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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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[intriguing music plays]
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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[man 1] I was off work.
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It was probably
ten o'clock, eleven o'clock at night.
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[buzzing]
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And my phone rang, and it was my boss,
the head of the whole company.
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[music intensifies]
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And I answered the phone,
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and he didn't say anything
other than just, "I hate you."
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He just said it. He was just like,
"I hate you! I fucking hate you!"
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- And then he just hung up.
- [line disconnects]
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And that was it.
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Just, like, the middle of the night,
he just called me to tell me he hated me.
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I mean, that was, like,
a regular day at American Apparel.
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[dramatic rock music plays]
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[male anchor 1] New brand of clothing
has been appearing around America.
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{\an8}[female anchor 1] American Apparel.
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- American Apparel.
- American Apparel.
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[female anchor 2] It's one of the fastest
growing and hippest clothing makers
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in the country.
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It just felt cool 'cause it was
so different, and I liked the different.
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{\an8}[male anchor 2] American Apparel stores
have opened in 11 countries
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{\an8}with sales of $300 million.
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Wow. I wanna be a part of this.
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It was a fashion cult.
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- [Dov Charney] What's up?
- [cheering]
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{\an8}And Dov was the leader.
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{\an8}- [woman 1 moans]
- I hated it!
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- [woman 1 chuckles]
- There was just this energy around him.
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[Dov] It's T-shirts
that feel good, look good,
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that are made
in a non-exploitative setting.
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{\an8}[woman 2] Roll 'em down. Super cute.
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{\an8}The advertisements
were basically soft-core porn.
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[camera shutter clicking]
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{\an8}There's a sexual element of fashion
that's inescapable.
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[woman 3] American Apparel became my life.
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I had an assistant,
the CEO calling and texting me.
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I felt like I was king of industry.
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[man 2] I loved every second of it,
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until I didn't.
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[dramatic electronic music plays]
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Dov was unpredictable.
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[cackling]
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You fucking idiot!
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He would push people
as far as they could go.
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You're not good enough!
You're not strong enough!
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Then the recession hit.
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Here's a company that's not done so well.
We're talking about American Apparel.
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Here, a fucking disaster. Figure it out.
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Things progressively
got crazier and crazier.
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[female reporter] There has been video
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where he was literally
running around naked,
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while two female employees
were in the room with him.
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Are you fucking kidding me?
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It was absolutely
earth-shatteringly dehumanizing
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to be employed at this company.
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This is fucked up.
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Come on, everybody, stop working.
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American Apparel
became this iconic fireball.
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Somebody has driven this company
absolutely into the ground.
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[laughing] I'll probably be in therapy
until the day that I die.
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I need to get the hell outta here.
This is crazy.
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[electronic whooshing]
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[distorted electric guitar note plays]
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[footsteps approaching]
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Ugh, you're having me walk in,
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and I didn't even have enough time
to get on Ozempic.
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{\an8}[chuckling]
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{\an8}[intriguing music playing]
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It was the mid-2000s.
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UGG boots were everywhere,
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Facebook was the hot new thing,
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and people were outraged
by Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction.
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One day,
I was taking the public transit home,
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and I got a City Weekly paper.
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On the back,
there was a clothing store ad.
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And it said, "Now open,"
with the girl with her legs spread open.
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And I said, "Oh my God, that is fashion."
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The company was called American Apparel.
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[typing]
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And it said that they had an open call
for people to work there, and so I went.
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[pleasant pop music plays]
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I always loved fashion.
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It just came natural.
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But, growing up,
I had learning disabilities.
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And I kept applying to these fashion jobs,
and I would never get them.
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So I did phone sex for money.
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Hi, gorgeous, it's me...
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[distorted] Tilly McEloise. How are you?
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When I got to the open call,
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{\an8}I was like, "I'm not gonna get it again."
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"I'm destined to be
a phone sex operator till the end."
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And so I went in,
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and there was a girl
sitting in the dressing room.
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And I gave her my résumé,
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which was basically
a blank piece of paper.
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And she kind of
just, like, tossed it to the side,
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looked me up and down,
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and she was like,
"So what do you wanna do here?"
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And I was like,
"Mm, I guess fashion merchandising."
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She was like, "Great. You could be
the district merchandising manager."
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"Can you start right now?"
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{\an8}["Kids" by MGMT plays]
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{\an8}And I was like, "Oh, cool."
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"Let's do this."
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{\an8}-♪ Control yourself ♪
- [girl squeals]
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♪ Take only what you need from it... ♪
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{\an8}[male anchor] The new brand
of clothing called American Apparel
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{\an8}is appearing in cities around America.
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There are suddenly lots of these stores.
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[man] An American Apparel store
had opened up in the neighborhood.
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And I did an interview,
and I gave a résumé in,
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but I think
it was really more of, like, a vibe check.
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I guess I passed.
I think it was my physique.
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I'm really tall and skinny,
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and that was kind of
what was already in the advertisements.
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♪ You were a child
Crawlin' on your knees toward it... ♪
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I had nose piercings and, like,
a pixie cut and really loud glasses.
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What I was going for was,
honestly, hipster bike messenger.
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She's like, "That's the look we want,"
not, "You know, you've got experience."
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It was like, "You've got the look."
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{\an8}[Jonny] They definitely were hiring
freaks and geeks, you know?
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I mean, it felt like the weirdo club.
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And actually one of the slogans was,
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"If you see someone shoplifting,
let 'em know we're hiring."
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I definitely couldn't afford
the clothes at American Apparel.
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So my friend and I would go
there and shoplift.
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I probably wore
that one American Apparel shirt
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that I shoplifted to the interview.
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The manager just came out,
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and kinda looked at my outfit,
took a photo of me,
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and was like,
"You can start Monday if you want."
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[song ends]
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I kinda felt chosen.
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Like, "I must be cool."
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"Like, I must be
an American Apparel person."
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[reporter] The reason why American Apparel
is such a hot thing right now
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is because they're offering you
a new, clean look.
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{\an8}[intriguing pop music plays]
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{\an8}Walking into American Apparel
felt different from any other retailer.
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It wasn't like walking
into The Gap or J.Crew.
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It was sexy and very cool.
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We're a basic store.
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People are using our stuff
to turn it into their own style.
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One of the big appeals of American Apparel
was its antithesis to other brands.
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[Jonny] It was right at that time
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of famous people's offspring
becoming famous.
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Simple Life was a thing.
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And it was just trashy logos everywhere.
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{\an8}[EJ] American Apparel was so simple.
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{\an8}Just solid basics. No logo.
Every color you can imagine.
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It was almost like whenever
the bug is, like, drawn to a light,
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it just, like, pulls you in.
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[music ends]
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Right now, we just remodeled my store.
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We made it really big.
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At first, when I started working,
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I was just kind of there
dressing the mannequins,
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organizing the store.
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Look at all these
gorgeous, gorgeous colors.
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And I would hear
these, like, whispers in the back like,
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"Oh my God, that's fab."
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"I'm gonna send a picture of that to Dov."
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And I was like, "Who's Dov?"
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- [pleasant music plays]
- [Dov chuckles]
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- [man] You ready to go?
- [Dov] Yeah.
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[Dov] I think we never arrive.
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As human beings, we're kind of trained
to try and do better the next time, right?
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Things evolve, things change.
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And the apparel industry
has to be reinvented.
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I run American Apparel
in an instinctive manner,
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an impulsive manner.
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I try to break down all kinds of barriers.
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- What's up?
- [all cheering]
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[male anchor 1] Enter Dov Charney,
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a flamboyant, Canadian-born,
LA clothing entrepreneur.
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Charney says he's on a crusade
to smash the garment industry's culture
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of worker exploitation from within.
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This is basically the pitch.
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It's-- It's T-shirts that look good,
T-shirts that feel good,
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and T-shirts that are made
in a non-exploitative setting.
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[Carson] He was selling this
Made in America, sweatshop-free thing,
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and I thought it was great.
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Like, there was more to it
than just being cool.
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It was also, like, meaningful.
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- You're tight. Relax.
- Oh.
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Relax, it's California.
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[male anchor 2] Dov Charney is
the biggest manufacturer
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still making T-shirts in America.
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He pays his workers
well over minimum wage.
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{\an8}We've undervalued this job
in-- in the last 30 years.
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{\an8}This is a hard damn job.
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At American Apparel,
everything was made in America.
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Nobody else was doing that.
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And you'd hear critics talking about,
"You'll never be successful doing this."
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"It's not a sustainable model,
it costs too much."
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And he was just, like, diehard about it.
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[Dov] We try to do things ourselves.
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I, today, have to compete with China,
and I say, "Let's play hockey, I'm ready."
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That's what I do.
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[Michelle] Dov was really passionate
about immigration
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and was kind of like,
"Why do we even have borders?"
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[Dov] I believe in
an open immigration policy.
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I think people should be able to go live
where they wanna live in the world.
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[Michelle] And that ethos
was a big thing for me.
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I was like, "There's so much good
about this company."
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[upbeat electronic music plays]
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What's the key to success?
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{\an8}Passion.
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{\an8}- [chuckles softly] That's it?
- That's it.
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Oh my God, the first time Dov
came into the store, I was so excited.
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Someone was like,
"Dov is coming, everyone get ready."
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{\an8}And there was this frenzy.
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{\an8}[Dov speaking indistinctly]
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{\an8}You could hear him before you saw him
and sense his presence before you saw him.
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[dreamy music plays]
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[Dov] I don't wanna freak it out that bad,
but we could.
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I think Monday nights are more important
'cause lots of shipments are coming in.
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You wanna capture things
like the denim jacket.
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Push them into the floor.
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When he walked in,
I just thought he was so sexy.
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- What's your name?
- Kayla.
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Kayla, okay. Hi.
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[all chuckling]
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He, like, had this whole pep talk
with us, like,
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"We're gonna rule the world."
Like, "Are you with me, or are you not?"
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- [all laughing]
- Like it was a show, and I love a show.
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{\an8}Anybody ever call you hyper?
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{\an8}Yeah, people call me hyper every day.
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{\an8}I think I was born overcharged.
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{\an8}[intriguing synth music playing]
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{\an8}Dov, he lived, breathed,
ate American Apparel all the time.
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He almost never slept.
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He wouldn't even take breaks to eat food.
