Dov Charney: Difference between revisions

Dov Charney (born January 31, 1969 in Montreal, Canada) is the founder and CEO of American Apparel (AA), a vertically integrated clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer. His innovative approach to the design, manufacturing and marketing of affordably-priced fashion basics have made American Apparel a 21st century touchstone, a popular brand closely associated with contemporary youth culture [1]. Building a profitable, dynamic company while paying garment workers a fair wage and benefits and refusing to outsource manufacturing has brought Charney recognition as a promoter of enlightened, conscientious capitalism [2]. At the same time, the sexually charged imagery of his advertising, the presentation of American Apparel's models, and the lifestyle at which their photos hint have also earned him comparisons to Hugh Hefner[3]. Charney's theatrical, outspoken persona and his provocative pronouncements on sexuality and workplace politics have made him a latter-day business, fashion and cultural celebrity, a subject of intense fascination in mainstream media and the blogosphere[4].

Charney grew up in Montreal, the child of Morris Charney, an architect, and Sylvia Safdie, a sculptor and painter (she is also the sister of renowned architect Moshe Safdie), where he was raised in a liberal, artistic, permissive environment that encouraged creativity and social activism [5].

Though not religiously observant, Charney's ties to the Jewish culture in which he was raised are evident in American Apparel advertisements that ironically reference the longstanding involvement of Jews in the fashion industry or "shmatte business" [6], his granting interviews to and buying advertising in Jewish publications [7], and his offering copies of the photography book "Bar Mitzvah Disco" for sale in his retail stores [8].

Reading voraciously in history and politics, Charney originally intended to become a journalist, beginning with a neighborhood newspaper that he published at age eleven [9].

As a boy, Charney also developed a deep and abiding attraction to what he calls "American commodity manufacturing," simple, well-made clothing and other goods possessed of such innate style that they transcend fashion and become iconic—some of his favorite examples include Levi's 501 bluejeans, Hanes cotton brief-style men's underwear, Sperry Top-Sider deck shoes, and Russell Athletic heather-gray T-shirts. [10] Many of these items were frequently unavailable for purchase in Canada, and as a high school student in Montreal, Charney began bringing back Hanes and Russell Athletic T-shirts from the US to sell outside concerts at the Montreal Forum [11].

Spending his final year of high school in the U.S., at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, Charney continued to bring back and sell T-shirts in Canada [12]. In 1987, he entered Tufts University in Medford Massachusetts, but his continued success with T-shirt sales led him to drop out of college to start his own company. [13]

Moving to Columbia, South Carolina, Charney subcontracted with local garment factories to manufacture T-shirts which he wholesaled under the name American Heavy, but by 1996, as rising costs drove major US-based T-shirt producers offshore, the business failed and Charney filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. [14]

In 1997, Charney relocated to Los Angeles and, entering into partnership with Sam Lim, a Korean factory owner, founded American Apparel. [15] Together, they began manufacturing T-shirts in their own factory to Charney's exacting specifications. Rebelling against the coarse material and boxy cut that had been adopted by Hanes for their "Beefy Ts," Charney developed and made artisanal product, using a finer weave of cotton, with a body-accentuating fit—these blank T-shirts, with no logo, offered in a variety of bright colors, were quickly embraced by tastemakers and the indie crowd (because finer cotton also made them a better canvas for any designs that resellers wished to screenprint upon them, American Apparel became top choice for rock bands, and any organizations that cared about graphic presentation on their T-shirts), and in 2000, Charney was spotlighted as an avatar of cool by Malcolm Gladwell, the best-selling author of "The Tipping Point," in The New Yorker[16].

Charney frequently refers to himself as a "Jewish Hustler," [17] but just as often identifies himself as an artist [18], and he has long fostered a kind of communal, art-collective mentality within the company, going out of his way to advertise in small art and literary journals, and posting short videos and photo essays on the company website. [19] In the summer of 2003, Charney rented a storefront gallery in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles to display a selection of photographs taken by his friend Luca Pizzaroni. As an afterthought, he sent over some T-shirts to sell at the opening reception—the next day, seeing that he had made $1,500 in T-shirt sales, he began planning to expand American Apparel into retail sales. [20]

In the fall of 2003, the first three American Apparel "community centers" (as Charney refers to his retail stores [21]) opened for business. As of March 31, 2007, the company had expanded to 153 stores in 12 countries, including, Mexico, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Israel. Charney eventually plans to expand to as many as 800 stores worldwide. [22]

American Apparel clothing is made in the United States, primarily in the company's 800,000 square foot downtown Los Angeles factory (it also serves as the company's headquarters); with more than 5,000 people designing, producing and marketing over 9,000 separate items, this location is now the single largest clothes manufacturing plant in the United States [23].

