Sometimes blue- superdrewby's blog

American Apparel to open landmark store on Sydney's Gay Mile

As I wandered down Oxford Street the other day after getting my lunch I watched as workers put up huge signs in the windows of the old Gowings Store on the Corner of Crown and Oxford St, announcing an American Apparel store was opening soon.

I could understand if Abercrombie & Fitch opened a store on this corner, as it's kind of like the Centre of the Gay Mile, after all their advertising has to be some of the most queer of any 'straight' clothing manufacturer. But I had only vaguely even heard of American Apparel.

Mind you the particular corner of Oxford & Crown streets seems to have curse on it, almost every single company I have known to have a store in their from Remo in the eighties to Gowings have gone bust!

You know I never really knew much about this company until I did some web surfing and I certainly did not know that they are a really queer friendly company. Nor did I know just how kooky they are or how large or how much they are either loved or hated.

For their queer friendly attitude, I wandered around their website and came across the product on the side. It's called BUTT and it's a Dutch Gay Magazine.

I was like 'What The Fuck!', but this is absolutely real, American Apparel sells a Gay Magazine online called BUTT. How funny and camp is that!

For all of the hype though about American Apparel being an ethical sweatshop free clothing company, there are also the legendary stories of the sexual harassment and mysoginistic actions and activities of the founder Dov Charney, apparently he has done everything from masturbate in front of staff members to take staff members as his personal concubines.

They are the last major clothing manufacturer who still manufacture clothing in the USA, with a huge plant in LA. They pay up to $4 above the minimum wage for the people who make the clothes and the staff love them!

Even with Dov's somewhat strange sexualised corporate culture the staff members of American Apparel love working for the company, after all how many non tech companies give their staff members free massages?

And for even more fascinating bits of trivia about American Apparel, they are the preferred brand of clothing for edgy DIY T Shirt Companies like Steez Luiz, Jewcy & Skreened. Because of their sweatshop free ethical actions.

I loved this T Shirt of the Pink Triangle Anti-Bush, it's just so perfectly in keeping with the kooiness and off centre appeal of American Apparel.

After doing this discovery of American Apparel I am still not sure whether I will buy anything from them, but the thought of a slightly off-beat store opening up on Oxford Street is fantastic. Especially since The Pop Shop closed it's doors last year after being an Oxford Street Institution for over two decades.

I don't think this is the trend of the queer friendly businesses opening up on the strip again, but I would like to hope so.

Labels: oxford street

3 Comments:

At Mon Feb 11, 04:27:00 PM EST, Anonymous said...: heya drew!
thanks for the shoutout. i dig that design too!

-daniel, skreened
At Mon Feb 11, 04:37:00 PM EST, Superdrewby said...: Hey Daniel

thanks for the visit! And yes we LOVE skreened!
At Mon Feb 11, 05:13:00 PM EST, kc said...: Well... stay away from their tri-blend t-shirts if you are hell bent on not buying anything from AA. Seriously, they are the crack of t-shirts. So soft, so awesomely yummy. I'm wearing one now. Mmmm....