Case Analysis Of American Apparel

American Apparel

Once used to be cool and fast growing company American Apparel started face downturn in 2010. After moving to Los Angles in 1997 American Apparel became partners with sewing Sam Limo who had 50 workers at that time. At the beginning of its existence the company changed the way of how fashion industry worked and how businesses were managed. In order to reach popularity of its brands company used provoking and controversial advertising campaigns, which was mainly promoted by company’s CEO Dov Charney. Company showed tremendous growth rate by growing more than 400% three year in a row and being among fastest growing 500 companies of the USA in 2005. In 2007 company sold 125 million dollar local produced clothes outside of the America. The company continued showing dramatic increase and remained as an ideal for other fashion retailing companies until 2010.

From 2010 on company started losing its power and strength in the market. Moreover, company’s CEO Dov Charney was considered as unreliable and he faced harassment allegations. In addition, there was financial weaknesses which company could not handle and as a result by the end of 2010 American Apparel was almost bankrupt. American Apparel’s strategy of coordinating its business only in Los Angles rather taking into cheap labor markets in Asia and cutting manufacturing costs is another key factor of company’s high costs. This strategy is argued to be the CEO’s incapability to oversee what