Dov Charney

Biography

  The rise of retail giant American Apparel has its origins in cross-border trips founder and C.E.O. Dov Charney would make from his native Montreal to nearby U.S. towns.   It was during these visits in the early 90s that Charney noticed the disparity between the comfortable casual clothing on store shelves south of the border and the cheaper polyester blends available in Canada.   Charney started buying Hanes T-shirts and selling them at a premium back home, and the seeds of an American success story were sewn.   After studying in New England, Charney relocated to Los Angeles and started American Apparel as a wholesale T-shirt manufacturer. In 2003 Dov Charney rented a small storefront in East Los Angeles and immediately recognized the potential for retail expansion.   In the fall of the same year, Charney opened three stores. Today, American Apparel’s 160 stores employ 7,000 people in 14 countries. The company’s simple, tight-fitting T-shirts account for the lion’s share of the chain’s success. But the ubiquitous outlets also sell underwear, socks, dresses, tank tops, polo shirts, baby clothes, and even dog clothing.

Research Interest

 Business and management