Los Angeles Apparel – Wikipedia

American clothing company

Los Angeles Apparel is a manufacturer, designer and distributor of clothing based in South-Central Los Angeles.^[2][3] The company was founded in 2016 by Dov Charney, the founder of American Apparel.^[4][5][6] Los Angeles Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer and currently employs over 1500 personnel.^[1][7]

History[edit]

Los Angeles Apparel was founded by Dov Charney in 2016 in Los Angeles, California after he was ousted from American Apparel by its board. Charney rejected a $4.5 million severance package and role as “creative director” in the company^[8] and launched Los Angeles Apparel as a wholesale business, similar to American Apparel’s origins in 1989.^[9] Los Angeles Apparel consists of about 1,800+ employees, including many former American Apparel workers.^[10][11] About 90 percent of the factory’s machinery once belonged to American Apparel.^[12][13] According to Bloomberg, Charney bought fabric, computers, sewing machines, and other equipments from American Apparel in the bankruptcy sale.^[14] In late 2016, Cincinnati based TSC Apparel made a multimillion-dollar business deal with Los Angeles Apparel,^[15] selling the startup’s clothes to concert producer Live Nation Entertainment and screen printers who previously purchased American Apparel.^{[7][12][16][17]}

Production[edit]

Los Angeles Apparel was started as a wholesale business.^[18] The company is upfront about the fact that its clothing and business model is similar to that of American Apparel.^[12][19] Los Angeles Apparel is a manufacturer and distributor of apparel to screen printers, apparel companies, and boutiques. The company focuses on production of T-shirts, sweatshirts, cotton bodysuits and swimwear.^[20] The company is a vertically integrated manufacturer with knitting and dyeing done in Los Angeles.^[19] Los Angeles Apparel’s 100,000 square foot factory has a current capacity of 140,000 units per week.^[19][21] The company is devoted to keeping production domestic and employing garment workers in Los Angeles.^[22]

Similar to the values held by American Apparel, the corporate identity has a commitment to “sweatshop free” manufacturing.^[23] All workers earn fair wages, approximately $20 an hour with chance of productivity bonuses.^[24] In an effort to emphasize the importance of the workers who produce the apparel, their names and faces were printed on the labels of shirts back in 2017.^[25] Ethicality and humanness are themes congruent to the success of Los Angeles Apparel.

Corporate culture[edit]

Fair wage labor practice[edit]

Los Angeles Apparel supports and strives for fair wage labor practices.^[26] The company’s workers typically earn wages of $16.50 – $20 per hour.^[26] The workers at Los Angeles Apparel own equity in the company making it employee owned.^[22] The company focuses on local manufacturing and attempts to employ workers in the Los Angeles area.^[4][27]

Vertical integration[edit]

Los Angeles Apparel is a vertically integrated company, expanding its business operations into different steps on the same production path.^[28] The company has total control over the supply chain from manufacturing to end sales. Los Angeles Apparel purchases textile and yarn products made in USA, supporting local manufacturing.^[29] More than half of yarn utilization is acquired from domestic sources.^[30][21]

Environment friendly production[edit]

Los Angeles Apparel integrates organic cotton and reclaimed cotton into their supply chain. The company plans to recycle almost 100 percent of their waste by 2018.

References[edit]

External links[edit]