Latest news with #The48LawsofPower
Graziadaily
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
What Happened Behind Closed Doors At Cult Clothing Chain, American Apparel? Netflix Uncovers
Given that leggings haven't been en vogue for more than 10 years and American Apparel storefronts have been absent from UK high streets since 2017, it's easy to forget what a chokehold the shop had on noughties and 2010s culture. From skater dresses to nylon disco pants, the clothing brand had a way of marketing '80s-inspired gym gear as 'wardrobe staples' and we all lapped it up. Now, though, a new Netflix documentary as part of the Trainwreck series exposes the darker side of the clothing empire – including how founder, CEO and chairman Dov Charney allegedly encouraged sexually explicit behaviour in the workplace and routinely violated boundaries. The American Apparel tote bag in 2016 in Tokyo. (Photo by Onnie A. Koski/Getty Images) American Apparel first opened its doors in 1989 and proudly claimed its clothes were 'sweat shop free' and made in the US and that employees were paid well over the minimum wage. Over time it became known for its risqué clothing adverts where models were often seen posing with their legs apart or almost nude – many of which were shot by the founder himself. It arrived in the UK in 2004 and became an immensely popular signal of the 'indie sleaze' sartorial movement. However, 10 years later in 2014 Charney was ousted after allegations of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour towards employees. In 2011, five former American Apparel employees filed sexual harassment lawsuits against the entrepreneur. Because three of those cases were cleared by a judge and two went to arbitration, he was never found liable. While Charney has repeatedly denied the allegations of harassment, he also said 'sleeping with people you work with is unavoidable'. Speaking to The Guardian in 2017, he said, 'I never had a romantic relationship with a factory worker. Ever! It wouldn't be possible! But a creative equal? Yeah! And if anything, I'll tell you, I don't know who was the predator – you know what I'm saying?' As for his dismissal at work, Charney claimed his ousting was illegal and demanded reinstatement. However, he was later replaced with Paula Schneider. By 2015, American Apparel was facing bankruptcy. In 2016, the company rejected a $300 million takeover bid from Hagan Capital Group and Silver Creek, two investment firms aligned with Charney. In January 2017, it was acquired for $88 million by Canadian sportswear manufacturer Gildan Activewear. American Apparel still exists online today. American Apparel founder Dov Charney. (Photo by Steve Eichner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images) In the new Netflix documentary, former employees alleged that new hires were given a 'welcome bag' containing a vibrator, a book called The 48 Laws of Power, a Leica camera and a Blackberry so that they would always be on call. Charney is shown to be an overpowering figure with little regard for the feelings and boundaries of his staff. It also showed archival footage of the former founder Charney walking around the factory naked in front of female employees. Other employees in the documentary claimed Charney often wanted to conduct business in his private home – one man called Jonny Makeup actually lived there too. It was described as a 'playboy mansion for hipsters'. Makeup told the filmmakers, 'I'll probably be in therapy until the day that I die.' The episode also featured employment and civil rights lawyer Toni Jaramilla who spoke about working with several women who claim they experienced sexual harassment while working for Charney at American Apparel. They signed non disclosure agreements to not comment on Charney or the clothing brand, however some allegations were leaked, so the Netflix special uses voice actors to read excerpts from their complaints. One claims Charney invited 18-year-olds to his bedroom and used to walk around in front of employees in a towel. Aside from allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct, the documentary heard that Charney regularly abused his power too. One employee named Carson said Charney once called him at around midnight and said, 'I hate you! I hate you!' over and over again, before hanging up. 'That was a regular day at American Apparel,' Carson explained, adding that he sometimes worked 36-hour shifts. There are also clips featured in the documentary where Charney can be heard calling his employees 'morons' and 'dummies'. Charney denies all allegations. It ends with archival footage of him saying, 'I'm not sorry about shit', in an interview with VICE. A spokesperson for Charney said: 'Charney has never been found liable for any misconduct — sexual harassment or otherwise — by any judge, jury, arbitrator, or independent investigation. Unfortunately, the Netflix documentary grossly misrepresents the story of American Apparel and Charney, relying on paid actors to emotionally restate long-disproven allegations.' The statement continues, 'No credible insiders — including Charney himself — participated in the production. One can only hope the full, unvarnished story of American Apparel and the forces behind its downfall will one day be told.' Charney swiftly founded another clothing manufacturer, Los Angeles Apparel, in 2016 which sold similar products to the original and operated from the same factory. However, when the pandemic took hold in 2020, Charney reimagined the business and started selling face masks and medical gowns. By June, he was condemned by public health officials and CBS News reported that Los Angeles Apparel got shut down for 'flagrant violations of mandatory public health infection control orders'. Charney then found a loophole and reopened the factory as an essential business, keeping employees at work, which sadly led to a large Covid outbreak and four employees died. He filed for bankruptcy in 2022, owing $30 million (£21m) to a hedge fund associated with his original brand American Apparel. According to Bloomberg, his debts and assets reached $50 million (£36m) each. According to the documentary, he then began working on Kanye West's fashion brand, Yeezy. Rolling Stone reported that Charney printed West's controversial 'White Lives Matter' T-shirts in 2022. Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel is available to stream on Netflix now. Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rams players reveal their summer reading lists ahead of 2025 season
