What comes to mind when I say American Apparel? Edgy, cool, hip? Well that’s exactly how they want to be seen. But their recent “Sandy Sale” has sparked a lot of controversy. Have American Apparel gone too far? Take a look at this ad:

I’ll give you a minute to digest the ad. When I first saw it I was lost for words. American Apparel plastered the ad all over their website and emailed it to all of their newsletter subscribers just before and during the time Hurricane Sandy was battering the U.S. East Coast. The email also included purchasing ideas, such as raincoats and umbrellas. The response was public outrage, especially on Twitter, with many describing the sale as ill-timed and insensitive.

The company’s CEO, Don Charney, responded to the outrage stating that the sale wasn’t a mistake and the company had to “keep the machine alive”. He went on to explain that during more economically slow times, such as during a hurricane, company’s need to keep the “wheels of commerce going”. “We generated tens of thousands of dollars from the sale, but we’ll probably lose a million dollars from this event at a minimum. We’re here to sell clothing. I’m sleeping well at night knowing this was not a serious matter.” A spokesperson for American Apparel issued a similar statement but added that the e-mail was never intended to “offend anymore” and “came from a good place”.

Sounds like a load of bull to me. How insensitive can you be! They must’ve known this would generate controversy and perhaps that’s exactly why they did it. American Apparel are known to be cool, hip, and “down with the kids”. In an effort to solidify their positioning and stay young and fresh, they cooked up a controversial campaign to remain in the public eye. After all, all press is good press.

Thank you to Rachael Reddy who inspired this blog post. She makes a very good point regarding American Apparel’s official code of ethics and how they did the exact opposite. Check out her original post here: Are You Reddy