing that sort of thing in LA is quite possibly the wrong model nowadays. a year or two back, the LA Times ran a story about some LA clothing manufacturers leaving the city and relocating to El Paso, TX: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-korean-jobber-market-20150902-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-korean-jobber-market-2...
- stevewillows 9y ago
  the irregularities weren't only in the final days of Dov's reign. It did get much worse, though. At times you'd get a shirt labeled medium, but it was definitely a small. One of the biggest issues I've had with AA over the years were the sleeves on their hoodies. Often the stitching would leave you with a somewhat puffy seam, which looks awful. I'm hoping that Gildan will bring some consistency to the table without changing the fabric or cuts.
- HellDunkel 9y ago
  "the advertisements and commercials featured hyper-sexualized, semi-nude models who were often regular employees." I cannot see anything qrong with that- i liked the visuals and the aproach of choosing regular folks over celebs/models.
SeeDave 9y ago
Dov Charney's record of outrageously inappropriate sexual misconduct is enough for me to write him off at this point unless he undergoes intensive counseling and/or rehabilitation. I have limited confidence in his ability to revive an industry or create a healthy organization considering his age at the time of his offenses. I wish him well, but really hope that he is able to receive help.

60 points by petercooper 9y ago

For those wanting a really intimate and interesting look at Dov's new venture, Gimlet's "Start-up" did a great job profiling him over a few episodes. Definitely worth a listen. https://gimletmedia.com/episode/part-1-labels-season-4-episode-4/ https://gimletmedia.com/episode/part-1-labels-season-4-episo...

petercooper 9y ago
Yes, listening to that whole (and amazingly reported) story was what caused my interest to be piqued by this writeup. It covers a lot of similar ground, but the Startup podcast was such a fun listen.

eli 9y ago

Always neat to see one of our articles on HN! Especially one where the team worked really hard to make it happen. Dov doesn't give many interviews and the page layout & design is all new.

petercooper 9y ago
In case you're wondering, I was reminded about your sites in the thread about profitable email newsletters which I only stumbled across today. Saw how deep the Dov story went and just had to submit :-D
olivermarks 9y ago
tremendous article!

6stringmerc 9y ago

You know, back in the old days, we would've treated Dov like a bunch of unwanted cats and dispose of him by way of a burlap sack in a river. And, if Hermes Conrad could have his way, we'd throw the river into space. God takes Chris Cornell and leaves garbage like Dov Charney behind. This shit ain't fair y'all.

ryanwaggoner 9y ago
Sounds like we're clearly making progress.

HillaryBriss 9y ago

word from a designer i know: many garments produced by American Apparel at the end of Mr. Charney's reign were overpriced; poorly sewn (often with un-hemmed un-finished edges); sometimes little more than a piece of stretch fabric fashioned into a tube or a large rectangle; inconsistently sized and fit to the customer. also: the advertisements and commercials featured hyper-sexualized, semi-nude models who were often regular employees. it seemed to be an innovative way to run such a business but doing that sort of thing in LA is quite possibly the wrong model nowadays. a year or two back, the LA Times ran a story about some LA clothing manufacturers leaving the city and relocating to El Paso, TX: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-korean-jobber-market-20150902-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-korean-jobber-market-2...

stevewillows 9y ago
the irregularities weren't only in the final days of Dov's reign. It did get much worse, though. At times you'd get a shirt labeled medium, but it was definitely a small. One of the biggest issues I've had with AA over the years were the sleeves on their hoodies. Often the stitching would leave you with a somewhat puffy seam, which looks awful. I'm hoping that Gildan will bring some consistency to the table without changing the fabric or cuts.
HellDunkel 9y ago
"the advertisements and commercials featured hyper-sexualized, semi-nude models who were often regular employees." I cannot see anything qrong with that- i liked the visuals and the aproach of choosing regular folks over celebs/models.

SeeDave 9y ago

Dov Charney's record of outrageously inappropriate sexual misconduct is enough for me to write him off at this point unless he undergoes intensive counseling and/or rehabilitation. I have limited confidence in his ability to revive an industry or create a healthy organization considering his age at the time of his offenses. I wish him well, but really hope that he is able to receive help.