If at one point it felt as if there was an American Apparel store on every corner, that was certainly the idea. The brand, founded in 1989 by Dov Charney, exploded in popularity in the mid-'00s.

Here’s a look at ten of the most controversial ads used by the retailer.

His rise and fall from American Apparel was documented in a 2025 installment of Netflix's Trainwreck docuseries Netflix's Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel chronicled the fashion empire Dov ...

Kate Flannery was out of work and out of money when a frizzy-haired babe in hot pants handed her a business card. It featured a girl in a bikini and striped athletic socks. “American Apparel,” it read ...

Christopher Sturm wasn’t normally approached by women, especially on the street. But as he was walking down University Avenue in Palo Alto one afternoon, a girl suddenly came up to him. She was ...

Hours after she found out she had been elected president of the Calvin student body, Abbie Belford was sitting behind a table in Johnny’s, urging her peers to boycott American Apparel. “Hey, do you ...

In an unusual step, American Apparel Inc. filed suit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against a former employee in an attempt to pre-empt a wrongful discrimination lawsuit from her. The Los ...