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He would send out his number,
just be like, "Call me whenever."
237
00:11:22,682 --> 00:11:24,391
"Like, call me day, night."
238
00:11:24,392 --> 00:11:27,186
And he expected the same of his employees.
239
00:11:27,895 --> 00:11:28,978
[phone beeps]
240
00:11:28,979 --> 00:11:29,939
[phone clicks]
241
00:11:31,357 --> 00:11:32,774
You know why he doesn't answer?
242
00:11:32,775 --> 00:11:35,443
- It's four o'clock in the morning.
- [Dov] That's not the reason.
243
00:11:35,444 --> 00:11:37,780
He doesn't answer
when it's 1:00 in the afternoon.
244
00:11:39,782 --> 00:11:43,369
[EJ] I started to stay way late,
you know, not take time off.
245
00:11:44,036 --> 00:11:47,247
If there was a 40-hour week,
it was because you were sick,
246
00:11:47,248 --> 00:11:48,998
and so you weren't working a few days.
247
00:11:48,999 --> 00:11:50,792
Like, no one was working that little.
248
00:11:50,793 --> 00:11:55,171
On one two-week period,
on top of the 80 hours that I worked,
249
00:11:55,172 --> 00:11:59,592
it was like 120-something hours
of overtime that I clocked.
250
00:11:59,593 --> 00:12:02,555
I did a 36-hour shift.
251
00:12:03,347 --> 00:12:05,014
That... Payroll didn't believe me.
252
00:12:05,015 --> 00:12:07,308
They had to check the cameras
to see that I was there.
253
00:12:07,309 --> 00:12:09,477
[ethereal music plays]
254
00:12:09,478 --> 00:12:11,771
[EJ] So you're
around these people all day,
255
00:12:11,772 --> 00:12:13,023
and I think, through that,
256
00:12:13,858 --> 00:12:18,361
it allowed people
to bond at a deeper level.
257
00:12:18,362 --> 00:12:24,033
And I started to realize
it's not just me in therapy.
258
00:12:24,034 --> 00:12:26,661
We all have vulnerability,
259
00:12:26,662 --> 00:12:31,791
like moms that are similar to my mom,
who had... mental illness,
260
00:12:31,792 --> 00:12:34,336
and I'm like, "That's so wild."
261
00:12:35,337 --> 00:12:37,338
[Jonny] Before I worked
at American Apparel,
262
00:12:37,339 --> 00:12:38,965
I was a huge drug addict,
263
00:12:38,966 --> 00:12:41,885
and working there, like,
kinda gave me meaning...
264
00:12:41,886 --> 00:12:45,139
[chuckles] ...like something
to be a part of, you know?
265
00:12:45,681 --> 00:12:49,184
Where I'm from is very Mormon,
and I grew up very Mormon.
266
00:12:49,185 --> 00:12:50,853
That's very much my background.
267
00:12:52,188 --> 00:12:57,484
But as I grew up,
I really started questioning the church,
268
00:12:57,485 --> 00:13:00,236
and a lot of the people
in that neighborhood
269
00:13:00,237 --> 00:13:01,322
didn't really like it.
270
00:13:01,906 --> 00:13:05,868
And so when I was around 17,
I ran away from home,
271
00:13:07,077 --> 00:13:09,914
just looking for, like,
something that was different.
272
00:13:11,165 --> 00:13:14,793
And American Apparel became
that different thing I was looking for.
273
00:13:14,794 --> 00:13:17,004
[intriguing electronic music plays]
274
00:13:24,261 --> 00:13:27,931
{\an8}[Michelle] The American Apparel
advertisements just broke every rule
275
00:13:27,932 --> 00:13:29,933
that, as a culture, we had back then.
276
00:13:29,934 --> 00:13:33,228
{\an8}[female anchor] Clothing company
American Apparel has been widely condemned
277
00:13:33,229 --> 00:13:34,604
{\an8}for its latest campaign.
278
00:13:34,605 --> 00:13:37,315
{\an8}This, by the way,
is not American Apparel's
279
00:13:37,316 --> 00:13:39,026
{\an8}first controversial ad.
280
00:13:39,610 --> 00:13:42,655
{\an8}The advertisements
were basically soft-core porn.
281
00:13:44,448 --> 00:13:47,784
{\an8}There's a sexual element to fashion
that-- that's inescapable.
282
00:13:47,785 --> 00:13:50,829
{\an8}So, like, to then start saying,
"Ah! Let's get scared about sex,"
283
00:13:50,830 --> 00:13:52,414
{\an8}it just doesn't add up.
284
00:13:53,123 --> 00:13:56,668
[Michelle] Dov seemed to find models
from just finding them in the store.
285
00:13:56,669 --> 00:13:59,754
Girls that he was like,
"You're attractive," or, "You're fun,"
286
00:13:59,755 --> 00:14:01,882
and he would go shoot with them.
287
00:14:02,466 --> 00:14:06,219
{\an8}[male anchor] Charney's always
on the lookout for people like Natasha.
288
00:14:06,220 --> 00:14:08,179
{\an8}He says he saw her walking down a street
289
00:14:08,180 --> 00:14:10,515
{\an8}and jumped out of his limo
to offer her a job.
290
00:14:10,516 --> 00:14:12,976
{\an8}- Is this true?
- It's definitely true.
291
00:14:12,977 --> 00:14:15,812
{\an8}Did you think, "What-- Who is this creep?"
292
00:14:15,813 --> 00:14:18,815
{\an8}Yeah, I was in shock. I was like,
"Who's this? Where's he coming from?"
293
00:14:18,816 --> 00:14:21,526
{\an8}[male anchor] She was suspicious,
but she did the photo shoot,
294
00:14:21,527 --> 00:14:23,653
{\an8}and now she works for American Apparel.
295
00:14:23,654 --> 00:14:25,864
{\an8}The women in the ads,
they weren't wearing makeup,
296
00:14:25,865 --> 00:14:30,118
they weren't posing
in a, you know, practiced way.
297
00:14:30,119 --> 00:14:33,538
{\an8}We just go down to here.
It's nice with a little stretch mark.
298
00:14:33,539 --> 00:14:34,956
You know what I'm saying?
299
00:14:34,957 --> 00:14:38,042
[Michelle] You felt, "This person
isn't conventionally beautiful,
300
00:14:38,043 --> 00:14:40,587
{\an8}they're not as thin,
they don't have hair extensions,
301
00:14:40,588 --> 00:14:42,046
they don't have makeup on."
302
00:14:42,047 --> 00:14:43,299
"Um, that could be me."
303
00:14:43,883 --> 00:14:47,051
I just love also
that it put a name to the person.
304
00:14:47,052 --> 00:14:49,471
Like, it gives a bio of the person.
305
00:14:50,014 --> 00:14:55,477
{\an8}Yes, some of it was very suggestive,
but it was a brilliant idea.
306
00:14:56,103 --> 00:14:58,731
- [man] This model works here?
- Yeah, she works downstairs.
307
00:14:59,607 --> 00:15:03,026
[woman] What was interesting
about Dov Charney and American Apparel
308
00:15:03,027 --> 00:15:07,322
is that it had a transgressive side
and an idealistic side,
309
00:15:07,323 --> 00:15:11,492
and the sex without the idealism
would just be sleazy,
310
00:15:11,493 --> 00:15:15,246
but the idealistic part
without the sex would be boring.
311
00:15:15,247 --> 00:15:19,834
Dov embodied both of those, um, beliefs
and acted on them,
312
00:15:19,835 --> 00:15:22,713
and the company
was expanding very quickly.
313
00:15:23,339 --> 00:15:25,882
[Dov] You don't need to be
at lunch with anybody right now.
314
00:15:25,883 --> 00:15:28,594
You'll be earlier in and later out.
315
00:15:29,303 --> 00:15:30,512
You can't play around.
316
00:15:31,597 --> 00:15:33,514
It absolutely felt competitive.
317
00:15:33,515 --> 00:15:37,852
It felt like you had to differentiate
yourself from other people,
318
00:15:37,853 --> 00:15:44,567
so that you wouldn't feel like Dov
could ask someone else to do your job.
319
00:15:44,568 --> 00:15:47,195
I've asked a million times.
I think it's coming in.
320
00:15:47,196 --> 00:15:50,823
Dov's very vocal. Just like,
whatever you're thinking, you say it.
321
00:15:50,824 --> 00:15:52,033
Like, "This is wrong."
322
00:15:52,034 --> 00:15:55,662
You're wrong. There's nothing.
If there's-- There's nothing.
323
00:15:55,663 --> 00:15:57,413
[Carson] And that was appealing to me
324
00:15:57,414 --> 00:16:00,292
because it's so opposite
of where I came from.
325
00:16:01,502 --> 00:16:03,002
Get the shit out of the store.
326
00:16:03,003 --> 00:16:04,879
[Carson] So I really bought into it.
327
00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:07,465
I was like, "Okay, this is how
you'll be a successful adult,
328
00:16:07,466 --> 00:16:10,219
is you have to, like,
get in people's faces."
329
00:16:11,011 --> 00:16:13,346
I went from lowest position
330
00:16:13,347 --> 00:16:15,765
to manager of the store
in, like, six months,
331
00:16:15,766 --> 00:16:17,475
and it was-- it was a big store too.
332
00:16:17,476 --> 00:16:18,811
[car horn honks]
333
00:16:19,853 --> 00:16:23,941
But it still felt like
I needed to prove myself.
334
00:16:24,608 --> 00:16:27,986
Like, there must be more to this company
that I could be a part of.
335
00:16:27,987 --> 00:16:30,698
[dreamy synth music playing]
336
00:16:34,410 --> 00:16:36,953
[woman] Fundamental
to the American Apparel brand
337
00:16:36,954 --> 00:16:41,290
is our revolutionary concept
of sweatshop-free vertical integration.
338
00:16:41,291 --> 00:16:44,335
All our products
are manufactured and marketed
339
00:16:44,336 --> 00:16:48,214
at our 800,000-square-foot
downtown Los Angeles facility,
340
00:16:48,215 --> 00:16:51,885
the largest single-garment factory
in the United States.
341
00:16:54,430 --> 00:16:55,972
[Jonny] Everything happened there.
342
00:16:55,973 --> 00:17:00,227
So, like, the marketing, the design,
all the clothes was made there.
