sometimes made in usa

American Apparel Is Back, But Not Everything Is Made in the USA

American Apparel. Photo: American Apparel

Did you wake up yesterday feeling a little bit lighter? The lightness that comes with knowing that nonathletic tennis skirts and striped tube socks were suddenly widely available again? Maybe you didn’t, but I definitely did.

American Apparel’s website relaunched yesterday, bringing light and life to all. Gildan Activewear Inc. acquired American Apparel at a bankruptcy auction. It purchased American Apparel’s name, but not its operations, which explains the biggest difference in American Apparel 2.0 — not everything is made in USA.

The new site’s tagline reads, “Globally sourced, ethically made, sweatshop free. That’s American Apparel.” To appeal to its original market, it has a “Made in USA” capsule collection of eight styles that are domestically produced.

The Made in USA capsule is more expensive than the identical, foreign-made counterpart. For instance, an American hoodie costs $48, while its globally made twin costs $38.

For transparency’s sake, there is also a section titled “Sweatshop Free Stories” to provide a look into their new foreign factories in Honduras where the rest of their clothes are produced.

The company explains the change at the top of the “Sweatshop Free Stories” section: “At American Apparel we’ve always believed in sweatshop free and ethical manufacturing. We’ve also always believed that border lines are pointless.”

American Apparel Is Back, But Not Everything Is Made in USA