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American Apparel's Little White Deep V-Neck Lie
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 6, 2010
Modified May 6, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 6, 2010
Modified May 6, 2010
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Are American Apparel's models "real people"? According to Jezebel, the company has long stated the scantily clad bodies you see in their ads are employees, friends of Dov Charney, and never ever professional models.
The site points to a 2006 Financial Times article where the company said they "work exclusively with non-professional models"—something Jezebel is now calling out as a lie that the company perpetrated even in 2008, saying, "Unlike almost everyone in the fashion industry, American Apparel doesn't use professional models and agencies." And just last month the company told Fox that their "ads are evocative because they feature real people instead of professional models."
In fact, the company does use models in some ads, and they've also used porn stars (but c'mon, porn stars are real people, too!). These girls at times have fake bios because, as the company tells us, sometimes they "ask to use pseudonyms which we always agree to." Jezebel's claim is that in operating with this "seductive/reductive concept" the real people will flock to their stores to buy mesh bodysuits, or whatever—which in reality, will look like this, or this on a real person.
American Apparel's creative director Iris Alonzo tells us, "Our photographs capture their natural beauty—which means no professional makeup artists, no stylists and no airbrushing. This way of working means we find our many muses in a variety of places. In the last year alone, I've photographed countless employees, friends, the winning butts from our Best Bottom Contest, fashion bloggers, two teenage lovebirds we met at our Lower Broadway store during Fashion's Night Out and of course, my dog Charlie. I'd say that 95% of the people we shoot have never been professionally photographed before, and approximately 50% of those people work for the company in some capacity." (Her full statement is after the jump.) So basically, sorry dudes, you aren't going to be greeted at check-out by Sasha Grey (NSFW!)... but rather a real person, who may or may not be in an ad, but definitely didn't get axed by Charney.
In the hope that Jezebel just forgot about Hayley, our vintage and multibrand manager, who they wrote about in January when she was the face of our 2010 California Select Lookbook, we'd like to clarify our way of doing things. American Apparel photographs people who inspire us with their personalities and the way they wear our clothing. Our photographs capture their natural beauty - which means no professional makeup artists, no stylists and no airbrushing. This way of working means we find our many muses in a variety of places, whether it's in one of our stores or on the streets. We love when random run-ins turn into longtime friendships, and oftentimes careers.
As a creative director for American Apparel, I not only select many of our models but often shoot them myself. In the last year alone, I've photographed countless employees, friends, the winning butts from our Best Bottom Contest, fashion bloggers, two teenage lovebirds we met at our Lower Broadway store during Fashion's Night Out and of course, my dog Charlie. I'd say that 95% of the people we shoot have never been professionally photographed before, and approximately 50% of those people work for the company in some capacity. I'm excited to work with someone like Zanita, who we found through her blog and whose self-portraits we recently featured in our collaboration with LOOKBOOK.nu. She may be a professional model, but I think she's making more waves with her photography and styling and that's what we'll focus on when we collaborate. In the same vein, I was excited to shoot Martine, a fashion marketing assistant who works at our Los Angeles headquarters, and C Diamond, a retail backstock employee, because their personal style and energy resonates with the brand. What's most important to us is that our photographs and advertisements capture our garments and models as they naturally are.
Our $50/hour flat rate for modeling means we don't have agents knocking on our door too often and we like it that way. Many American Apparel models work with us because they support our company or appreciate our aesthetic, or better yet, they are employees who have helped build the company into what it is today. To me, this is a big part of the reason American Apparel images evoke the emotions that they do.
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american apparel
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real people
sasha grey
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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