343
00:17:02,021 --> 00:17:04,272
[EJ] After graduating college, I thought,
344
00:17:04,273 --> 00:17:08,609
"If the point of grad school
is to just get a better job..."
345
00:17:08,610 --> 00:17:13,072
[chuckling] "...what if I bypass grad school
and I just apply to the factory?"
346
00:17:13,073 --> 00:17:16,118
So I sent a letter of interest to HR,
347
00:17:16,744 --> 00:17:18,537
and I got it. [laughs]
348
00:17:19,997 --> 00:17:23,791
Getting a job at the factory,
for me, was a really big deal.
349
00:17:23,792 --> 00:17:27,588
It was, like, close to the action,
and that was really exciting.
350
00:17:28,088 --> 00:17:31,674
Like, "Pfft, yeah, right,
this is, like-- This is who I am now."
351
00:17:31,675 --> 00:17:33,218
[music ends]
352
00:17:35,054 --> 00:17:37,221
There, look,
here's a whole bunch of people
353
00:17:37,222 --> 00:17:40,141
working really hard at sewing things.
354
00:17:40,142 --> 00:17:41,435
Hola!
355
00:17:43,979 --> 00:17:45,855
Once you got to the factory,
356
00:17:45,856 --> 00:17:51,194
the initiation was where you knew
you were definitely in Dov's inner circle,
357
00:17:51,195 --> 00:17:52,987
you would get a starter kit.
358
00:17:52,988 --> 00:17:58,576
So the starter kit was a Leica camera,
a new BlackBerry phone,
359
00:17:58,577 --> 00:18:03,539
a copy of The 48 Laws of Power,
a book of strategies for success,
360
00:18:03,540 --> 00:18:06,167
and a Hitachi Magic Wand vibrator.
361
00:18:06,168 --> 00:18:07,960
- [buzzing]
- [mellow rock music plays]
362
00:18:07,961 --> 00:18:11,798
So I kept the BlackBerry,
I kept the camera,
363
00:18:11,799 --> 00:18:13,758
of course I kept the vibrator,
364
00:18:13,759 --> 00:18:16,261
and I threw away The 48 Laws of Power.
365
00:18:17,262 --> 00:18:20,431
I just cared
about sex, drugs, and T-shirts.
366
00:18:20,432 --> 00:18:22,226
[laughs]
367
00:18:23,143 --> 00:18:26,187
[Carson] In the stores, in the factory,
368
00:18:26,188 --> 00:18:29,024
across the board, you know,
sex was everywhere.
369
00:18:29,983 --> 00:18:31,776
[Michelle] Everyone was sleeping together,
370
00:18:31,777 --> 00:18:33,945
and you would see, like,
some of the employees,
371
00:18:33,946 --> 00:18:35,864
like, hooking up in the stairwells.
372
00:18:36,907 --> 00:18:38,699
{\an8}[Jonny] We were young and horny.
373
00:18:38,700 --> 00:18:42,703
And it definitely felt like
there was a free-sex vibe.
374
00:18:42,704 --> 00:18:45,374
I mean, it was all part of the revolution.
375
00:18:46,834 --> 00:18:49,418
[male anchor] Despite a drop
in retail-industry profits,
376
00:18:49,419 --> 00:18:52,380
sales at American Apparel are up.
377
00:18:52,381 --> 00:18:54,382
[cell phone buzzing]
378
00:18:54,383 --> 00:18:58,386
[EJ] I quickly moved up in positions
and got all these responsibilities.
379
00:18:58,387 --> 00:18:59,304
Hello?
380
00:19:00,430 --> 00:19:03,266
At 25, I had two cell phones,
381
00:19:03,267 --> 00:19:07,270
I had the CEO calling and texting me.
382
00:19:07,271 --> 00:19:10,357
You know, I'm like, "Oh my God,
I'm really doing this adult thing."
383
00:19:10,858 --> 00:19:14,153
[Jonny] Okay, here's our PR office.
384
00:19:15,070 --> 00:19:19,782
I worked my way up to be in charge
of fashion media and product placement.
385
00:19:19,783 --> 00:19:24,037
The joys of being
America's fastest-growing retailer.
386
00:19:24,538 --> 00:19:25,455
[giggles]
387
00:19:26,081 --> 00:19:30,209
I was away from home,
doing something and getting promoted.
388
00:19:30,210 --> 00:19:34,297
So it was like, "Look at me now, Dad.
I don't need you guys."
389
00:19:34,298 --> 00:19:35,548
I'm 21 years old.
390
00:19:35,549 --> 00:19:39,177
Like, I'm a manager of all these stores.
All these employees answer to me.
391
00:19:39,178 --> 00:19:40,804
I have all this, like, power.
392
00:19:42,097 --> 00:19:43,765
[female producer] What did that feel like?
393
00:19:44,516 --> 00:19:48,186
I felt like I was, like, king of industry.
394
00:19:48,187 --> 00:19:50,272
[tense organ music playing]
395
00:19:51,273 --> 00:19:54,318
[Michelle] Whether you worked
at the factory or in the stores,
396
00:19:55,110 --> 00:20:01,490
every time we got a bonus or a promotion,
or any time our salaries changed at all,
397
00:20:01,491 --> 00:20:05,995
they would have us sign
a mediation agreement that said,
398
00:20:05,996 --> 00:20:08,873
"Hey," like, "I've recently
been offered more money,
399
00:20:08,874 --> 00:20:11,834
and that means I can't sue Dov,
400
00:20:11,835 --> 00:20:15,214
I can't talk about, uh,
anything negative about the company."
401
00:20:18,467 --> 00:20:19,884
Maybe I was naive,
402
00:20:19,885 --> 00:20:23,180
but, "I'm sure it'll be fine,
I'll just sign."
403
00:20:24,306 --> 00:20:26,308
[music swells]
404
00:20:28,727 --> 00:20:30,187
[music fades]
405
00:20:31,396 --> 00:20:35,566
As an entire company,
we had weekly conference calls.
406
00:20:35,567 --> 00:20:37,568
All the stores were expected to call in,
407
00:20:37,569 --> 00:20:40,071
regardless of where they were
across the world.
408
00:20:40,072 --> 00:20:42,282
[tense music plays]
409
00:20:46,703 --> 00:20:48,704
[Michelle] Sometimes,
you'd dial in the line,
410
00:20:48,705 --> 00:20:50,539
and it'd say
there were too many participants.
411
00:20:50,540 --> 00:20:52,501
It was like, "How is that possible?"
412
00:20:53,252 --> 00:20:55,712
But it was just
hundreds and hundreds of people.
413
00:20:56,380 --> 00:20:58,589
[Dov] Right now,
we're mopping up a lot of crap here.
414
00:20:58,590 --> 00:21:01,218
You need to get these stores solved, okay?
415
00:21:02,094 --> 00:21:05,680
If your store was not performing well,
416
00:21:05,681 --> 00:21:09,141
the conference call
was potentially a very scary time for you
417
00:21:09,142 --> 00:21:15,189
because you would be
at threat of being called out by Dov.
418
00:21:15,190 --> 00:21:17,733
[Dov] Welcome to fucking the real world!
419
00:21:17,734 --> 00:21:20,569
I, both, looked forward to it
and dreaded it.
420
00:21:20,570 --> 00:21:22,989
[Dov] That's right, you are a schmuck.
Did you hear...
421
00:21:22,990 --> 00:21:26,367
[Carson] It was equally as entertaining
as it was scary.
422
00:21:26,368 --> 00:21:28,953
There was these different things,
like Fool of the Week.
423
00:21:28,954 --> 00:21:32,081
There was always someone
that he'd call, "Fool of the Week."
424
00:21:32,082 --> 00:21:34,333
You know,
"Michelle, you're the fool of the week!"
425
00:21:34,334 --> 00:21:36,336
"Fool of the week, you're fucking me!"
426
00:21:36,837 --> 00:21:38,630
Like, oh my God.
427
00:21:39,548 --> 00:21:43,134
I mean, it was so mortifying
that hundreds and hundreds of people heard
428
00:21:43,135 --> 00:21:45,636
that you personally
are the Fool of the Week
429
00:21:45,637 --> 00:21:47,848
for a multi-million-dollar company.
430
00:21:49,182 --> 00:21:50,266
[music fading]
431
00:21:50,267 --> 00:21:53,311
It did feel uncomfortable, like,
"Fuck, I know I'm not supposed to laugh
432
00:21:53,312 --> 00:21:56,772
'cause he's also yelling
at this person I respect and like."
433
00:21:56,773 --> 00:22:00,860
And then he's also saying something
incredibly funny in the next thought,
434
00:22:00,861 --> 00:22:05,906
and it is so weird
and challenging and confusing
435
00:22:05,907 --> 00:22:09,119
'cause you're like, "Do I hate him,
or do I think he's hilarious?"
436
00:22:11,455 --> 00:22:12,747
[Michelle] At that point in time,
437
00:22:12,748 --> 00:22:14,623
even though
I was still working at the stores,
438
00:22:14,624 --> 00:22:17,043
making, like, $9 minimum wage,
439
00:22:17,044 --> 00:22:20,171
I really got a sense
that, like, if you had an idea,
440
00:22:20,172 --> 00:22:22,590
anything was possible
with American Apparel.
441
00:22:22,591 --> 00:22:27,845
So I pitched this marketing idea,
and, suddenly, I was on a flight to LA.
442
00:22:27,846 --> 00:22:29,931
[intriguing music plays]
443
00:22:32,976 --> 00:22:34,352
I'd been traveling all day,
444
00:22:34,353 --> 00:22:36,688
I got to the factory,
it's like 11:00 p.m.,
445
00:22:37,397 --> 00:22:40,442
and I can just hear Dov
rambling, like, talking business.
446
00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:44,111
And I'm like,
"How is this guy still at the factory?"
447
00:22:44,112 --> 00:22:46,280
And I'm like,
"Please, I've been traveling all day."
448
00:22:46,281 --> 00:22:47,323
"Where do I stay?"
449
00:22:47,324 --> 00:22:51,119
He kind of looked at me and was like,
"Why don't you stay at my house?"
450
00:22:51,912 --> 00:22:54,038
[male reporter] Look at this huge home
in Silver Lake.
