American Apparel: How much do you suck?
Quite a lot, apparently.
I hated American Apparel from the moment I first saw one of its grubby little ads. (”Meet Julio. He never stops smiling. He works in our new store in Mexico City…” – does he also dance well and eat chitlins, I wonder?)
The next issue of the redoubtable Clamor Magazine includes a special section on American Apparel, with three articles, a photo essay, and a series of parody American Apparel ads – all designed to rip away the company’s hip, progressive veneer and reveal the pot-bellied, gold-chain-wearing, cigar-smoking, middle-aged lecher who’s selling you junky clothes.
Clamor put up a preview of the special section on its website. When American Apparel got wind of it, the fuckers sent Clamor an email. “If the article is not immediately removed online, along with a retraction and an [sic] public apology posted online and published appropriately,” wrote Media Relations Director Cynthia Semon, “we will be forced” – forced! – “to seek legal action in light of such gross, blatant, negligent and irresponsible journalism.”
I love it when companies like American Apparel – who don’t give a shit about anything beyond making money – lecture magazines and newspapers about journalistic ethics. Maybe they should get together and start their own journalism school? Wait, no need… it looks like most media companies already don’t give a shit about anything beyond making money. Good thing we still have magazines like Clamor!
Hey Jeremy, American Apparel here… It’s true we give a shit about making money — we are, after all, a business — and that’s partly why we care a great deal about our goodwill. (Another part is that, you know, we work really hard, and it pisses us off when someone criticizes our work without knowing it, but that’s personal.)
But we like the established journalism standards just fine, no need to start our own school. If Clamor had adhered to those we would have absolutely no problem with their piece.
In your opinion, what does Clamor care about. Truth? BTW, did you know that they had been trying to sell us advertising space? Very confusing…
For the purposes of this discussion, I’m going to assume that you’re being sincere. I’m also going to avoid addressing the quality of Clamor’s journalism, which isn’t the issue here — let’s assume that they’re also sincere.
Look: you’re getting to be a big company now. People are going to react to your brand image and they’re going to write about what’s happening inside the company. Some people will be wrong, some people will be right, most will just be standing in a different place and they’re going to see things differently.
How to react? a) You can take some criticisms seriously and thoughtfully, and change as a result; b) you can be tough and measure what they write about you in inches; or c) you can whine and send threatening letters to struggling indie magazines who are just trying to tell it like they see it — and as a result, look like thin-skinned bullies.
If goodwill really is important to you, then a) is the correct answer. c) is the wrong answer. b) is also wrong, but it works for a lot of companies.
(BTW, I’m just fine with Clamor trying to sell you ad space, if in fact they did. At most magazines, business and editorial functions are kept separate [it's a little more complicated than that at small shops, but the principle is the same]. It’s not inconsistent for Clamor to say, on one hand, “we’ll run whatever editorial we want,” and, on the other, “we’ll run whatever ads we want.” For some folks, both are about free speech. Although some magazines do adopt policies that forbid advertising inconsistent with the mission of the magazine, most do not. That’s why you see oil companies advertising [greenwashing] in magazines like Harpers and Mother Jones, both of which routinely attack the oil industry. It’s controversial, but that is the situation and the standard.)
We welcome criticism, consider it, and if we think it is valid then we change as a result. Absolutely!
But in this case, the quality of journalism IS at issue. It could be that Clamor sincerely believed that American Apparel is a union-buster. But
1. We are not.
2. If people think we are, it has a negative effect on our profit.
If people think that I, Weronika Cwir, am a mean bully out to scare an earnest little magazine… Well, that isn’t true, but that’s not a big deal. Maybe they will say things about me on the internet, maybe they won’t invite me to parties. Whatever, I am a big girl and I can take it. But when people think that American Apparel is unethical and if they stop buying our product because of that, that means there is less money to pay and provide benefits to over 4,000 people who work here. That is a big deal, and part of my job is to prevent that from happening.
The other part is to take constructive criticism and turn it concrete advice on how to make the company better, so keep that constructive criticism coming. We totally welcome it. But make sure you base it on correct facts, because otherwise it is useless.
My belief in your sincerity is rapidly waning!
Let’s leave it up to the readers. They can read your side and Clamor’s side, and they can make up their own minds.
