When American Apparel first made headlines in the early 2000s, the story was all about a retail company that made all of its products right here in the U.S.
"We make 'Sweatshop Free' T-shirts. Our goal is to seek profits through innovation not exploitation," wrote CEO Dov Charney in a 2002 letter to the editor of Adbusters magazine.
While that "made in the U.S.A." message never left the company, it has been overshadowed in recent years by over-the-top ad campaigns, sexual harassment lawsuits, a federal investigation into illegal immigrant labor, and fear of bankruptcy.
But as the company's wholesale and internet business have helped sales rise in the past few months, American Apparel is once again highlighting its unique position in the apparel market by giving consumers online access to their downtown Los Angeles factory, the largest garment factory in the United States.
American Apparel has two knitting and dyeing factories that are separate from their downtown factory
It's in these locations that the fabrics are knit, dyed, and processed before being sent to the downtown location. This video is a little lengthy, but shows how the whole process works.
That newly made fabric is received, where else, in the Fabric Department.
Located on the 1st floor of the downtown factory, employees in the Fabric Department inspect fabric coming in from the dyeing centers before they sent it up to be cut.
In this video, Hugo and Lamont show you the department.
Before the fabric is sewn, it has to be cut.
Located on the 4th floor, the Cutting Department takes the newly arrived fabric and gets it ready to be sewn. The cutting is done with computers and by hand, in some cases.
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