451
00:22:54,039 --> 00:22:57,500
This is the Garbutt House,
perched above the Silver Lake Reservoir,
452
00:22:57,501 --> 00:23:00,169
an historic home owned by Dov Charney.
453
00:23:00,170 --> 00:23:03,589
[Michelle] It's at the top
of this little gated community.
454
00:23:03,590 --> 00:23:07,218
You go in, and the whole house
is this creamy marble stone.
455
00:23:07,219 --> 00:23:08,678
It's absolutely gorgeous.
456
00:23:11,932 --> 00:23:14,726
Jonny Makeup was living there as well.
457
00:23:15,477 --> 00:23:17,937
My friends were like,
"Why're you living with your boss?"
458
00:23:17,938 --> 00:23:20,356
And I was like,
"Why wouldn't I live with my boss?"
459
00:23:20,357 --> 00:23:22,483
[chuckling] "Why wouldn't you
live with your boss
460
00:23:22,484 --> 00:23:26,488
if you had the opportunity
to live in a big, gorgeous house?"
461
00:23:28,031 --> 00:23:32,661
The door is always unlocked, always open,
and there are just girls everywhere.
462
00:23:33,412 --> 00:23:37,373
You know, making breakfast
and, like, walking his dog.
463
00:23:37,374 --> 00:23:41,085
And, I don't know, like a little,
I don't want to say, "Playboy Mansion."
464
00:23:41,086 --> 00:23:45,006
I guess it was like
the Playboy Mansion, but for hipsters.
465
00:23:46,425 --> 00:23:49,802
It was unclear, like,
what sort of relationship
466
00:23:49,803 --> 00:23:52,138
some of the girls had with Dov
467
00:23:52,139 --> 00:23:56,017
'cause if his door was closed,
I wasn't supposed to go in.
468
00:23:57,894 --> 00:24:01,815
It was definitely an open secret
that Dov was sleeping with the employees.
469
00:24:02,482 --> 00:24:04,108
[Dov] Look, I'm a single, young guy.
470
00:24:04,109 --> 00:24:08,070
You fall in love with someone,
you know, "It's great to meet you."
471
00:24:08,071 --> 00:24:09,655
"You're the woman of my life."
472
00:24:09,656 --> 00:24:12,825
[spluttering] "I think you're,
like, an ace in the hole,
473
00:24:12,826 --> 00:24:14,619
but, sorry, you know, we can't."
474
00:24:15,203 --> 00:24:17,955
"'cause you work for me or him
or her, it'd be inappropriate."
475
00:24:17,956 --> 00:24:19,582
"It'd be this, it'd be that."
476
00:24:19,583 --> 00:24:22,002
You know, the heart wants
what the heart wants.
477
00:24:22,502 --> 00:24:23,919
[music fades]
478
00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,590
[Michelle] I left Dov's house
after my manager at the factory warned me,
479
00:24:27,591 --> 00:24:30,551
"Look, if you stay
at his place any longer,
480
00:24:30,552 --> 00:24:32,387
you're going to become a 'Dov girl.'"
481
00:24:33,597 --> 00:24:34,930
[EJ] The Dov girl.
482
00:24:34,931 --> 00:24:37,099
That was somebody who...
483
00:24:37,100 --> 00:24:40,352
They don't really have a-- a job title.
484
00:24:40,353 --> 00:24:42,938
Maybe they're Dov's girlfriend.
485
00:24:42,939 --> 00:24:47,776
Maybe they just travel with him,
but they do the things that he wants.
486
00:24:47,777 --> 00:24:49,403
[tense music playing]
487
00:24:49,404 --> 00:24:55,076
And they have that responsibility
because of the way they look.
488
00:24:56,411 --> 00:24:59,121
You were kind of afraid of the Dov girls
if they were around.
489
00:24:59,122 --> 00:25:00,456
[ominous sting]
490
00:25:00,457 --> 00:25:03,043
They're this kind of, like, hit squad.
491
00:25:03,710 --> 00:25:06,712
You know, at my desk,
there'd be some girl that would show up,
492
00:25:06,713 --> 00:25:09,507
with a micro-mesh shirt
and nothing underneath,
493
00:25:09,508 --> 00:25:12,134
and tell me something that I needed to do.
494
00:25:12,135 --> 00:25:14,720
And it would sort of be like,
"Excuse me, who are you?"
495
00:25:14,721 --> 00:25:17,807
[chuckles incredulously]
It's like, "Dov says you have to do this."
496
00:25:18,725 --> 00:25:23,270
[Dov] Women are important to have around,
and they're easy to fall in love with.
497
00:25:23,271 --> 00:25:25,941
So what are you gonna do?
You know what I mean?
498
00:25:26,525 --> 00:25:28,192
- Right, Carla?
- [Carla] Yes.
499
00:25:28,193 --> 00:25:30,402
- All right.
- [Carla] That's the way you work.
500
00:25:30,403 --> 00:25:31,529
[chuckles]
501
00:25:31,530 --> 00:25:34,073
[intriguing rock music plays]
502
00:25:34,074 --> 00:25:36,283
[male anchor] From Los Angeles to Tokyo,
503
00:25:36,284 --> 00:25:37,535
in just three years,
504
00:25:37,536 --> 00:25:41,622
American Apparel stores have opened
in 11 countries around the world
505
00:25:41,623 --> 00:25:45,293
with sales of some $300 million last year.
506
00:25:46,836 --> 00:25:48,713
There were billboards everywhere.
507
00:25:50,215 --> 00:25:51,840
They were on the back of buses.
508
00:25:51,841 --> 00:25:54,760
They were on, like, benches.
And you couldn't escape it.
509
00:25:54,761 --> 00:25:57,346
- [Jonny] Kendra, honey!
- [Kendra laughing]
510
00:25:57,347 --> 00:25:59,974
[Jonny] And there was
the whole celebrity thing.
511
00:25:59,975 --> 00:26:03,394
- Um, this is head-to-toe American Apparel.
- [laughs]
512
00:26:03,395 --> 00:26:07,940
Where we would make custom clothes
for pop stars going on tour,
513
00:26:07,941 --> 00:26:10,360
like Rihanna, Britney Spears.
514
00:26:10,860 --> 00:26:14,280
And, oh my God,
Beyoncé used to come late at night.
515
00:26:14,281 --> 00:26:16,615
We would close the store down for her.
516
00:26:16,616 --> 00:26:17,658
[music ends]
517
00:26:17,659 --> 00:26:19,327
It was amazing.
518
00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,497
Your company is very successful.
Do you wanna take it public?
519
00:26:23,498 --> 00:26:26,125
If we go public,
it will be on the right conditions.
520
00:26:26,126 --> 00:26:27,960
I wanna do it on my own terms.
521
00:26:27,961 --> 00:26:32,506
I also don't wanna be told what to do,
or how we-- how our ad campaign should be
522
00:26:32,507 --> 00:26:35,343
or what our political positioning
should be.
523
00:26:36,219 --> 00:26:38,763
But if we do go public,
I assure you it'll be a hot stock.
524
00:26:39,264 --> 00:26:40,556
[both laugh]
525
00:26:40,557 --> 00:26:41,765
[closing bell clanging]
526
00:26:41,766 --> 00:26:44,310
[male anchor] American Apparel
is going public.
527
00:26:44,311 --> 00:26:48,272
With an infusion of millions of dollars
from a big investment company,
528
00:26:48,273 --> 00:26:50,650
Charney plans to keep expanding.
529
00:26:51,151 --> 00:26:53,485
When American Apparel
became a public company,
530
00:26:53,486 --> 00:26:57,156
Dov created
a pretty cozy board of directors.
531
00:26:57,157 --> 00:26:59,450
He was on it. There were four others.
532
00:26:59,451 --> 00:27:02,454
Two of them were, uh,
personal friends of his.
533
00:27:03,496 --> 00:27:08,250
One was Robert Greene,
author of The 48 Laws of Power.
534
00:27:08,251 --> 00:27:10,419
[intriguing music playing]
535
00:27:10,420 --> 00:27:14,633
Dov was the chief executive officer
and president.
536
00:27:15,717 --> 00:27:17,885
There was no chief operating officer.
537
00:27:17,886 --> 00:27:20,471
There was no chief technology officer.
538
00:27:20,472 --> 00:27:24,099
{\an8}I always get charged up
when I walk through the factory.
539
00:27:24,100 --> 00:27:26,769
{\an8}In fact, the first CFO that he hired,
540
00:27:26,770 --> 00:27:29,938
he called a loser
in The Wall Street Journal...
541
00:27:29,939 --> 00:27:32,066
[laughs] ... and then apologized.
542
00:27:32,067 --> 00:27:32,983
The CFO left.
543
00:27:32,984 --> 00:27:33,901
[music fades]
544
00:27:33,902 --> 00:27:37,530
Dov's management style was basically
545
00:27:38,156 --> 00:27:43,327
to push people as far as they could go
and to pit people against each other.
546
00:27:43,328 --> 00:27:45,037
[phone ringing]
547
00:27:45,038 --> 00:27:48,499
Dov would call you on the phone
and kinda trick you into saying something
548
00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:50,250
about someone that was listening.
549
00:27:50,251 --> 00:27:51,794
You know, someone would be like,
550
00:27:51,795 --> 00:27:53,837
"Oh, Michelle's
not really doing a good job."
551
00:27:53,838 --> 00:27:55,881
Like, "She kinda messed this thing up."
552
00:27:55,882 --> 00:27:58,884
And Dov would be like, "Well,
Michelle's on the line with you now."
553
00:27:58,885 --> 00:28:00,302
"Michelle, you're an idiot!"
554
00:28:00,303 --> 00:28:03,098
- [intriguing music plays]
- [cackles] You fucking idiot!
555
00:28:03,598 --> 00:28:05,516
[Carson] It's like a heavy narc culture.
556
00:28:05,517 --> 00:28:09,520
You-- You benefited
by tattle-telling on other people.
557
00:28:09,521 --> 00:28:13,107
I told her to send me the fucking photos.
I reminded her, like, three times.
558
00:28:13,108 --> 00:28:14,316
Like, it's...
559
00:28:14,317 --> 00:28:18,570
It did seem like there were people
vying for his attention
560
00:28:18,571 --> 00:28:21,699
and, you know,
wanting to be the favorite and stuff.
