As the subject of the latest Netflix documentary, Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel, its founder and former CEO Dov Charney has become a global talking point. He was axed from the top job in 2014 following allegations of misconduct in the workplace and the documentary serves to expose the darker side of the cult brand.
But who was the man behind American Apparel? What was he accused of? And where is he now? Read on to find out.
Who is Dov Charney?
Dov Charney is an Canadian entrepreneur who grew up in Montreal to architect and artist parents.
He started American Apparel, famed for its nylon ’80s-inspired ‘basics’, in 1989 in South Carolina after dropping out of college and borrowing $10,000 from his parents. Charney later expanded the store to multiple countries around the world, including the UK, but was fired in 2014 after facing allegations of sexual assault and harassment, which he denies. Charney subsequently founded Los Angeles Apparel. The original brand is still available to shop online.
How old is Dov Charney?
He is 56 years old.
What was Dov Charney accused of?
In the new Netflix documentary, Charney is shown to be an overpowering figure with little regard for the feelings and boundaries of his staff.
It showed archival footage of him walking around the factory naked in front of female employees. Former employees claimed Charney often wanted to conduct business in his private home, which was described as a ‘playboy mansion for hipsters’, and one former staff member called Jonny Makeup lived there too. Makeup told the filmmakers, ‘I’ll probably be in therapy until the day that I die.’
The episode also featured employment and civil rights lawyer Toni Jaramilla who spoke about working with several women who claim they experienced sexual harassment while working for Charney at American Apparel. They signed non disclosure agreements to not comment on Charney or the clothing brand, however some allegations were leaked, so the Netflix special uses voice actors to read excerpts from their complaints. One claims Charney invited 18-year-olds to his bedroom and used to walk around in front of employees in a towel.
Aside from allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct, the documentary heard that Charney regularly abused his power too. One employee named Carson said Charney once called him at around midnight and said, ‘I hate you! I hate you!’ over and over again, before hanging up. ‘That was a regular day at American Apparel,’ Carson explained, adding that he sometimes worked 36-hour shifts.
There are also clips featured in the documentary where Charney can be heard calling his employees ‘morons’ and ‘dummies’. Charney denies all allegations. It ends with archival footage of him saying, ‘I’m not sorry about shit’, from a 2017 interview with VICE.
Did Dov Charney respond to the Trainwreck documentary?
A spokesperson for Charney said: ‘Charney has never been found liable for any misconduct — sexual harassment or otherwise — by any judge, jury, arbitrator, or independent investigation. Unfortunately, the Netflix documentary grossly misrepresents the story of American Apparel and Charney, relying on paid actors to emotionally restate long-disproven allegations.’
The statement continues, ‘No credible insiders — including Charney himself — participated in the production. One can only hope the full, unvarnished story of American Apparel and the forces behind its downfall will one day be told.’
Where is Dov Charney now?
Charney reportedly lives in a mansion in Silver Lake called Garbutt House.
Two years after he was fired from American Apparel, Charney launched the almost identical brand, Los Angeles Apparel. He sold the same ‘basics’ and even built the new company from the original American Apparel warehouse.
‘We had six sewing machines, then 12 machines. It was a nail-biter,’ Charney said in 2017. ‘It still is a nail-biter. That’s part of the chills and thrills of starting up a business. You’re always on edge, but I love it. The workers are happy. It’s exciting. We want to prove something.’
However, when the pandemic took hold in 2020, Charney reimagined the business and started selling face masks and medical gowns. By June, he was condemned by public health officials and CBS News reported that Los Angeles Apparel got shut down for ‘flagrant violations of mandatory public health infection control orders’.
Charney then found a loophole and reopened the factory as an essential business, keeping employees at work, which sadly led to a large Covid outbreak and four employees died. He filed for bankruptcy in 2022, owing $30 million (£21m) to a hedge fund associated with his original brand American Apparel. According to Bloomberg, his debts and assets reached $50 million (£36m) each.
The Cult of American Apparel documentary alleged that Charney was also hired to work as the CEO of Kanye West’s clothing line Yeezy. In 2023, Rolling Stone reported that the former American Apparel head created the West’s controversial ‘White Lives Matter’ t-shirts the year prior.
Does Dov Charney have a family?
It is unclear from what’s available online whether Charney is in a relationship or has any children.
Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel is available to stream on Netflix now.
