As Father Winter extends his icy fingers toward Washington, D.C., for at least another few months, layering becomes a top priority for the student body - after keg stands and classes. Fortunately, university students now have a beacon of clothing hope in downtown D.C.
American Apparel, an L.A.-based clothing company, opened its doors in D.C. on Dec. 23. Located on 11th Street across from another hipster-friendly store, H&M, American Apparel stresses its sweatshop-free policy. Inside, one will find a surplus of simply made clothing, with options ranging from collared shirts to terry-cloth booty shorts. Each item comes in a variety of colors, feasibly allowing one to wear a different American Apparel thermal tee every day of the week.
American Apparel began as a wholesale manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles. The company only expanded to retail two years ago and it now has over 90 stores around the world.
The company's rise to fashion glory is perhaps largely due to its publicized ethics. According to American Apparel's mission statement, found at americanapparel.net, all of the company's clothing is produced "under one roof," thus eliminating sweatshops and greatly cutting costs. The company also claims to offer employees free massages, inexpensive dental insurance and English language lessons.
In spite of these benefits, American Apparel has encountered some controversy. According to ABC's 20/20, three employees have filed sexual harassment lawsuits against the company's owner, Dov Charney. Charney has denied the harassment allegations.
D.C. store manager Jill Morgan came to the new location after working at the company's Baltimore store. According to Morgan, American Apparel's popularity, both for customers and employees, is due to word of mouth. The company uses recognizable ad campaigns, featuring real-looking people instead of typicals models. The sexually provocative ads are seen on hotly populated websites as Pitchforkmedia.com as well as in independent magazines. This increases the company's exposure among their key demographic of 20- to 30-year-olds. However, the store manager believes that American Apparel's appeal is farther-reaching. "We've got something for everybody," Morgan says.
While there appears to be more clothing suited for ladies, American Apparel calls its items "unisex," so one need not fret if the booty shorts appear to be ill-suited for their gender. Adults are not the only customers to whom American Apparel caters , however. The store features items for hipster babies and dogs (though the different color options appear to be lost on them). Also, the unadorned pieces of clothing easily lend themselves to screen printing and decorating.
According to Morgan, the main concept behind American Apparel's clothing line is that each item can be integrated into anyone's wardrobe. She cites thermal shirts, track jackets, men's briefs and tee shirts as the D.C. store's best-selling items.
Rob, a 23-year-old customer, made his first trip to American Apparel for several reasons. A friend directed him to the company's Web site, which lead him to the store. "I think it's cool that the clothes aren't made in sweatshops," Rob says. "I also think they're just cool clothes."
D.C. college students Anna and Lindsay, both 20, say that they appreciate the lack of logos on the company's clothing. Claire, a 15-year-old American Apparel enthusiast, says she shops in the store because the clothing is all made in America. Her teenage cohort Mia, 17, says that she came to the store because her high school friends claimed it was trendy.
This year, D.C.'s most fashionable inhabitants may find that Father Winter is no match for good old hipster values. Flashy neon windbreakers and tiny dog sweaters will keep everyone warm this season. Now that's American.