561
00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:26,328
And, ultimately, like,
that caused a lot of, like, chaos
562
00:28:26,329 --> 00:28:27,996
with people not getting along.
563
00:28:27,997 --> 00:28:29,957
[Dov] Is your internet working now?
564
00:28:29,958 --> 00:28:32,418
[Carson] One time,
I really confronted a manager
565
00:28:32,419 --> 00:28:35,921
that she was doing
such a bad job about something.
566
00:28:35,922 --> 00:28:37,965
That-- It, like, brought her to tears.
567
00:28:37,966 --> 00:28:42,302
And I remember walking away from that
just feeling like I wanted to throw up.
568
00:28:42,303 --> 00:28:43,595
[music fades]
569
00:28:43,596 --> 00:28:45,347
But, you know, I had my eye on the prize,
570
00:28:45,348 --> 00:28:48,976
and I felt like Dov
was the type of successful
571
00:28:48,977 --> 00:28:51,228
that I thought I wanted to be,
572
00:28:51,229 --> 00:28:54,648
and I was trying to emulate
the way that he operated.
573
00:28:54,649 --> 00:28:56,150
[tense music playing]
574
00:28:56,151 --> 00:28:57,360
[Dov] Okay, what else?
575
00:28:58,111 --> 00:29:01,613
Dov would look for the one thing
that you're doing to fuck him,
576
00:29:01,614 --> 00:29:04,908
and he impulsively fired people
because of that.
577
00:29:04,909 --> 00:29:07,745
We're gonna definitely focus
on making sure we haven't--
578
00:29:07,746 --> 00:29:09,121
Who do we fire, Kirk?
579
00:29:09,122 --> 00:29:10,914
- What?
- Who do we fire?
580
00:29:10,915 --> 00:29:14,961
But he always defended it
as, like, a critical key to success.
581
00:29:16,963 --> 00:29:19,548
[Susan] When American Apparel went public,
582
00:29:19,549 --> 00:29:23,427
Dov Charney used all the company's money
to open a lot more stores.
583
00:29:23,428 --> 00:29:24,845
Halifax. Toronto.
584
00:29:24,846 --> 00:29:26,430
London. New York. Woodbury.
585
00:29:26,431 --> 00:29:27,598
Savannah. Miami.
586
00:29:27,599 --> 00:29:28,849
Beijing.
587
00:29:28,850 --> 00:29:31,268
But then the recession hit.
588
00:29:31,269 --> 00:29:32,394
{\an8}Good evening, everyone.
589
00:29:32,395 --> 00:29:34,938
{\an8}The signs were everywhere,
but now it's official.
590
00:29:34,939 --> 00:29:36,565
{\an8}We are in a recession.
591
00:29:36,566 --> 00:29:40,945
A lot of really well-known retailers
were doing badly,
592
00:29:41,613 --> 00:29:44,324
but American Apparel continued to expand.
593
00:29:45,116 --> 00:29:47,993
In 2008, I remember people talking
about the recession,
594
00:29:47,994 --> 00:29:50,954
and me being like,
"There was a recession in 2008?"
595
00:29:50,955 --> 00:29:54,541
Like, 2008, American Apparel
was opening five stores in a city
596
00:29:54,542 --> 00:29:56,668
and, like, going into a new country.
597
00:29:56,669 --> 00:29:58,170
Recession didn't exist.
598
00:29:58,171 --> 00:30:01,131
[Dov] I need you to hire
more merchandisers.
599
00:30:01,132 --> 00:30:04,134
If your payroll gets heavy,
I'll travel with them.
600
00:30:04,135 --> 00:30:07,554
That man, like... lit money on fire.
601
00:30:07,555 --> 00:30:10,307
How many guys you know
in previous recessions
602
00:30:10,308 --> 00:30:13,770
that were struggling, but kept it going
and then they really bump up?
603
00:30:14,687 --> 00:30:15,938
[Susan] Inside the company,
604
00:30:15,939 --> 00:30:19,149
there was no one telling Dov
things that he didn't wanna hear.
605
00:30:19,150 --> 00:30:20,692
Get over here!
606
00:30:20,693 --> 00:30:24,196
[Susan] And that's because, you know,
there were a lot of young people
607
00:30:24,197 --> 00:30:28,200
who had the look that he liked,
but didn't have a lot of experience.
608
00:30:28,201 --> 00:30:32,204
It was, like,
the most unnatural, scary thing
609
00:30:32,205 --> 00:30:35,666
to try to tell Dov, "No."
610
00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:39,795
{\an8}Like, somebody like Dov
doesn't understand the word "no."
611
00:30:39,796 --> 00:30:41,922
{\an8}Wouldn't it be cheaper
for you to outsource?
612
00:30:41,923 --> 00:30:43,173
{\an8}Direct labor...
613
00:30:43,174 --> 00:30:45,926
{\an8}[Carson] Just look
at the immigration-reform thing
614
00:30:45,927 --> 00:30:49,388
where Dov basically went to war
with the US government.
615
00:30:49,389 --> 00:30:52,766
We are cracking down on employers who are,
616
00:30:52,767 --> 00:30:55,436
uh, using illegal workers.
617
00:30:55,937 --> 00:30:59,439
[Susan] In 2009,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
618
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,526
known as ICE,
conducted an audit of American Apparel,
619
00:31:02,527 --> 00:31:08,283
and they found that about 1,500 workers
were there with false or fake documents.
620
00:31:10,076 --> 00:31:13,955
And American Apparel
had to let them all go.
621
00:31:15,248 --> 00:31:17,958
[EJ] The ICE raid was
a huge financial burden
622
00:31:17,959 --> 00:31:21,169
because, in a period
of big growth for the company...
623
00:31:21,170 --> 00:31:22,754
Come on, everybody, stop working.
624
00:31:22,755 --> 00:31:24,715
[EJ] ...he was forced
to let those people go...
625
00:31:24,716 --> 00:31:26,550
Everybody, stop working.
626
00:31:26,551 --> 00:31:28,510
...and then rebuild a workforce.
627
00:31:28,511 --> 00:31:31,514
We need to bring in more workers...
628
00:31:32,015 --> 00:31:34,558
[man translating into Spanish]
629
00:31:34,559 --> 00:31:37,312
Okay? To take on the demand.
630
00:31:37,812 --> 00:31:40,105
[Michelle] Dov was reeling from it
for a very long time.
631
00:31:40,106 --> 00:31:42,482
And to maintain
the security of the company.
632
00:31:42,483 --> 00:31:48,573
He felt like it was a deliberate attempt
to get at his company.
633
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,117
I mean, there was just
so much financial strain at that time,
634
00:31:52,118 --> 00:31:55,120
so many bad decisions being made.
635
00:31:55,121 --> 00:31:58,165
But rather than accepting responsibility,
636
00:31:58,166 --> 00:32:01,251
he was starting to blame people
or look for things to blame.
637
00:32:01,252 --> 00:32:07,507
Edmonton, a fucking disaster.
Here, a fucking disaster, okay?
638
00:32:07,508 --> 00:32:09,969
Climb out and figure it out.
639
00:32:10,511 --> 00:32:14,556
[Michelle] So if you were in front of him
at the wrong time or in the wrong mood,
640
00:32:14,557 --> 00:32:16,100
you would be the target.
641
00:32:17,435 --> 00:32:23,357
I really, at this time,
felt like I was personally responsible
642
00:32:23,358 --> 00:32:26,235
for part of the reason
why the company wasn't doing well.
643
00:32:27,528 --> 00:32:31,156
And I think that that triggered
that sort of predator response for him,
644
00:32:31,157 --> 00:32:33,951
where he was like, "Oh, he doesn't know
what the fuck he's doing."
645
00:32:33,952 --> 00:32:35,118
And he came after me.
646
00:32:35,119 --> 00:32:38,246
You're gonna say, "I am sorry, sir,
647
00:32:38,247 --> 00:32:41,792
that my team has fucked you up the ass."
648
00:32:41,793 --> 00:32:43,710
You owe me!
649
00:32:43,711 --> 00:32:47,006
I'm gonna make you work
the hours you did not work!
650
00:32:47,423 --> 00:32:51,551
He'd yell, "If you can't take this,
then just fucking leave right now."
651
00:32:51,552 --> 00:32:54,888
Hopefully, by the end of the night,
you'll quit or you'll fuckin' submit.
652
00:32:54,889 --> 00:32:56,848
Okay? Quit or submit.
653
00:32:56,849 --> 00:32:58,892
We're gonna play a game.
654
00:32:58,893 --> 00:33:00,686
Bang! Let's go.
655
00:33:00,687 --> 00:33:02,062
Quit or submit.
656
00:33:02,063 --> 00:33:05,692
And then I remember
this one guy just got up and left.
657
00:33:06,192 --> 00:33:09,653
And I remember the aftermath of that.
658
00:33:09,654 --> 00:33:12,114
Everyone's like, "Pfft, what a loser."
659
00:33:12,115 --> 00:33:14,241
Like, "He's so weak
he can't put up with this?"
660
00:33:14,242 --> 00:33:17,160
Like, "That's so pathetic
that he just quit."
661
00:33:17,161 --> 00:33:20,163
- [tense music plays]
- You're not good enough, got it?
662
00:33:20,164 --> 00:33:21,957
You're not strong enough!
663
00:33:21,958 --> 00:33:27,255
[Jonny] It's hard when you love someone,
but also see them being abusive to people.
664
00:33:28,047 --> 00:33:32,467
I mean, he would go
from, like, screaming, um,
665
00:33:32,468 --> 00:33:36,054
to being like,
"Oh, my God, did I scare you, baby?"
666
00:33:36,055 --> 00:33:40,183
[chuckles] He would have
this little-- little boy voice.
667
00:33:40,184 --> 00:33:45,523
And it was just confusing, you know,
because I felt indebted to him.
668
00:33:46,232 --> 00:33:49,360
Like, for me, he was my only ticket.
669
00:33:53,072 --> 00:33:55,616
[EJ] At this point,
the company was bleeding money.
670
00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:59,161
And so a frequent theme
in the office was like,
671
00:33:59,162 --> 00:34:01,246
"When is the ship gonna sink?"
672
00:34:01,247 --> 00:34:03,082
"What thing is gonna do that?"
