Mr. Dov Charney

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-apparel : And speaking of American Apparelÿffffe2ÿffff80ÿffffa6 - Todayÿffffe2ÿffff80ÿffff99s New York Times Magazine has a six page story on American Apparel and its controversial founder and CEO, Dov Charney, ... that were for sale at home.He began a fixation that continues to this day on what he calls American ... discovered on vacations in Florida to visit his grandmother: he could feel the difference between

Todayÿffffe2ÿff ff80ÿffff99s New York Times Magazine has a six page story on American Apparel and its controversial founder and CEO, Dov Charney, ... that were for sale at home.He began a fixation that continues to this day on what he calls American ... discovered on vacations in Florida to visit his grandmother: he could feel the difference betweenbloggingforfashion.com/index.php/and-speaking-of-american ... http://bloggingforfashion.com/index.php/and-speaking-of-american-apparel : And speaking of American Apparelÿffffe2ÿffff80ÿffffa6 - Todayÿffffe2ÿffff80ÿffff99s New York Times Magazine has a six page story on American Apparel and its controversial founder and CEO, Dov Charney, ... that were for sale at home.He began a fixation that continues to this day on what he calls American ... discovered on vacations in Florida to visit his grandmother: he could feel the difference between

Magazines: NYT: Clothing Executive Poses Nude for Magazine Ad (Dov Charney) Link Enclosed Picture EnclosedMagazines: NYT: Clothing Executive Poses Nude for Magazine Ad (Dov Charney) Link Enclosed Picture Enclosed
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Magazines: NYT: Clothing Executive Poses Nude for Magazine Ad (Dov Charney)
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THERE is no question that Dov Charney is an unconventional chief executive.

As the founder of American Apparel, the T-shirt and casual wear chain sometimes called an alternative Gap, Mr. Charney decorates stores with covers of Penthouse and Oui magazines from the 70's, admits in interviews to engaging in sexual relationships with women who work for him, and once exposed himself for an ad in a gay magazine, all in the name of personal freedom.

American Apparel promotes itself as "sweatshop free" and stresses that its products are "made in downtown L.A.," anomalies in an industry often criticized for outsourcing jobs and paying poverty wages.And consumers are attracted to the company's reasonably priced T-shirts and underwear, along with its hipster aesthetic of soft-core pornography, which have made Mr. Charney's business hugely profitable.

According to some former employees, however, sex is used for more than selling clothes at American Apparel.In two separate sexual harassment lawsuits, three plaintiffs who worked on American Apparel's administrative and sales staffs charge that they endured sexual misconduct and innuendo and an environment in which women did not feel safe.

The culprit, they say, is Mr. Charney, 36, a retailing maverick from Montreal, who founded the company in 1997 and now has 4,500 employees, more than 50 stores in five countries and annual sales of $250 million.

The suits, filed in the last six weeks in Los Angeles Superior Court by a sales manager, a recruiter and a trade show coordinator, accuse Mr. Charney of behavior that ranges from inappropriate to bizarre.

Among the allegations: using crude language and gestures, conducting job interviews in his underwear, ordering the hiring of women in whom he had a sexual interest and giving one of the plaintiffs a vibrator.

In court papers Mr. Charney denied all the allegations.And in an e-mailed statement he said, "In my opinion their lawsuits are a false attempt to extort money from my company and exploit my transparent persona."

His lawyer, Andrew B. Kaplan, said Mr. Charney "will vigorously defend these lawsuits" and that the evidence will show that no sexual harassment occurred.
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And in an article in Jane magazine last summer, Mr. Charney was described as engaging in oral sex with a female employee and masturbating in front of the writer several times with the writer's acquiescence.

Mr. Charney, in a telephone interview, said that citing the article, as well as referring to his nudity in ads and his provocative photo displays in stores are "not journalism but sensationalism" when used in the context of the lawsuits.He said that he has the right to be his company's model and to pose nude, which he said is a "salute" to contemporary adult and sexual freedom.

He said his ads are regarded as trend-setting and appreciated by American Apparel's young customers.Mr. Charney added that "any sexual activities described in the Jane article were, A, consensual; B, enjoyable for both parties; and C, occurred in a private setting and therefore are not relevant to the sexual harassment charges."

Finally, he said, he does not believe consensual relationships between adults should be restrained in the workplace.

The women suing Mr. Charney and American Apparel are not alleging that he pressured them for sex.What they say in their lawsuits is that they faced a "wholly intolerable" and "intimidating" work atmosphere that subjected them to "egregious" sexual comments and behavior.

One of the women, Heather Pithie, who worked at American Apparel as a recruiter between June 2004 and last March, charges that Mr. Charney referred to women in vulgar derogatory and sexual terms.
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Another plaintiff, Rebecca Brinegar, who coordinated trade shows and worked in customer service between December 2002 and last January, charges that Mr. Charney exposed himself "in the nude in front of her."
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Allison Michael, a lawyer with Jones Day in Los Angeles who defends companies against sexual harassment cases, called the acts attributed to Mr. Charney in the lawsuits "pretty extreme."
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"If you're seasick, don't join the Navy," said Ilse Metchek, the executive director of the California Fashion Association, a trade group Mr. Charney belongs to.
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Julie Su, the litigation director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, which represents garment workers, said Mr. Charney and American Apparel stand as an example that challenges the status quo.
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Mr. Charney's first words to her during one of his visits, she said, were "You look hot today."And when she expressed her objections to a sexually explicit picture on a store wall, her colleagues laughed it off, she said.

THERE is no question that Dov Charney is an unconventional chief executive.

As the founder of American Apparel, the T-shirt and casual wear chain sometimes called an alternative Gap, Mr. Charney decorates stores with covers of Penthouse and Oui magazines from the 70's, admits in interviews to engaging in sexual relationships with women who work for him, and once exposed himself for an ad in a gay magazine, all in the name of personal freedom.