To read the full American Apparel section in Clamor, see http://clamormagazine.org/issues/38/aa/
You can also get a PDF of the print version at http://www.clamormagazine.org/temp/AA/ClamorAAsection2006.pdf
If you want to read the full text of American Apparel’s 08/25/06 email to Clamor, which seeks to refute allegations of actively opposing the union drive, see http://www.clamormagazine.org/temp/AA/cynthiasemonlettertoclamor.pdf. Connoisseurs of such documents will find this one to be a great example of the genre (e.g., “Dov Charney was concerned as to whether a union would truly benefit American Apparel’s workers…”). It also includes corrections of several points of fact.
If I didn’t think of you as the fair and unbiased person you must certainly be, whose views should not be dismissed as anti-corporate knee-jerk reactions but instead considered carefully as the thought-out original ideas they clearly are, I would think you find the statement that Dov Charney, who built his factory business from scratch, might, in fact, have been concerned whether a union would benefit his workers, impropable. But my respect for you leads me to believe that you did not intend to imply any such thing.
Now, as for your rapidly waning belief in my sincerity, could you please point out what in communication with you, prompted it?
Weronika (”if that is your real name…”), it is my fair and unbiased opinion that you are being paid (generously, I hope – if not, you need a union) to troll for American Apparel and post comments like these — which is not bad work, if you can get it. This will be my final communication with you, but thanks for visiting the Other blog.
Once again: interested readers should see Clamor, then read AA’s response, and then decide for yourselves who is most full of shit.
Jeremy, Weronika is my real name, and I invite you and all interested readers to come to the American Apparel factory in Downtown LA, meet the people who cut and sew the T-shirts, talk to them about their experience with UNITE, and, if you find that their working conditions or benefits could be improved by introducing a union, to educate them about it and help them bring that union in. Just drop me a line at weronika@americanapparel.net and I will assist you in whatever way I can.
For another interesting discussion, see the Clamor blog:
http://clamormagazine.org/blog/archives/fall-issue-sneak-preview/
Unfortunately, I don’t get paid to post to blogs and challenge nasty corporate PR folks so it would be nice to continue this conversation in one central location.
W- They’d also been using your company’s products, but as it clearly states on their website, now that they are privy to the lack of progressive ideals and employee exploitation that American Apparel engages in, they won’t be using the company’s products any longer. I can only assume that this also means you will no longer be asked to advertise with them either.
Jeremy Adam Smith, reading your writing is a sucky experience.
American Apparel, online i’ve bought a short number of shirts cut by your company, and they have all featured quite notable manufacturing defects.
A boycott would be in order for this company that feels the need to threaten the culture it pretends to be a part of. I wonder how much the donate to the Republican party annually…
I’ve also bought several shirts from American Apparel, and they all featured notable manufacturing defects. I tried to return some of them, but American Apparel would not take them back. Their customer service representatives (Michael Cano & Isabelle Contreras) are rude and send insulting emails when I inquired about my return request. I will never buy from American Apparel ever again!
I am so sick of people hating American Apparel. Ads that look like porn? I happen to like porn. Don (is that his name btw?) being a perv and masturbating? I find that kinda hot. Bottom line: the clothes are nice, and they are NOT expensive. Only poor people would think that (my heart goes out to them). At the end of the day, I have my hoody in the color I like. Satisfied. What is up with people who try to “bring down” corporations just because they are “corporations”? For example, McDonalds. Hey, it tastes good. People are always bitching about this and that, to which i say “simmer down!”. If you can’t beat em, join em! And I’m going to contradict myself by saying maybe these corps aren’t so bad after all?
About AA customer service:
It probably depends on the staff. I bought a collared shift once (only defected product i ever bought), washed it, and there was a 2 inch gash (?) where the fabric connected. I felt it was shabby tailoring, so I bought it to the store. The girl was so nice, she took one look at it, heard my story (without asking me to repeat, I HATE THAT) and I exchanged the shirt. Just like that. She is a regular face I see at the store, she’s cool. :)
I was just talking with my coworker about this today at Outback steak house. Don’t know how in the world we landed on the subject really, they brought it up. I do recall having a wonderful steak salad with sunflower seeds on it. I digress…
The American Apparel Best Ass Contest has stooped to new levels of exploitation, except this time, girls and young women are the willing participants. Ick. THey lost me as a customer.
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