673
00:34:05,626 --> 00:34:08,713
American Apparel
had this internal whisper network.
674
00:34:09,839 --> 00:34:13,008
The entire factory
talked on AOL Messenger,
675
00:34:13,009 --> 00:34:15,427
and we'd all go back and forth chatting.
676
00:34:15,428 --> 00:34:16,679
[computer chimes]
677
00:34:17,430 --> 00:34:21,641
And one day, I'm sitting at my computer,
and someone sends me a link,
678
00:34:21,642 --> 00:34:23,560
saying, "Have you seen this?"
679
00:34:23,561 --> 00:34:25,187
Back now at 814 with the woman
680
00:34:25,188 --> 00:34:28,774
who is suing the CEO of American Apparel
for sexual harassment.
681
00:34:28,775 --> 00:34:29,900
What the fuck?
682
00:34:29,901 --> 00:34:31,318
Wait, what?
683
00:34:31,319 --> 00:34:33,653
I don't wanna keep secret about this,
684
00:34:33,654 --> 00:34:38,200
and especially when I know
there may be others out there like me.
685
00:34:38,201 --> 00:34:40,327
{\an8}[male anchor] The 42-year-old
Canadian entrepreneur
686
00:34:40,328 --> 00:34:43,121
{\an8}is accused of bombarding her
with calls and texts
687
00:34:43,122 --> 00:34:46,459
demanding she send him
sexually explicit photographs.
688
00:34:48,628 --> 00:34:51,755
[woman] The allegations
that landed on my desk
689
00:34:51,756 --> 00:34:56,219
made me feel absolutely enraged.
690
00:34:57,095 --> 00:34:59,304
I have two daughters,
691
00:34:59,305 --> 00:35:01,556
and it just made me think
692
00:35:01,557 --> 00:35:07,687
about, like, what
they could possibly experience
693
00:35:07,688 --> 00:35:09,481
when they're in the workforce.
694
00:35:09,482 --> 00:35:10,900
[music fades]
695
00:35:12,068 --> 00:35:18,324
Initially, it was one woman,
that led to a second.
696
00:35:19,408 --> 00:35:21,618
But in doing our due diligence,
697
00:35:21,619 --> 00:35:27,249
we found other women who were claiming
they experienced the same thing.
698
00:35:27,250 --> 00:35:30,794
The CEO of the popular fashion line
American Apparel
699
00:35:30,795 --> 00:35:33,964
{\an8}is facing
another sexual-harassment lawsuit.
700
00:35:33,965 --> 00:35:39,261
{\an8}I made it very clear for him to stop.
I said, "No, please don't touch me."
701
00:35:39,262 --> 00:35:42,305
{\an8}[male anchor] Charney says
he's simply an unorthodox executive
702
00:35:42,306 --> 00:35:45,517
{\an8}who's spoken openly
about having sexual relationships
703
00:35:45,518 --> 00:35:47,145
{\an8}with some of his workers.
704
00:35:47,645 --> 00:35:49,855
{\an8}Have you ever
sexually harassed an employee?
705
00:35:49,856 --> 00:35:50,772
{\an8}No.
706
00:35:50,773 --> 00:35:52,065
[tense organ music playing]
707
00:35:52,066 --> 00:35:55,318
[Toni] One of the biggest issues
in filing these lawsuits
708
00:35:55,319 --> 00:35:59,990
was that all the women
had signed these agreements.
709
00:35:59,991 --> 00:36:01,993
They thought that this was the norm.
710
00:36:02,618 --> 00:36:04,578
But it basically said,
711
00:36:04,579 --> 00:36:10,835
"You will not say anything disparaging
about Dov Charney or American Apparel."
712
00:36:12,253 --> 00:36:17,508
"And if you do file anything,
you have to go to arbitration."
713
00:36:18,092 --> 00:36:21,554
"You waive your right to a jury.
You cannot be in court."
714
00:36:22,930 --> 00:36:26,516
{\an8}The company is saying
and Dov Charney is saying that you signed
715
00:36:26,517 --> 00:36:28,226
{\an8}a confidentiality agreement.
716
00:36:28,227 --> 00:36:32,647
{\an8}She was 17 years old when she signed that.
The more important question to ask is,
717
00:36:32,648 --> 00:36:35,610
{\an8}why is the company
so focused on confidentiality?
718
00:36:36,277 --> 00:36:39,821
- [music fades]
- It made me wonder at the time.
719
00:36:39,822 --> 00:36:42,115
Some of it, I felt like, you know,
720
00:36:42,116 --> 00:36:44,284
hashtag, like-- like,
721
00:36:44,285 --> 00:36:46,119
like, #BelieveWomen and stuff.
722
00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:49,331
But, also, at the same time,
Dov was like a father figure to me.
723
00:36:49,332 --> 00:36:51,833
And so I kind of fell into this like,
724
00:36:51,834 --> 00:36:55,503
{\an8}"Oh my God, are they just trying
to get a quick buck out of him?"
725
00:36:55,504 --> 00:36:57,756
{\an8}[male anchor 1] Charney has
never been found by any court
726
00:36:57,757 --> 00:36:59,341
{\an8}to have sexually harassed an employee.
727
00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:03,429
And he says he's never paid any money
in the cases against him.
728
00:37:03,930 --> 00:37:06,723
There's something disingenuine
about the claims.
729
00:37:06,724 --> 00:37:09,059
Uh, first of all, they're-- they're fake.
730
00:37:09,060 --> 00:37:12,479
Second of all,
these claimants are being coached.
731
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,856
Third of all,
there's too much money involved
732
00:37:14,857 --> 00:37:17,484
in terms of the amounts of money
that they're claiming.
733
00:37:17,485 --> 00:37:20,445
And I feel
I'm prepared to take a polygraph.
734
00:37:20,446 --> 00:37:23,281
I didn't personally see anything
735
00:37:23,282 --> 00:37:27,035
that I felt like was him coercing anyone.
736
00:37:27,036 --> 00:37:30,622
{\an8}[male anchor 2] The company introduced us
to a group of high-level employees,
737
00:37:30,623 --> 00:37:34,584
all women, who say
working for Dov Charney is a pleasure.
738
00:37:34,585 --> 00:37:36,628
Dov's a really exciting person
to work with.
739
00:37:36,629 --> 00:37:38,505
I think Dov's a brilliant man.
740
00:37:38,506 --> 00:37:41,174
He's very loyal. I enjoy working for him.
741
00:37:41,175 --> 00:37:43,760
It was kind of like,
"Oh, please," like, "Yes,
742
00:37:43,761 --> 00:37:46,347
{\an8}everyone knows
there's sexuality in the workplace."
743
00:37:47,014 --> 00:37:49,934
{\an8}I think it's a money grab.
That's what I think.
744
00:37:50,518 --> 00:37:53,895
Basically, it got to the point
where everyone was joking about it.
745
00:37:53,896 --> 00:37:58,108
I'm beautiful, all right?
Sex is beautiful.
746
00:37:58,109 --> 00:37:59,567
Sluts are beautiful.
747
00:37:59,568 --> 00:38:03,238
And if my employees don't like it,
you know what? Sue me!
748
00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:04,323
[music fades]
749
00:38:05,866 --> 00:38:07,910
[EJ] I don't remember feeling
750
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,831
embarrassed or upset.
751
00:38:12,707 --> 00:38:15,626
I felt like we all just went back to work.
752
00:38:16,335 --> 00:38:19,255
One more shirt,
one more watch, one more whatever.
753
00:38:20,256 --> 00:38:24,301
{\an8}American Apparel CEO Dov Charney
is struggling to keep things afloat now,
754
00:38:24,302 --> 00:38:26,636
{\an8}losing $86 million in sales,
755
00:38:26,637 --> 00:38:30,474
{\an8}slapped with
a $250-million sex-abuse lawsuit.
756
00:38:30,975 --> 00:38:35,813
After that,
it definitely started to feel different.
757
00:38:36,772 --> 00:38:39,607
Dov was starting to get
much more angry, much more paranoid
758
00:38:39,608 --> 00:38:42,444
about, kind of, who was on board
with him and who was not.
759
00:38:42,445 --> 00:38:44,529
[Dov] Okay, how many
did you do in New York?
760
00:38:44,530 --> 00:38:47,616
- [tense music playing]
- You should know 'em by heart. Moron!
761
00:38:48,075 --> 00:38:52,788
I went from being golden-boy status
to, like, whipping boy.
762
00:38:53,539 --> 00:38:59,252
He was constantly berating me
for something that I didn't do.
763
00:38:59,253 --> 00:39:02,130
[Dov] Chintzy dummy! Little fuck dummy!
764
00:39:02,131 --> 00:39:05,091
We didn't see the glimmers
of, like, "He's making a joke,"
765
00:39:05,092 --> 00:39:07,302
or, "He's being charismatic" anymore.
766
00:39:07,303 --> 00:39:09,179
[Dov] You fuckers are so shitty!
767
00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:11,848
It was exclusively yelling.
768
00:39:11,849 --> 00:39:13,892
[Dov] I'm gonna fuck you over too.
769
00:39:13,893 --> 00:39:15,310
I'm gonna fuck you!
770
00:39:15,311 --> 00:39:20,023
He would freak the fuck out.
Like, he'd just punch holes in walls or...
771
00:39:20,024 --> 00:39:24,069
You know, I watched him smash
one of those, like, wire trash cans,
772
00:39:24,070 --> 00:39:27,906
just, like, hitting it against the ground
until it was like a smashed soda can.
773
00:39:27,907 --> 00:39:29,741
[Dov] Shame on you, little fuck!
774
00:39:29,742 --> 00:39:34,245
And then he'd get, like, inches away
from your face and just slap himself.
775
00:39:34,246 --> 00:39:36,664
He would, like, hit himself and say,
776
00:39:36,665 --> 00:39:39,167
"I'm hitting myself
because I can't hit you."
777
00:39:39,168 --> 00:39:41,920
Like, pretty much to the point
where he's about to bleed.
778
00:39:41,921 --> 00:39:45,090
It was just really crazy
and really outlandish.
779
00:39:45,091 --> 00:39:47,050
And he'd leave you
with this sort of, like,
780
00:39:47,051 --> 00:39:50,303
"I feel like my boss
is gonna murder me or something."
