Trainwreck on Netflix: The bizarre downfall of American Apparel
It was one of the most successful fashion brands of the 2000s: American Apparel. But as quickly as the brand grew, it also collapsed just as fast. The main culprit: CEO Dov Charney. Under his leadership, the company slowly transformed into a cult and the atmosphere was anything but pleasant. The new Netflix documentary ‘Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel’ shows how Charney caused his own downfall, told from the experiences of his employees; they can finally speak their truth.
How American Apparel rapidly grew into a global brand
The fashion brand American Apparel was founded in 1989 by Canadian businessman Dov Charney. It symbolized the ‘American Dream’, the endless possibilities. The company distinguished itself by having everything made in America and by paying employees well above the minimum wage. Everything surrounding American Apparel was a hit and everyone wanted to be part of this phenomenon; and in many cases, that was possible. Charney believed in open immigration and hired people from all backgrounds. He stepped away from the standard image of beauty and his models were diverse. What also resonated well with the public were the always somewhat sexually charged advertisements for the clothing. Charney believed this should be allowed, despite several ads being banned. The brand managed to grow significantly in the early 2000s, and soon many celebrities were among its clientele. Rihanna and Beyoncé both shopped there eagerly; the store was even closed for them to browse in peace. But where the company seemed to be an ever-growing success, the first cracks soon appeared.
The beginning of the end for American Apparel
Anyone looking up the definition of workaholic will likely find the name Dov Charney; he was pretty much working 24/7. Not immediately a problem, but he expected the same from his employees; and to the extreme. A 36-hour shift was not unusual, and even outside of working hours, Charney did not leave his staff alone. It was common for him to call someone in the middle of the night, usually to yell and curse. In the weekly meetings, a loser of the week was also routinely designated. You can imagine that the work atmosphere was not exactly pleasant. On top of that, there were also Charney's sexual remarks. He encouraged sexually charged behavior in the workplace and had no qualms about crossing others' boundaries. In Charney's house, where some employees also lived, young women were always hanging around.
The definitive downfall of American Apparel
Multiple female employees eventually accused Charney of sexual harassment in the workplace and approached a lawyer. They encountered one major problem: Charney had arranged everything so that all employees had signed a non-disclosure agreement with all their contracts and promotions. This prohibited them from making negative statements about American Apparel and the CEO. All complaints were therefore submitted to a confidential arbitration committee and not made public. Charney was also never convicted of anything. Later, various complaints leaked out, revealing that he had forced multiple employees into sexual acts, some of whom were only 18 at the time. Alongside the increasing number of complaints, Charney also became verbally more aggressive towards his employees. Due to all this, the brand was also not doing well financially. Charney was fired by the board, and shortly thereafter, American Apparel filed for bankruptcy.
Where are Dov Charney and American Apparel now?
After the bankruptcy, hundreds of stores worldwide closed their doors. The brand American Apparel was bought by Canadian company Gildan. The name remained the same, and the clothing is still available for purchase online. Charney founded a new brand in 2016: Los Angeles Apparel, hoping to replicate his previous success. So far, the brand has primarily been sold online, and people could only visit the factory store in LA. This summer, that will change, as a store will open in New York. In addition to setting up his own new brand, Charney also collaborated with Kanye West for his brand Yeezy in 2023. But after the rapper's antisemitic remarks, he distanced himself from that. He has always denied his own allegations of sexual harassment.
Other shocking stories from the Trainwreck series
‘Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel’ is part of a docu-series about various major events that kept the media busy. Three previous episodes have already been released:
1. Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy
The series began with the documentary about the Astroworld music festival of rapper Travis Scott. At this festival there were so many people present that security could barely control it. When the rapper himself started performing, everyone began to push so much that complete chaos broke out; and it had deadly consequences. The events also led to major speculation in the media.
2. Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem
The next Trainwreck docu focused on the mayoral elections in Toronto in 2010. The victory of council member Rob Ford caused great surprise. His administration quickly turned into a disaster due to various scandals and allegations of drug use.
3. Trainwreck: Poop Cruise
The makers of Trainwreck know how to choose their stories well. For their third documentary, they focused on a luxury cruise that was to sail from Texas to Mexico. When a fire left the entire ship without power, it also meant that the flushing toilets no longer worked. Soon, sewage leaked everywhere, and the ship earned the nickname poop cruise.
‘Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel’ was the fourth in the series, but numbers five through eight are already ready. This month, four new titles will be added: ‘Trainwreck: The Real Project X’, ‘Trainwreck: Balloon Boy’, ‘Trainwreck: P.I. Moms’, and ‘Trainwreck: Storm Area 51’. With four docs out and four more on the way, we certainly won't be bored. ‘Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel’ and the other parts are now, or very soon, available on Netflix.
Image: Netflix
