American Apparel Inc

Los Angeles retailer American Apparel Inc. said Friday that it would get an $80-million infusion from a British investment firm to pay off a problem debt. Under the agreement, London-based Lion Capital will receive two seats on American Apparel's board of directors and the right to buy an 18% stake in the company.

American Apparel Inc., a clothing maker and retailer with an edgy image, reported Thursday that sales soared 39% in the second quarter and said it was accelerating its expansion plans despite the weak economy. Net income jumped 42% to $6.8 million from a year earlier as the Los Angeles-based company's more-profitable retail sales grew faster than its wholesale business. "It's one of the few companies in retail generating extremely strong growth at high-quality margins," said Todd D.

American Apparel Inc., a clothing maker known for its racy advertising and clothes made in downtown Los Angeles, was accused in a lawsuit of copying Hanesbrands Inc.'s Barely There trademark for women's underwear. American Apparel infringes the trademark by using the slogan in its print and online advertisements for tight-fitting bodysuits, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Trendy retailer American Apparel Inc. reported a first-quarter loss and lowered its annual sales forecast Monday, hours after it agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by actor-director Woody Allen for $5 million. Chief Executive Dov Charney said "severe liquidity constraints" hurt sales and margins in the quarter that ended March 31. The Los Angeles firm posted a loss of $9 million, or 13 cents a share, compared with a profit of $1.1 million, or 2 cents a share, a year earlier.

American Apparel Inc., a high-profile Los Angeles clothing maker and retailer known for its sexually provocative ads, is expected to announce today that it will be purchased by a New York investment firm for about $244 million in stock. The deal with Endeavor Acquisition Corp. would make American Apparel a publicly traded company and could help fuel expansion of the manufacturer, which makes its clothes in Los Angeles with a mostly immigrant workforce.

A Chicago federal judge has dismissed one of three sexual harassment lawsuits pending against Los Angeles garment maker American Apparel Inc. and its owner, Dov Charney. American Apparel, which manufactures T-shirts, jackets and other casual wear in its downtown factory, has cultivated an edgy, provocative image in its advertising and in published interviews with Charney. The Chicago suit, dismissed last week at the request of plaintiff Julie Carrozzi, was filed in August.

Dov Charney's loss for the day came to about $400,000, but he couldn't have been happier. While his workers gathered to march through downtown Los Angeles on Monday, Charney was a few miles away in his seven-story garment factory idled by the immigrant protest. The iconoclastic chief executive of American Apparel Inc. not only gave 3,300 of his employees the day off, but he also supplied them with T-shirts emblazoned with a pro-immigration message.

American Apparel Inc. responded Wednesday to a former employee's wrongful-termination lawsuit -- the latest legal trouble for the seller of trendy cotton clothing. Roberto Hernandez sued the Los Angeles company and its chief executive, Dov Charney, in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week. The lawsuit alleges he was fired a week after he refused to pad the company's balance sheet to make the company more attractive to potential investors.

Most companies might shy away from trumpeting their troubles with the law, but not American Apparel Inc. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles manufacturer and retailer known for its racy advertising, colorful clothes and outspoken support for immigration put out a news release to announce that the government had found that about 1,600 of its workers did not appear to be authorized to work in the U.S. About 200 more had been found to have discrepancies in their employment records, the company said.

The sexual harassment and wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former employee against American Apparel and its founder, Dov Charney, will be decided by binding arbitration, Charney's attorney said Thursday. Both sides will be bound by the decision of the arbitrator or private judge they select. That means it is unlikely a jury will hear the plaintiff's account of Charney conducting business clad only in his underwear or, occasionally, something even skimpier.

Most companies might shy away from trumpeting their troubles with the law, but not American Apparel Inc. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles manufacturer and retailer known for its racy advertising, colorful clothes and outspoken support for immigration put out a news release to announce that the government had found that about 1,600 of its workers did not appear to be authorized to work in the U.S. About 200 more had been found to have discrepancies in their employment records, the company said.

Trendy retailer American Apparel Inc. reported a first-quarter loss and lowered its annual sales forecast Monday, hours after it agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by actor-director Woody Allen for $5 million. Chief Executive Dov Charney said "severe liquidity constraints" hurt sales and margins in the quarter that ended March 31. The Los Angeles firm posted a loss of $9 million, or 13 cents a share, compared with a profit of $1.1 million, or 2 cents a share, a year earlier.

Los Angeles retailer American Apparel Inc. said Friday that it would get an $80-million infusion from a British investment firm to pay off a problem debt. Under the agreement, London-based Lion Capital will receive two seats on American Apparel's board of directors and the right to buy an 18% stake in the company.

Los Angeles retailer American Apparel Inc. said Wednesday that it had laid off several hundred employees companywide. The layoffs were the result of a reduction in the company's expansion plans and a recent $15-million upgrade to its machinery and equipment that boosted worker productivity, spokesman Elliot Sloane said.

American Apparel and an employee who had worked for the retailer since its early years filed dueling lawsuits this week, the latest legal trouble for the cotton clothier. Dov Charney, the company's founder, and a woman who says she is his ex-girlfriend accuse each other of theft, fraud, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and breach of contract. Wei-Ween Y. Victorino, also known as Nikky Yang, filed a suit against American Apparel on Monday.

American Apparel Inc. responded Wednesday to a former employee's wrongful-termination lawsuit -- the latest legal trouble for the seller of trendy cotton clothing. Roberto Hernandez sued the Los Angeles company and its chief executive, Dov Charney, in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week. The lawsuit alleges he was fired a week after he refused to pad the company's balance sheet to make the company more attractive to potential investors.

American Apparel Inc., a clothing maker and retailer with an edgy image, reported Thursday that sales soared 39% in the second quarter and said it was accelerating its expansion plans despite the weak economy. Net income jumped 42% to $6.8 million from a year earlier as the Los Angeles-based company's more-profitable retail sales grew faster than its wholesale business. "It's one of the few companies in retail generating extremely strong growth at high-quality margins," said Todd D.

The sexual harassment and wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former employee against American Apparel and its founder, Dov Charney, will be decided by binding arbitration, Charney's attorney said Thursday. Both sides will be bound by the decision of the arbitrator or private judge they select. That means it is unlikely a jury will hear the plaintiff's account of Charney conducting business clad only in his underwear or, occasionally, something even skimpier.

American Apparel Inc., a clothing maker known for its racy advertising and clothes made in downtown Los Angeles, was accused in a lawsuit of copying Hanesbrands Inc.'s Barely There trademark for women's underwear. American Apparel infringes the trademark by using the slogan in its print and online advertisements for tight-fitting bodysuits, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Winston-Salem, N.C.

With a nearly $280-million stock deal confirmed Tuesday, Los Angeles clothier American Apparel is poised to put its edgy, titillating stamp on cities worldwide. The company is charting a blistering and potentially risky global expansion in the wake of a deal with New York-based Endeavor Acquisition Corp. Now with 143 stores in 11 countries, American Apparel plans to open 150 stores in each of the next three years alone, including in such locations as Dublin, Ireland, and Madrid.