Gorgeous Guilt-Free Garments! (American Apparel Store)

Member Name: marnie_moo

Product:	American Apparel Store
Date:	31/07/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clothes can be worn in variety of ways and don't exploite workers to make them

Disadvantages: Very expensive, can only buy stuff from here as a 1 in a while treat

PROFILE
American Apparel is a "sweatshop-free" retailer that has long been very successful in the US and now has branches open worldwide. Their marketing has become very well known in the advertising world- showing plain models wearing simple garments, in average location but with very suggestive poses (think a mix of Bennetton and Sisley ads you may have seen).

STYLE
AA's style is very simple, almost minimalist (think plain colours, pattern free) but don't be fooled into thinking they haven't put a lot of work into the cut and detail of each piece. Their signature piece the "Ways to Wear It" dress is an example of this- a simple looking dress that can actually be worn 15+ different ways, with examples helpfully detailed on the product page.

PRICES
This is my main quibble with AA- all the garments are very expensive for what looks like a very basic piece of clothing- but you have to remember you're paying for the cut, the shape, the longevity of the garment and also for the fact no people are exploited in the making of the garment. An example of prices would be around £30+ for a dress, £12 for tights, £30 for leggings, £40+ for jeans. If these prices are too much though I'd recomment checking their sales often or trying to buy their stuff secondhand on Ebay.
Also look for voucher codes online as you can usually get 10-15% off by just having a Google.

SIZES
America Apparel stock sizes labelled "XS", "S", "M" etc, which I suppose makes for easier stocking but also makes fitting a little less precise than stocking exact dress sizes. However I would recommend reading the reviews of whichever particular item you're looking to buy, as people often post their measurements and what size they bought to give you some idea when getting your own.

STORES & WEBSITE
I have to say I've never visited one of their stores in person so can only tell me about my experience with their website. The website is brilliant, very easy to navigate and each product page shows each garment in a great amount of detail- in different colours, views, angles and even showing reviews of each item for you to find out more.

Summary: Proof that ethical clothing can make an impact in the fashion market