The rise and fall of American Apparel A cultural movement between potential and controversy
To date, American Apparel presents itself as the go-to brand for buying cozy leisurewear and clothing, trending categories in this specific historic moment. “An online retailer of basics and must-have pieces for everyone, produced globally, ethically” describes itself on the website after the rebranding in 2016, but its past cannot be forgotten. During the 2000s, the brand established itself as a cultural phenomenon that shaped the minds and bodies of an entire generation, thanks to its simple aesthetic promoted with provocative marketing strategies. The story of the founder Dov Charney, alongside with the birth, rise and fall of the brand are documented in "Big Rad Wolf" produced by the streaming service Quibi, and now available on the platform. The documentary tells the story of the brand, from the point of view of former collaborators, journalists, friends of the founder, all subjects who experienced the events firsthand.
The brand and its "essentials"
The strength of American Apparel is that they anticipated what is today a relevant part of the everyday wardrobe, building its offer on the so-called essentials. What we now define as part of a minimal and relaxed style, made up of must-have pieces - in contrast to the chaos and overcrowding that rule the fashion industry nowadays - was for American Apparel the commercial strength.
In the shops that were located throughout the streets of the key cities in the world, the hipster-basic aesthetic made its way in the hearts (and wardrobes) of teenagers, in contrast to the overdressed style of the early 2000s. The stores cyclically offered the same products, declined in different colors. Even today, all product categories are available on the website, with particular attention to the basics: crop-tops, bodysuits, leggings, tracksuit, t-shirts, that become the foundations of American Apparel. Synthetic fabrics with more complex processing like leather, spandex and lamé complete the offer. But it is how the clothes were made and who wore them that made the difference. Today, like yesterday, the brand uses "real people" to promote its products: on the Instagram account with 1.6M followers images look authentic, and models, customers and followers are the protagonists of the campaigns.
The toxic environment Charney created is also the main reason for the brand's decline. The controversial marketing approach he promoted and the allegations of harassment against him caused serious damage to the brand's image, but have also permanently erased the good that had previously been done towards employees.
New Marketing Director Sabrina Weber stated in many interviews that the brand wants to "remain sexy" but in a good way, because “There was that moment in time where things went too far.”. And what happened to Dov Charney? Well, he is still active and proposes his "American dream" with the brand Los Angeles Apparel.
