Gold leggings and immigration reform

American Apparel founder Dov Charney fears not that the liberal persona he’s attaching to his brand and advertising, literally, will hurt sales of the high-wasted leggings, baggy cotton t’s, and trendy accessories. In fact, the buzz, controversy, and liberal message – a recent New York Times ad invoking immigration reform – for the casual and somewhat alternative brand could provoke sales among its relatively young buyers. However, while other viewers and I might speculate on the possible effect of the ad on the business, Charney tells WWD he’s not sure what impact the ad will have in that area. According to his quotes in this WWD story; his past comments that politics don’t sell; and good common sense following a close read of the ad, Charney’s intentions exceeded the financial.

“It's important that business leaders and celebrities start talking about this issue. From an academic, human and economic point of view, this is good information to put out there on behalf of our corporation."

However, WWD also reports that Charney wasn’t quite prepared to deal with the resulting attention. "I am thinking it through. I want to see if I can play a role in bringing some intelligence in this issue," he told the fashion trade, also comparing the act to Levi’s desegregating its factories in San Francisco during the civil rights movement.

“Why did Levi's do it? Probably because it was the right thing to do at the time. And they became known as a company that represented what America was all about," said Charney. "What Levi's was to San Francisco, we aspire to be to Los Angeles."