781
00:39:50,304 --> 00:39:51,888
[music fading]
782
00:39:51,889 --> 00:39:55,226
[Jonny] Basically, it didn't feel safe
in his house anymore,
783
00:39:56,477 --> 00:39:57,978
and so I left.
784
00:40:00,064 --> 00:40:03,900
At that point, everyone I knew
worked for American Apparel.
785
00:40:03,901 --> 00:40:05,819
All of my clothing was American Apparel.
786
00:40:05,820 --> 00:40:08,238
I had a company phone.
I had a company computer.
787
00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:09,823
I was, like, so in it
788
00:40:09,824 --> 00:40:14,327
that I couldn't even see
outside of, like, anything.
789
00:40:14,328 --> 00:40:16,454
[disorienting music plays]
790
00:40:16,455 --> 00:40:18,332
I was, like, fully in.
791
00:40:19,583 --> 00:40:23,336
Send him a picture of this assortment,
and then I want you to critique yourself.
792
00:40:23,337 --> 00:40:25,755
Tell me what you were missing.
An admission.
793
00:40:25,756 --> 00:40:27,841
- [Carson] Okay.
- Okay? His name's Carson.
794
00:40:27,842 --> 00:40:30,635
You don't have any calculator watches,
so go fuck yourself.
795
00:40:30,636 --> 00:40:32,846
You're off, and you failed me.
796
00:40:32,847 --> 00:40:35,890
I had been hearing Dov quote
The 48 Laws of Power
797
00:40:35,891 --> 00:40:37,977
relentlessly for years.
798
00:40:38,769 --> 00:40:40,270
I took it home with me just to, like,
799
00:40:40,271 --> 00:40:42,188
"All right,
let's read through this thing."
800
00:40:42,189 --> 00:40:44,649
[intriguing music plays]
801
00:40:44,650 --> 00:40:48,653
[EJ] Before I ever met Dov, I had heard
that he was obsessed with this book,
802
00:40:48,654 --> 00:40:52,074
and so it felt like,
finally, I should take a look at it.
803
00:40:53,075 --> 00:40:56,494
"Never teach them enough
so that they can do without you."
804
00:40:56,495 --> 00:40:59,373
Dov loves that one, I'm sure.
805
00:40:59,999 --> 00:41:03,084
"Keep your words vague,
but full of promise."
806
00:41:03,085 --> 00:41:05,670
"Give your new disciples
rituals to perform."
807
00:41:05,671 --> 00:41:08,006
"Ask them to make sacrifices
on your behalf."
808
00:41:08,007 --> 00:41:11,593
"Become the focal point of such desire
by offering them a cause."
809
00:41:11,594 --> 00:41:17,557
"Play into people's need to believe
and create a cult-like following."
810
00:41:17,558 --> 00:41:20,311
How can I sell these?
Where-- How are they gonna sell?
811
00:41:21,020 --> 00:41:22,563
They don't have the sticker.
812
00:41:23,189 --> 00:41:24,940
The sticker's three cents.
813
00:41:25,441 --> 00:41:27,734
[EJ] "Keep others in suspended terror."
814
00:41:27,735 --> 00:41:30,404
"Cultivate an air of unpredictability."
815
00:41:30,905 --> 00:41:31,946
Oh, wow, it's just wild,
816
00:41:31,947 --> 00:41:33,990
'cause I'd describe myself
as terrorized from him.
817
00:41:33,991 --> 00:41:36,285
And he did it, he executed that perfectly.
818
00:41:37,077 --> 00:41:40,748
[Carson] It's villainous.
It's such a manipulative way of thinking.
819
00:41:41,749 --> 00:41:45,710
"Learn to keep people dependent on you."
820
00:41:45,711 --> 00:41:47,880
Maybe I should've read this book.
821
00:41:48,797 --> 00:41:50,590
[Carson] That's like the Cult Leader 101.
822
00:41:50,591 --> 00:41:52,301
You just keep them a little bit hungry,
823
00:41:52,885 --> 00:41:54,385
and then you're the one
824
00:41:54,386 --> 00:41:56,679
that's only really feeding them
what they need,
825
00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:59,308
and then you're able to control
that situation.
826
00:41:59,892 --> 00:42:01,518
Gosh, hindsight is amazing.
827
00:42:01,519 --> 00:42:03,229
[music fades]
828
00:42:04,897 --> 00:42:10,194
It kinda makes me want to cry now.
It's scary. It's really... scary.
829
00:42:10,945 --> 00:42:13,864
Was I so easily got by this?
830
00:42:14,823 --> 00:42:17,825
I mean, I'm from, like,
essentially another cult.
831
00:42:17,826 --> 00:42:18,993
I got-- And once it--
832
00:42:18,994 --> 00:42:21,996
It was like I was primed as a kid,
growing up like Mormon,
833
00:42:21,997 --> 00:42:26,043
to then just swing to the other side
and basically go into the same thing.
834
00:42:27,503 --> 00:42:30,338
Once I had seen the emperor
was wearing no clothes,
835
00:42:30,339 --> 00:42:34,635
and that this was the tools
that were being used to manipulate me,
836
00:42:35,553 --> 00:42:38,263
that's when I kind of had, like,
an awakening moment
837
00:42:38,264 --> 00:42:39,932
of, "What the fuck am I doing?"
838
00:42:44,603 --> 00:42:49,190
At this point, it was really fucked up,
but still, I was petrified to quit
839
00:42:49,191 --> 00:42:53,945
because the things
he'd also say to me was,
840
00:42:53,946 --> 00:42:55,363
"I'm gonna blacklist you,
841
00:42:55,364 --> 00:42:58,324
so you'll never get a job
in this industry, in this town."
842
00:42:58,325 --> 00:42:59,242
"I know everybody."
843
00:42:59,243 --> 00:43:01,369
"I'll tell everyone you're shit
and suck at your job."
844
00:43:01,370 --> 00:43:03,705
[tense, mysterious music plays]
845
00:43:03,706 --> 00:43:07,333
But then things started
to, like, come to a head,
846
00:43:07,334 --> 00:43:11,171
and I don't even know what provoked it.
847
00:43:11,755 --> 00:43:16,050
He just started to send these texts
about how I was fucking up the company
848
00:43:16,051 --> 00:43:19,429
and, you know,
"It's all your fault and you're meek."
849
00:43:19,430 --> 00:43:22,474
"You don't have the passion to care,
and I find it reprehensible."
850
00:43:23,559 --> 00:43:25,893
And then he sends an e-mail
to the company lawyer,
851
00:43:25,894 --> 00:43:28,896
and then copies, you know,
the retail director and me,
852
00:43:28,897 --> 00:43:33,611
saying, like, "Effective Monday,
reduce EJ's salary by 25%."
853
00:43:35,070 --> 00:43:37,990
And that was it. The next morning, I quit.
854
00:43:42,536 --> 00:43:44,329
I started, kind of, putting my foot down
855
00:43:44,330 --> 00:43:46,790
about things
that I felt like were unreasonable.
856
00:43:47,708 --> 00:43:48,541
[buzzes]
857
00:43:48,542 --> 00:43:53,297
{\an8}Like, I got like 25 phone calls from Dov
over this weekend, telling me to come in.
858
00:43:53,922 --> 00:43:57,550
And then I got phone calls
from some of the girls and other people,
859
00:43:57,551 --> 00:44:01,179
"Dov's trying to call you,"
and I was like, "I'm not answering."
860
00:44:01,180 --> 00:44:03,766
"I'm not gonna answer
until I get here on Monday."
861
00:44:04,808 --> 00:44:06,809
So I basically got myself fired,
862
00:44:06,810 --> 00:44:10,189
'cause I knew that if I quit,
then he didn't have to pay me anything.
863
00:44:13,233 --> 00:44:16,153
[Michelle] There was a day
where I had not eaten anything all day,
864
00:44:16,654 --> 00:44:20,324
and I was like,
"Dov, I," like, "I need a break."
865
00:44:20,908 --> 00:44:24,243
Dov said, "Get a pizza across the street.
Be back in five minutes."
866
00:44:24,244 --> 00:44:29,457
And I was like, "Dov, I need to eat
a real meal with, like, vegetables."
867
00:44:29,458 --> 00:44:31,167
Like, "I need-- I need a minute."
868
00:44:31,168 --> 00:44:33,836
And Dov just lost it on me.
869
00:44:33,837 --> 00:44:36,674
And as he was yelling at me,
870
00:44:37,174 --> 00:44:40,928
I just watched, like, a Dov girl, um...
871
00:44:42,346 --> 00:44:45,515
bring him
a freshly cooked steak on a plate
872
00:44:45,516 --> 00:44:46,933
and set it in front of him.
873
00:44:46,934 --> 00:44:49,602
And I was just like,
"You've got to be kidding me."
874
00:44:49,603 --> 00:44:51,062
And I just lost it on him.
875
00:44:51,063 --> 00:44:55,149
And, um, the next day,
his lawyer was like,
876
00:44:55,150 --> 00:44:58,612
"I think it's better that you just end
your time with the company."
877
00:45:00,406 --> 00:45:01,614
[intriguing music plays]
878
00:45:01,615 --> 00:45:03,282
[male anchor] I looked at the company.
879
00:45:03,283 --> 00:45:06,494
{\an8}It's a market cap
of less than $120 million.
880
00:45:06,495 --> 00:45:11,541
{\an8}I mean, he has driven this company
absolutely into the ground.
881
00:45:11,542 --> 00:45:15,169
The fact of the matter is
this board has the responsibility
882
00:45:15,170 --> 00:45:16,546
to get to the bottom of this.
883
00:45:16,547 --> 00:45:18,631
[Michelle] After I'd gotten fired by Dov,
884
00:45:18,632 --> 00:45:21,050
I got this call
from an independent auditor
885
00:45:21,051 --> 00:45:24,011
working for the board of directors,
886
00:45:24,012 --> 00:45:29,058
and it started to become clear
that they were looking to get rid of Dov
887
00:45:29,059 --> 00:45:32,061
and looking for information
to support that decision.
888
00:45:32,062 --> 00:45:33,730
If someone wrote a book
889
00:45:33,731 --> 00:45:37,650
about fucking people over at all costs
to get where you need to get,
890
00:45:37,651 --> 00:45:39,652
and then you put him
on the board of directors,
891
00:45:39,653 --> 00:45:42,448
of course it's gonna come back
to bite you in the ass.
