American Apparel has relaunched online - and it looks exactly the same
The US brand, which declared bankruptcy in October 2016 and was bought by Canadian apparel maker Gildan for $88 million in January, relaunched online Monday.
Scrolling through the website, there's a strong feeling of deja vu; it almost looks as if nothing has changed since the days of its founder, Dov Charney.
You'll find a whole line of plain colored T-shirts and basics, brightly colored leggings, and its signature bodysuits. You're even invited to "Shop the Archives," a collection based on pieces taken from photo shoots dating back to 2007, Racked reported.
Gildan, who purchased the intellectual rights to the company, has not only kept on a group of designers and marketing people from the former American Apparel teams but it's also acquired millions of dollars worth of old inventory and fabric.
But there's one big difference, the "Made in the USA" stamp, that American Apparel was once famous for, has all but disappeared from the new clothing, as the majority of these products are now manufactured in factories in Honduras and Nicaragua.
Conscious of alienating loyal fans, Gildan has also launched a smaller eight piece collection of "Made in the USA" styles, which are almost identical to other pieces on the website, only more expensive. Customers can expect to pay $48 for the USA-made hoodie for example, versus $38 for a similar version made elsewhere.
American Apparel
A spokesperson for Gildan told Business Insider that this isn't currently a concern.
"The fashion basics business is crowded already with lots of brands. The only time we would ever become concerned is if something he was doing was seen to be infringing on any of our intellectual our property rights or purposely misleading consumers into believing the apparel he is selling is American Apparel," the spokesperson said.
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