Summer is a great time for catching up on books you've always wanted to read, and NFL players are no different. ESPN's Tim McManus asked a few NFL players what books they were reading this offseason, including Los Angeles Rams defensive backs Quentin Lake and Ahkello Witherspoon. While their answers weren't as ridiculous as some (Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams is reading "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy), the duo still offered interesting reads for the summer. Lake is reading two books: "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell and "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. "I like ['Outliers'] because it kind of shows you that if you grow up or if you're in a certain type of environment, it can really allow you to thrive," Lake told McManus. "Now, '48 Laws of Power,' I like that book a lot because it gives you rules. Now you don't take it literally, but there are certain things you can look at and it's like, 'Hey, how can I use my position that I'm in right now as an advantage to either elevate myself or get myself out of trouble?'" Witherspoon, meanwhile, is reading "James" by Percival Everett and "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr. Lake and Witherspoon will be two of the most important players in the Rams' secondary this season. L.A. didn't add any new pieces to the unit in the offseason so far between the draft and free agency and also didn't acquire Jalen Ramsey in a trade. Hopefully, the duo will learn enough from their reading to take their games to the next level in 2025.
Cosmopolitan
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
So, what did Jonny Makeup do after American Apparel?
If you've seen The Cult of American Apparel, the latest episode on Netflix's Trainwreck documentary series, you'll be familiar with Jonny Makeup. The wise-cracking and flamboyant character shares his experiences on camera about what it was like working for the brand that was famous for disco-pants and daring advertising. Jonny also goes on to describe what it was like being a part of Dov Charney's inner circle, and the conflict he felt when he saw numerous accusations come out against someone he effectively considered to be family. With the documentary becoming increasingly popular on Netflix, here is what Jonny Makeup revealed both on and off-screen about his time at American Apparel – as well as what life looks like for him now. Real name Jonny Szymanski, Jonny was initially a big player on the New York party scene in the early aughts. He was a part of the hip-hop group VIP Party Boys, which also saw him perform alongside Cobra Starship (one of the pioneering artists of the indie sleaze era). The electro-clash band Gravy Train!!!! also wrote the eponymous song about Jonny. However, being relatively well-known while out and about didn't necessarily pay Jonny's bills. In The Cult of American Apparel, he explained that he mostly earned a living by being a phone sex operator. It was when he picked up a newspaper and saw an advertisement for American Apparel doing an open casting call that he decided to go along. While Jonny had always wanted to pursue a career in fashion, he lacked the relevant experience. When he turned up at American Apparel that day, he explains in the documentary, the interview was more of a 'vibe check' – and when he said he wanted to do fashion merchandising, he landed the part. Jonny's first job was on the shop floor, where he would organise and set up mannequins. He was introduced to Dov Charney after someone in the store sent the CEO a photo of Jonny's layout.'Working at American Apparel gave me meaning,' Jonny recalls in the series. Later on in his career, Jonny relocated to Los Angeles and started working at the American Apparel mothership – the 800,000sq foot factory where all the clothes were made and all the marketing was created. Those who landed a job at the factory were considered to be part of Dov's top table, and received an impressive starter kit. In the documentary, Jonny recalls that this 'starter kit' consisted of 'a camera, a BlackBerry phone, a book titled The 48 Laws of Power and a vibrator'. When he was living and working in LA, Jonny worked his way up to be in charge of fashion media and product placement, seeing him rub shoulders with celebrities such as former Playboy bunny Kendra Wilkinson as well as others on the LA party scene. In the documentary, Jonny recalls serving Beyonce and closing the store down especially when she shopped in American Apparel. While Jonny had a close relationship with Dov – even living with him while working at American Apparel in LA in Dov's house which he dubbed as 'the Playboy Mansion for hipsters' - in the documentary he also acknowledges the way Dov worked was unorthodox. On one occasion, Jonny recalls how Dov would lose his temper but then suddenly softened towards him quickly. 'It was confusing,' Jonny recalls. 'I felt so indebted to [Dov] – he was my only ticket.'The close friendship that Jonny had with his boss even led to him being doubtful when five former employees tried to sue Dov over allegations of harassment (Dov has always denied any wrongdoing. None of the cases ever went to court – three were dismissed by a judge, while two went to arbitration). 'He was like a father to me,' Jonny explains. 'It led me to think maybe some of the accusers were seeking money.' However, with Dov receiving poor publicity, and American Apparel struggling after the 2008 recession, Jonny found Dov more difficult to work with – choosing to move out of Dov huge mansion and find his own place. When Dov got ousted from his own company in 2014, Jonny explains in the documentary that he felt a 'sigh of relief' but he also felt like 'he'd lost family'. While life at American Apparel was often stressful and difficult for him, Jonny makes plain that he did also have 'fun times'. After Dov left, Jonny remained at American Apparel as Director of Philanthropic and Creative Partnerships and Marketing until 2017. According to his LinkedIn, Jonny went on to work at Sunset/Studios as Vice President of Accounts and Creative, which saw him launch immersive brand experiences after his departure from American Apparel. In August 2023, Jonny moved on to become a creative director at marketing company Borg Rise US. Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper's Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.
Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
The True Story Behind Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel
American Apparel's motto used to be "Ethically Made—Sweatshop Free.' But in a new documentary, former employees say the clothing brand, which became the go-to place for hipster chic clothes in the mid- to late- aughts, operated pretty much like a sweatshop. Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel, a 54-minute doc out July 1 as part of Netflix's series on disasters in recent history, looks at the rise of the brand and its decline in influence amid allegations of inappropriate behavior and oppressive conditions in the workplace. Here's a look at the most shocking revelations about what it was like to work at American Apparel. Sewing discontent When American Apparel launched in 1989, it was supposed to represent the American dream. It proudly boasted clothes made in the U.S., and employees made well over minimum wage. And it had a star-studded clientele. A former employee who goes by Jonny Makeup in the doc says he would close the store for Beyoncé to go shopping. As American Apparel became known for its cheeky advertisements, which often featured women in solid colors and provocative poses, like upside down with their legs outstretched—employees in the doc argue that behind the scenes, founder Dov Charney encouraged sexually explicit behavior in the workplace and routinely violated boundaries. New hires at the American Apparel factory say they received a welcome gift bag that included a vibrator, in addition to a book called The 48 Laws of Power, a Leica camera, and a Blackberry—so they would always be on call. According to the doc, it was not uncommon to see employees making out in the hallways of its downtown LA factory. The doc even shows footage of Charney walking around naked in front of two female employees. The toxic environment was not contained to American Apparel's walls. The doc starts off with an employee named Carson saying Charney called him up close to midnight one night and said 'I hate you! I hate you!' over and over again, and then hung up. 'That was a regular day at American Apparel,' says Carson, who reveals he sometimes had to work 36-hour shifts. Coming apart at the seams Employees in the doc say they were disturbed by how much business Charney wanted to conduct in his private home. Jonny Makeup says he actually lived in his boss's house, arguing in the doc that Charney invited him and he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to live in such luxurious digs. Young women were always hanging around the house, so much so that Jonny describes it as 'a Playboy mansion for hipsters.' Toni Jaramilla, an employment and civil rights attorney, talks about working with women who say they experienced sexual harassment while working for Charney at American Apparel. Because they had already signed agreements to not say anything disparaging about Charney and American Apparel, each complaint was sent to confidential arbitration. However, some allegations have leaked into the public domain, and the doc uses a voice actor to read excerpts, describing Charney inviting people as young as 18 years-old to his bedroom and walking around in a towel in front of employees. As allegations mounted, so did Charney's verbal attacks on his own employees, and the doc features audio snippets of him calling them morons and dummies. Charney has denied all allegations, but he was fired in June 2014. American Apparel, which is still exists online, filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and 2016. Charney ended up getting a job with Kanye West's clothing brand Yeezy. The doc ends with archival footage of him saying, 'I'm not sorry about sh-t.'
Vancouver Sun
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Convicted murderer challenges B.C. prison's policy on Mein Kampf, other controversial books
Article content A convicted murderer who kept his victim's severed head in a bucket claims prison authorities in British Columbia are wrongfully withholding books he has acquired during his life sentence, including Hitler's 'Mein Kampf.' Article content Article content Mihaly Illes was convicted of first-degree murder in 2011 for the death of Javan Dowling, a drug-trade associate who was shot four times in the back of the head in April 2001 before his body was dismembered and disposed of in Squamish, B.C. Article content Article content Illes filed an application in the Federal Court of Canada in March after exhausting prisoner grievance procedures, claiming authorities at Kent Institution in Agassiz, B.C., wrongfully withheld 19 non-fiction books when he was transferred there in 2022. Article content Article content Article content Documents filed in court show the books include Machiavelli's 'The Prince on the Art of Power,' Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War,' Adolf Hitler's autobiography 'Mein Kampf,' 'The 48 Laws of Power,' 'The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy,' 'The CIA as Organized Crime,' 'The Lie that Wouldn't Die: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,' as well as biographies of Alexander the Great, Hitler and Napoleon. Article content Article content Article content Prison authorities put the books in storage and deemed them 'unauthorized materials' covered by a Correctional Service of Canada Commissioner's directive outlining offenders' access to 'expressive materials.' Article content Inmates are generally allowed access to books and other materials, but limitations include 'material that supports genocide, promotes a theory of racial superiority or incites hatred toward any identifiable group or subpopulation,' the directive states.