892
00:45:43,907 --> 00:45:46,117
{\an8}[Susan] The investigators found a server
893
00:45:46,118 --> 00:45:49,537
{\an8}that Charney had been using
on company property
894
00:45:49,538 --> 00:45:53,583
that contained e-mails, texts,
graphic sexual videos,
895
00:45:53,584 --> 00:45:56,544
a lot of information
that was really damaging to him.
896
00:45:56,545 --> 00:45:58,045
Now, these are all allegations.
897
00:45:58,046 --> 00:45:59,881
But there has been video
898
00:45:59,882 --> 00:46:03,384
where he was literally
running around naked in some room,
899
00:46:03,385 --> 00:46:05,678
I don't know if it was
his apartment or a hotel room,
900
00:46:05,679 --> 00:46:08,556
while two of his female employees
were in the room with him.
901
00:46:08,557 --> 00:46:10,058
I'm dancing right now.
902
00:46:11,059 --> 00:46:16,981
He was crossing all kinds of ethical,
potentially legal, lines and boundaries.
903
00:46:16,982 --> 00:46:18,900
Now, we have some evidence indicating
904
00:46:18,901 --> 00:46:21,986
that he had some
inappropriate text exchanges
905
00:46:21,987 --> 00:46:23,488
with his employees.
906
00:46:23,489 --> 00:46:30,369
{\an8}[female anchor 1 reading]
907
00:46:30,370 --> 00:46:34,040
That is-- That's way beyond acceptable.
908
00:46:34,041 --> 00:46:38,127
So... company has
to make pretty radical changes.
909
00:46:38,128 --> 00:46:42,215
{\an8}[female anchor 2] American Apparel's
controversial CEO and founder is out.
910
00:46:42,216 --> 00:46:45,092
American Apparel
has terminated Dov Charney.
911
00:46:45,093 --> 00:46:47,637
{\an8}[female anchor 3] The company's board
has fired him.
912
00:46:47,638 --> 00:46:50,849
[chuckling] Fuck yeah, fuck him.
He deserves to be fired.
913
00:46:51,517 --> 00:46:55,978
{\an8}I think he thinks, um,
terminating him is bad for the company,
914
00:46:55,979 --> 00:46:58,272
{\an8}and we think terminating him
was the right thing to do.
915
00:46:58,273 --> 00:46:59,232
[chuckles]
916
00:46:59,233 --> 00:47:01,776
[EJ] I even cut out
the headline and the article,
917
00:47:01,777 --> 00:47:03,361
and I taped it to my journal
918
00:47:03,362 --> 00:47:06,405
because it was, like,
such an amazing moment,
919
00:47:06,406 --> 00:47:08,408
and I wanted to remember that.
920
00:47:10,994 --> 00:47:12,996
[pensive music plays]
921
00:47:13,664 --> 00:47:18,001
[Jonny] When he got fired,
I felt a sigh of relief.
922
00:47:18,752 --> 00:47:22,505
But I also felt like I lost my family.
923
00:47:22,506 --> 00:47:25,217
It was really hard to wrap my head around.
924
00:47:26,218 --> 00:47:29,930
Yes, there was abuse.
There was also fun times.
925
00:47:30,430 --> 00:47:32,306
And that's why it's so layered.
926
00:47:32,307 --> 00:47:35,101
I believe the ousting of Dov Charney
927
00:47:35,102 --> 00:47:37,562
{\an8}was because the board saw
928
00:47:37,563 --> 00:47:41,607
{\an8}that these claims
happened over and over again
929
00:47:41,608 --> 00:47:45,237
{\an8}and, you know, they would be
subjected to further liability.
930
00:47:48,115 --> 00:47:51,910
The women who came forward
were very brave in my opinion.
931
00:47:52,578 --> 00:47:58,083
But because, unfortunately,
these arbitration agreements were signed,
932
00:47:58,876 --> 00:48:00,294
they were silenced.
933
00:48:00,794 --> 00:48:04,590
And so we had to do something.
It just could not continue.
934
00:48:05,090 --> 00:48:07,842
My client is here to talk
about her real-life experience
935
00:48:07,843 --> 00:48:09,385
as to what happened to her.
936
00:48:09,386 --> 00:48:15,057
So we went up to the Capitol
to try to have the law changed
937
00:48:15,058 --> 00:48:20,605
so that employers
can no longer require employees
938
00:48:20,606 --> 00:48:23,233
to sign away their legal rights.
939
00:48:24,234 --> 00:48:27,278
[woman] My entire employment
at this company was awful.
940
00:48:27,279 --> 00:48:31,407
It was absolutely
earth-shatteringly dehumanizing
941
00:48:31,408 --> 00:48:33,451
to be employed at this company.
942
00:48:33,452 --> 00:48:37,288
It has taken me
close to eight years of unraveling
943
00:48:37,289 --> 00:48:40,166
to undo and-- and reflect
944
00:48:40,167 --> 00:48:43,128
on all the things
that this man was allowed to take from me.
945
00:48:43,629 --> 00:48:46,965
What really pisses me off
is that he took my voice.
946
00:48:47,799 --> 00:48:49,550
I'd love to tell you my story
947
00:48:49,551 --> 00:48:52,637
and the details
of what happened to me at that company,
948
00:48:52,638 --> 00:48:54,430
but I'm not at liberty to do so.
949
00:48:54,431 --> 00:48:56,307
Knowing that, like, okay,
950
00:48:56,308 --> 00:49:00,019
he was capable
of, like, the-- the screaming
951
00:49:00,020 --> 00:49:03,272
{\an8}and sometimes the physicality with me,
952
00:49:03,273 --> 00:49:06,525
{\an8}I started to feel like
maybe he was capable
953
00:49:06,526 --> 00:49:09,445
{\an8}of the things
that he was getting accused of.
954
00:49:09,446 --> 00:49:11,323
[eerie, intriguing music playing]
955
00:49:32,177 --> 00:49:33,469
[actress 1] I was 18
956
00:49:33,470 --> 00:49:36,598
when I started working
at American Apparel.
957
00:49:37,265 --> 00:49:42,353
Dov invited me to LA
for a week-long merchandising training,
958
00:49:42,354 --> 00:49:44,731
which took place at his home.
959
00:49:45,524 --> 00:49:48,317
He didn't allow me
to go back home and grab a suitcase.
960
00:49:48,318 --> 00:49:51,654
He made it clear
that I was to stay at his house.
961
00:49:51,655 --> 00:49:54,615
[actress 2] Dov invited me to his home,
962
00:49:54,616 --> 00:49:59,079
and when I got there,
he was just wearing his underwear.
963
00:49:59,579 --> 00:50:02,707
[actress 3] Dov offered me
to model for American Apparel.
964
00:50:02,708 --> 00:50:05,752
When I turned up,
he was wearing just a towel.
965
00:50:06,253 --> 00:50:11,424
[actress 1] I found myself alone
with Dov in his bedroom.
966
00:50:11,425 --> 00:50:15,845
He asked me
if I was an exhibitionist or a voyeur.
967
00:50:15,846 --> 00:50:19,974
[actress 2] He dragged me inside
and forced me to give him oral sex.
968
00:50:19,975 --> 00:50:22,852
[actress 3] And then he demanded
that I give him oral sex.
969
00:50:22,853 --> 00:50:26,605
[actress 4] He tried to take photos
and then instantly attacked me,
970
00:50:26,606 --> 00:50:29,191
forcing me to perform sexual acts.
971
00:50:29,192 --> 00:50:31,193
[actress 1] He demanded
I show him my breasts.
972
00:50:31,194 --> 00:50:34,321
[actress 3] And when I said no,
he became more aggressive and violent.
973
00:50:34,322 --> 00:50:38,034
[actress 2] He took me to the bedroom,
got on top of me,
974
00:50:38,035 --> 00:50:41,078
and I almost suffocated
975
00:50:41,079 --> 00:50:44,749
from him forcing me
to perform another sexual act.
976
00:50:44,750 --> 00:50:46,709
[actress 4] He was old enough
to be my father.
977
00:50:46,710 --> 00:50:51,297
- [actress 3] He didn't let me leave.
- [actress 2] And tried to sodomize me.
978
00:50:51,298 --> 00:50:53,215
[actress 5] I was 18.
979
00:50:53,216 --> 00:50:55,010
[sniffles, sighs]
980
00:50:56,553 --> 00:50:58,012
[exhales, sniffles]
981
00:50:58,013 --> 00:50:59,222
[sobs softly]
982
00:51:01,349 --> 00:51:02,558
[sniffles]
983
00:51:02,559 --> 00:51:03,560
[sighs]
984
00:51:06,772 --> 00:51:08,774
[music fading]
985
00:51:09,316 --> 00:51:11,609
[Carson] Dov, he's gotten away with a lot,
986
00:51:11,610 --> 00:51:14,361
and he will probably continue
to get away with a lot.
987
00:51:14,362 --> 00:51:18,491
It's like people are different animals,
and that type of person is a predator.
988
00:51:18,492 --> 00:51:20,951
So it'd be like a shark
or a rattlesnake or something,
989
00:51:20,952 --> 00:51:24,580
and no amount
of being mad at a rattlesnake or a shark
990
00:51:24,581 --> 00:51:26,040
will ever change what they are.
991
00:51:26,041 --> 00:51:27,958
They're always going to bite.
992
00:51:27,959 --> 00:51:30,336
And it's incredibly frustrating
993
00:51:30,337 --> 00:51:31,880
'cause it's something that...
994
00:51:32,422 --> 00:51:33,839
[tense organ music plays]
995
00:51:33,840 --> 00:51:36,509
...for whatever reason, in society,
996
00:51:36,510 --> 00:51:39,638
we've kind of just let
that type of person continue.
997
00:51:55,695 --> 00:51:58,697
{\an8}[interviewer] If American Apparel
was successful as an extension of you,
998
00:51:58,698 --> 00:52:00,866
what extension of you are we getting now?
999
00:52:00,867 --> 00:52:03,829
The same one! I'm not sorry about shit.
1000
00:52:06,081 --> 00:52:08,500
- [dramatic sting]
- [tense organ music continues]