American Apparel - Essay free essay sample

The fashion company has caught the public’s eye in many ways and caused an immense amount of controversy, American Apparel represent this controversy through their clothing and therefore attracts the youth of today who want to stand out and make a fashion statement. An article on Auto Straddle questioned, â€Å"Is American Apparel’s target market people who pretend to care, but don’t? † (www. Autostraddle. com, 2011) Advertising This particular advert caused many problems with the public as it is extremely controversial; people were beginning to talk about American Apparels sexual approach to advertising. Some older people believe this type of advertising is distasteful and disrespectful to women. Although, this negative opinion of American Apparel was still good publicity as the business became well known and very popular, it was the â€Å"hot† topic for everyone. Individuals were starting to know more and more about American Apparel and browse around the stores; young women were interested in the clothing, as they wanted to look â€Å"sexy† and eye catching like the models in the advertisements’. We will write a custom essay sample on American Apparel Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This form of sexual advertising is becoming so normal to us consumers because, it is all around us in magazines, television and on posters in fashion stores. Teenagers are currently choosing to dress in various products to boost their confidence and â€Å"fit in† with the models and celebrities promoting this way of sexual dressing. Sex is universal, it catches adult attention worldwide, but the way in which men and woman interpret such adverts is quite different. Men also developed an eye for American Apparel, as they liked the thought of their partner looking like the model in the advert. Agreeing with Taflinger’s statement, â€Å"The sexual connection is much easier to set up for men than for women†. (Taflinger, R. 1996, Taking Advantage You and Me, Babe: Sex and Advertising. ) Thus men have little criteria for sexual requirements; they concentrate on a woman’s body and once the woman appears young and healthy, she is desirable. As a result, it can be said that men are more concerned with looks then what the advertisement is actually saying. We believe in today’s society sex sells to male and female genders, particularly targeting teenagers and young adults. While sex is becoming more accepted to older people as it is currently advertised universally and furthermore, sex is starting to feature in the latest released movies and television commercials far more frequently. In our opinion, no one wants to look or feel undesirable and therefore individuals are opening their minds to the more appealing look of dressing now and again. This advertisement suggests that American Apparel accept and support the gay society. The fashion company is trying to expose an image of their brand supporting gay individuals and protesting for gay rights. As seen in the advert above, the young men’s t-shirts read â€Å"Legalize Gay† meaning American Apparel are campaigning for gay rights and that sexuality should be celebrated. This attracts the young gay generation since this approach to targeting a specific audience is exceptionally unique and formerly unseen; this is another example of American Apparels controversial side to advertising. I agree that controversy works as means of catching the attention of the public and as a result becomes widespread and sells. As a result of their â€Å"Legalize Gay† t-shirts, American Apparel obtained demands from customers globally requesting the company to expand their products in this segment. According to the American Apparel website, â€Å"American Apparel believes in freedom, expression and equality, things that are inherently condemned in the prohibition of gay marriage. † (American Apparel Inc. 011) American Apparels direct competitors of high street fashion Hamp;M and River Island too started campaigns similar to this such as, â€Å"Fashion against Aids† and â€Å"T for Trust†. This raises awareness for significant problems for young people, as well as raising funds for charitable causes. We approve on this attitude towards the gay society, as we feel every individual should be equal and treated with respect regardless their sexual orient. Grant ing whether American Apparel genuinely have the same views on this issue or not, they wisely saw a gap in the market for promoting gay rights. They entered the market and succeeded the gay society, in addition to customers solely interested in promoting gay rights and therefore achieved many loyal customers in this market segment. American Apparel is a sweatshop free company and strongly promotes fair labour. Founder and CEO of the business, Dov Charney states â€Å"we don’t exploit over-seas labour† proving good corporate logic as consumers are engrossed with clothing ethics making American Apparel exclusive and attractive. Charney also speaks out about the salary rates he pays his factory workers, as they earn 12. 0 U. S dollars per hour which is double the average hourly rate of California (currently at 6. 75 dollars). Furthermore, Charney offers all his employees additional benefits such as health care, massages, tutorial classes in computers and English and discounts on bus passes and lunches. Charneys objective is to create a positive working experience for all his workers and pleasant shopping experienc e for both his loyal and new customers, â€Å"You don’t get that feeling from a lot of businesses right now† he discusses this in a phone interview from his home in Los Angeles. Besides this, Dov Charney and his team at American Apparel march together in support of immigration reform. Charney firmly supports immigrants’ rights and protested for eleven years to date. He believes individuals, societies and businesses should express their feelings on immigration and fight for their rights. Since 2003, American Apparel has been carrying out a campaign to achieve immigration reform by producing advertisements and flyers promoting a change. Here is a link to American Apparel’s website where you can see many remarkable photographs captured during their eleventh year protesting. http://americanapparel. net/contact/legalizela/ We trust this verifies that American Apparel is a sweatshop free company and its authority treats all employees fairly. After studying about American Apparel we have learned that it is not just a company with high quality products and trend setting clothing but it too has morals and attitudes on certain issues that are represented in its clothing. Charneys big personality appears to make work enjoyable and entertaining for the factory workers and doesn’t exploit them in any way, as it goes against his beliefs similar to his views on many concerns. Dov Charney doesn’t rely on a logo to sell or advertise his clothing; he declares â€Å"no print on clothes†. Charney thrives to produce and sell the value, quality and fit of his clothing, as it is what’s truly important to make his brand stand out. He formally stated that you should achieve to â€Å"build a brand, not be a brand†. American Apparel maintains their quality standards of excellence and achieves numerous loyal customers as their products never succeed to disappoint. The message American Apparels sending out about their brand is high quality, no logo, good fit and affordable clothing along with sweatshop free and exploitation free of their employees. The high street fashion company want to make a change in the fashion industry and therefore want to make a unique impact from every angle. For example; advertising, public campaigns, symbol free clothing etc.