A Perfect Fit: Introducing American Apparel

What do you think of when you think of American Apparel? Well, if you've seen any of their ads you probably have a fair idea of what they're about. Girls in tiny, figure-hugging tops and bodysuits prancing around in the California sunshine. Print and viral ads that tread a fine line between taseful and downright naughty. They go for controversy, for a sexy, vibrant image that keeps everyone talking about the brand.

Which is damn clever of them. If you remember, when I was discussing the Source Brand Preview a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that one of the big themes emerging out of the conference was the way that smart brands were focussing more on the clothes and less on the ethics. In other words, attracting people to the goods not because they were sustainably produced, but because they were well-made and looked great.

See, the thing is that American Apparel are very ethical indeed. They produce everything in the catalogue from their factory in LA, which is sweatshop-free, and pays a very fair living wage to the workers. Their cotton is organic and locally-sourced. They're part-powered by a huge solar array on the roof, which in California makes all kinds of sense. Ordinarily, American Apparel would be the poster kids of the green revolution. Instead, no-one talks about the ethics and everyone talks about the ads and buys the clothes. Which is kind of understandable, when as a way of showing off their solar roof, they come up with a stunt like this...

American Apparel - Factory Tour - The Roof from American Apparel on Vimeo.

It's a little remiss of me to take this long to talk about American Apparel, but I have a very good reason for doing so today. I have exciting news.

Pier32 is very proud to announce that you can now buy and customise American Apparel clothing through us. Their huge range of basics and hoodies is available for you to give a clean, fresh look to your brand, club or charity. Once again, let's do the rollcall: these clothes are ethically produced, made from organic cotton and built to last. American Apparel is a perfect fit for us, and we think they will be for you too.

To find out more, check out the American Apparel landing page on the Pier32 website. But before you go, check out a little celebratory video I put together to announce the news. Relax: it doesn't feature me jumping around in my scanties.