In marked contrast to industry norms, Charney pays his garment workers an average of over twice the minimum wage, subsidizes their health care and meals, provides free on-site English-language classes, and, at regular intervals, sends massage therapists onto the factory floor to massage workers during their break. [24]

For a time, Charney sought to spotlight his treatment of workers as a selling point for the merchandise, promoting American Apparel's goods as "sweatshop free" (the words were even printed on the label inside American Apparel clothing)— in recent years, however, he has downplayed this concept, preferring to focus on the superior quality of the company's merchandise rather than the morality behind its production. [25] Instead, the company now uses the term vertical integration to describe a process in which design, manufacture, marketing and retailing are all carried out in-house, and Charney speaks passionately about how this form of organization maximizes the company's response time to market demand, reduces costs, and makes greater business sense. [26]

American Apparel's rapid ascension over the past decade, its popularity among young tastemakers and Charney's larger than life persona have given Charney a high media profile: he has been the subject of feature articles in [The New Yorker] [27], The New York Times Magazine[28], [Newsweek] [29] and numerous other publications; additionally, he has been spotlighted in episodes of the ABC 20/20 [30] and Dateline NBC television newsmagazine shows [31], and a guest on the Charlie Rose talk show[32].

Charney generally espouses libertarian beliefs, including a commitment to free trade [33] Staunchly pro-immigration, he speaks passionately on the value and legacy of immigrant labor in the U.S. [34], and actively supports the "Legalize L.A." movement for undocumented workers to attain legal status. [35]

While priding himself on his transparency, approachability and close relationship with his employees, Charney admits he is opposed to unionization. [36] In 2003, when American Apparel garment workers proved unreceptive to a unionization drive instigated by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees, UNITE, which has a documented history of corrupt practices and scandals [37], filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Charney of interference. [38] The NLRB investigation resulted in no formal charges or fines brought against Charney or American Apparel, and a no-contest settlement in which American Apparel agreed in future to post notices in the workplace informing employees that they would not interfere with their right to organize [39]

In a New York Times "Critical Shopper" column published in 2005, Alex Kuczynski wrote that American Apparel T-shirts "are as close to the Platonic ideal of T-shirt as you can get." [40] Alongside its expansion into retail, American Apparel has steadily widened the scope of its inventory: the company now makes not only T-shirts, but a range of garments including socks, underwear, shorts, dresses, skirts, leggings, bathing suits, pants and accessories[41]. A recent study conducted by Outlaw Consulting found that respondents between the ages of 21 and 27 associate American Apparel alongside other leading "next generation" brands such as Apple Computer, JetBlue and Whole Foods. [42]

In 2003, GQ Magazine listed Charney in its annual "Men of the Year" issue alongside Bill Murray, Larry David, Jon Stewart, Johnny Depp and others[43]. In 2004 Charney received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award [44]. That same year he was also honored as Man of the Year by both Apparel Magazine[45] and the Fashion Industries Guild[46]. In 2006, the Los Angeles Times Magazine included Charney in its list of the “100 Most Powerful People of Southern California,”[47] and in the same year Details magazine listed him in its “Power 50," recognizing the 50 most powerful people under 42[48]. Charney was included in the October 2007 issue of Vanity Fair as part of "The Next Establishment" list. This group of up-and-coming moguls also included film directors Judd Apatow and Brett Ratner, Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear co-founder Damon Dash, and fashion designer Zac Posen. In addition to the personal accolades, American Apparel has also been honored with numerous awards from organizations as diverse as the Los Angeles Business Journal and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals[49].

In 2005 Charney was sued for sexual harassment by four employees. Three of the cases have been dismissed or settled and a fourth is still pending.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Dov Charney.

• Official American Apparel website
• American Apparel Online Store
• The New Rich - Dov Charney, website recap from the 20/20 episode from July 31, 2006
• Sexy marketing or sexual harassment?, recap of the Dateline NBC episode from July 28, 2006
• "Dov Charney, Like It or Not", from Inc. magazine (September 2005)
• "Mr. No Logo", interview from montrealmirror.com
• Jewlicious.com post on Dov Charney

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