American Apparel Launches Made in USA Jeans

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Apr 05, 2011, 07:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Apparel, the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, is announcing the launch of its first line of jeans. Inspired by classic American jeans, the company's Made in USA jeans bring an important philosophy and approach back to the denim market.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110405/LA76316)

"Jeans are an iconic, essential part of the modern wardrobe, just like the t-shirt. No one does basics like American Apparel. We've mastered the basic t-shirt, now we're getting excited about jeans," said Dov Charney, CEO and founder of American Apparel.

The first styles in the American Apparel Jeans line will be constructed of a 14 ounce denim made of 100% cotton. The fabric is thick, original, and designed to be broken in and worn for years. This new product category is being launched by American Apparel's newly appointed Director of Denim, Georges Atlan. A respected industry veteran, Atlan launched Guess Jeans with Georges Marciano back in 1980, and has over 30 years of product development, factory management, and running his own businesses. Considered one of the most experienced and accomplished denim experts in the manufacturing world, Mr. Atlan trained American Apparel's sewing and dyehouse operations to produce this new line of products -- a process that uses more than 40 fair wage workers to make a single pair of jeans.

"I've worked in the denim industry for more than three decades, developing for Guess, Calvin Klein, Seven, Hudson, bebe and others, but this was an opportunity to make truly American, truly fresh jeans for the first time. I know people are going to be happy with the fit and they are going to love the way their bodies look in this product. There is no other factory in the U.S. like the American Apparel factory, and there are no limits to what we can achieve in the category of denim. These are an exciting set of jeans to start with, and they are only the beginning," said Atlan.

The jeans are available in standard sizing, in a full size run in two washes. They can be found online and in American Apparel stores now. The launch will begin with a high-waist, tapered leg blue jean for women, and a high-waist, cuffed jean short for women. The company has plans for additional washes and more styles, including a men's heavy-weight denim jean. The jeans can be seen in high-resolution at AmericanApparel.net.

About American Apparel

American Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of branded fashion basic apparel based in downtown Los Angeles, California. As of December 31, 2010, American Apparel employed approximately 11,300 people and operated 273 retail stores in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China. American Apparel also operates a leading wholesale business that supplies high quality t-shirts and other casual wear to distributors and screen printers. In addition to its retail stores and wholesale operations, American Apparel operates an online retail e-commerce website at http://www.americanapparel.net.

About Georges Atlan

Through his career, Mr. Atlan has produced more than 20 million pairs of jeans. Born in the garment district of Lyon, France, Georges spent his youth in the denim world, first as a salesman in his teens, and then as a sewer and pattern maker in French denim workrooms. In 1980, Atlan came to the United States where he collaborated with Georges Marciano to develop and launch the legendary Guess Jeans brand. Atlan's workroom became the go-to source for denim development and production for such brands as Seven, Rock & Republic, Joe's Jeans, Antik Jeans, Levi's, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, Federated, Express and bebe. He joined American Apparel in early 2011.

SOURCE American Apparel