Los Angeles Apparel
An American vertically integrated apparel manufacturer and clothing brand based in Los Angeles, known for basic garments and domestic production.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Los Angeles Apparel is an American clothing manufacturer, designer, distributor, and brand headquartered in South-Central Los Angeles. Dov Charney founded the company in 2016 after his removal from American Apparel, the company he had previously founded. Los Angeles Apparel initially followed a wholesale-oriented model, supplying garments to screen printers, apparel companies, boutiques, and other commercial buyers rather than relying solely on direct retail sales. The company was established with a business model and product focus that consciously resembled American Apparel's earlier wholesale operation. Its assortment centers on basic apparel, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, cotton bodysuits, swimwear, and related casual garments. The brand is particularly associated with substantial cotton basics, blank apparel for printing and customization, and made-in-Los-Angeles manufacturing. Its customers have included screen printers and organizations seeking domestically produced blank garments. Los Angeles Apparel operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer. Its Los Angeles operations include textile-related activities such as knitting and dyeing as well as garment production, allowing the company to control more stages of the supply chain than a brand that outsources all manufacturing. The company presents this structure as part of a commitment to domestic production and so-called sweatshop-free manufacturing. In 2017, it highlighted the workers behind its products by placing employees' names and faces on shirt labels, making labor visibility part of the brand's identity. The company's early expansion was aided by equipment and other assets acquired from American Apparel during that company's bankruptcy sale. Approximately 90 percent of the factory machinery was reported to have originated from American Apparel, and the assets acquired included fabric, computers, and sewing machines. In late 2016, Los Angeles Apparel entered a multimillion-dollar business arrangement with Cincinnati-based TSC Apparel. That arrangement helped place the startup's clothing with buyers including Live Nation Entertainment and screen printers that had previously purchased American Apparel products. Los Angeles Apparel's history also includes a major workplace and public-health controversy. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, public health authorities ordered the company's factory to close after citing serious violations of mandatory infection-control requirements. The company had reopened while producing and selling masks under essential-business provisions, but reporting stated that approximately 300 workers became infected and four workers died before the closure. The episode prompted scrutiny of workplace safety, public-health compliance, and the relationship between the company's domestic manufacturing claims and its treatment of employees. The brand remains associated with Los Angeles-based manufacturing, wholesale distribution, and a broad range of basic casualwear. Available reference material does not establish a separate parent corporation, public listing, or a complete roster of current executives.
History
Los Angeles Apparel was founded in Los Angeles in 2016 by Dov Charney, who had previously founded American Apparel. The new company emerged after Charney was terminated by American Apparel's board amid allegations that included sexual harassment, racism, and sexual assault. Charney declined a reported severance package and a proposed creative-director role, then established Los Angeles Apparel as a new wholesale clothing business. The company therefore began with a model that recalled American Apparel's earlier development as a supplier of basic garments to wholesale customers. The startup acquired substantial assets from American Apparel during that company's bankruptcy sale. Reported purchases included fabric, computers, sewing machines, and other equipment, with approximately 90 percent of the factory machinery said to have come from American Apparel. This gave Los Angeles Apparel a material and operational connection to its predecessor while allowing it to develop as a separate brand and manufacturer. In late 2016, Cincinnati-based TSC Apparel entered a multimillion-dollar arrangement to distribute Los Angeles Apparel products to buyers such as Live Nation Entertainment and screen printers that had previously sourced from American Apparel. Los Angeles Apparel developed as a vertically integrated operation in South-Central Los Angeles. Its production activities include knitting and dyeing as well as garment manufacturing, enabling the company to manage multiple stages of the apparel supply chain within its Los Angeles operations. The company makes and distributes basic garments for screen printers, apparel businesses, boutiques, and other wholesale buyers. Its principal categories include T-shirts, sweatshirts, cotton bodysuits, and swimwear. The brand emphasizes domestic production and describes its labor approach through a commitment to sweatshop-free manufacturing. Labor visibility became part of the company's public identity in 2017, when it printed production workers' names and faces on shirt labels. The practice was intended to draw attention to the people making the garments and to distinguish the company from anonymous, opaque supply-chain models. The most consequential episode in the company's history occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Los Angeles Apparel reopened while producing and selling masks under essential-business provisions, according to reporting summarized in the company's Wikipedia entry. Public health officials subsequently ordered the factory to close, citing serious violations of mandatory infection-control orders. Approximately 300 workers were reported to have contracted COVID-19, and four workers died before the factory was ordered to shut. The episode generated substantial scrutiny of workplace safety, public-health compliance, and the practical meaning of the company's domestic and worker-focused positioning. Los Angeles Apparel continues to be identified with Los Angeles-based manufacturing, wholesale distribution, basic casualwear, and vertically integrated production. Reference material does not identify a public stock listing, a parent company, or a complete set of current corporate executives.
- 2020
Factory closure during the COVID-19 pandemic
[1]Public health officials order the Los Angeles factory to close after citing infection-control violations; reporting states that approximately 300 workers were infected and four died.
- 2017
Worker names and faces appear on shirt labels
[1]The company highlights garment workers by placing their names and faces on product labels.
- 2016
Los Angeles Apparel is founded
[1]Dov Charney establishes Los Angeles Apparel in Los Angeles as a wholesale-oriented apparel manufacturer and brand.
- 2016
The company acquires American Apparel production assets
[1]During American Apparel's bankruptcy sale, Los Angeles Apparel acquires equipment and other assets, including fabric, computers, and sewing machinery.
- 2016
TSC Apparel distribution arrangement
[1]TSC Apparel enters a multimillion-dollar arrangement to sell Los Angeles Apparel products to wholesale customers, including Live Nation Entertainment and screen printers.
Products and positioning
Mid-market basics and wholesale apparel positioned around vertically integrated, Los Angeles-based and sweatshop-free manufacturing.
Basic apparel
T-shirts
T-shirts are a central part of Los Angeles Apparel's assortment and wholesale business. The company is associated with domestically produced basic shirts supplied both as finished casualwear and as blank garments for screen printers and other apparel businesses. Its production model emphasizes Los Angeles manufacturing and control over textile and garment processes.
Casual apparel
Sweatshirts and hoodies
The company produces sweatshirt products as part of its basic casualwear range. These garments serve both retail-style consumers and wholesale customers looking for blank or minimally branded products. They fit the brand's broader focus on practical basics manufactured through its Los Angeles production operation.
Cotton apparel
Cotton bodysuits
Cotton bodysuits are among the product categories identified with Los Angeles Apparel. They extend the company's basics-oriented assortment beyond conventional tops while maintaining its emphasis on cotton garments and domestic manufacturing.
Swimwear
Swimwear
Swimwear is another reported category in the company's production and distribution portfolio. It forms part of a broader range of apparel manufactured and supplied from the Los Angeles operation.
Wholesale apparel · 2016
Wholesale blank apparel
Los Angeles Apparel supplies blank and basic garments to screen printers, apparel companies, boutiques, and other commercial buyers. This wholesale orientation was foundational to the company and links its product offering to customization, event merchandise, and private-label apparel production.
Controversies
2020
COVID-19 infection-control violations and factory closure
During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials ordered the Los Angeles Apparel factory to close after citing serious violations of mandatory infection-control orders. Reporting stated that approximately 300 workers became infected and four workers died before the closure. The episode raised questions about workplace safety and compliance with public-health requirements.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Worker-identifying shirt labels
United States
Los Angeles Apparel printed the names and faces of production workers on shirt labels to make the labor behind its garments more visible.
Outcome. The initiative reinforced the company's worker-focused and domestic-manufacturing identity, although the available reference does not document measurable commercial results.
Brand decisions
2020
Reopen as an essential mask producer during pandemic restrictionsStrategyBackground
During the initial COVID-19 lockdown period, the company sought to continue operations by making and selling masks under essential-business provisions.
Action taken
Los Angeles Apparel reopened while producing masks, a decision that allowed operations to continue but was followed by scrutiny of infection-control practices and employee safety.
Aftermath
Public health officials later ordered the factory to close, citing serious violations of mandatory infection-control orders. Reporting linked the period to approximately 300 worker infections and four worker deaths.
2016
Adopt a wholesale and vertically integrated manufacturing modelStrategyBackground
Los Angeles Apparel was created as a wholesale apparel business modeled in part on American Apparel's earlier operating approach. The company also sought to retain substantial control over manufacturing in Los Angeles.
Action taken
The company focused on supplying basic garments to screen printers, apparel companies, boutiques, and other wholesale buyers while maintaining knitting, dyeing, and garment-production capabilities in Los Angeles.
Aftermath
The model established the brand's association with domestic production, basic apparel, and supply-chain integration. A later arrangement with TSC Apparel expanded access to wholesale customers.
2016
Acquire equipment and materials from American Apparel's bankruptcy saleM&ABackground
American Apparel entered bankruptcy after Charney's departure, creating an opportunity to acquire existing apparel-production assets.
Action taken
Los Angeles Apparel purchased fabric, computers, sewing machines, and other equipment; approximately 90 percent of its factory machinery was reported to have previously belonged to American Apparel.
Aftermath
The purchases provided the new company with production infrastructure and created a direct operational link to Charney's former business.
Recent events
- 2017
Los Angeles Apparel launches worker-identifying shirt labels[1]
Campaign
The company placed the names and faces of production workers on shirt labels as a way of emphasizing the people involved in making its garments.
- 2016
Los Angeles Apparel enters wholesale arrangement with TSC Apparel[1]
Other
TSC Apparel entered a multimillion-dollar business arrangement to sell Los Angeles Apparel products to customers including Live Nation Entertainment and screen printers that had previously purchased American Apparel merchandise.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/los-angeles-apparel · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled