American Apparel: a cult disguised as fashion

NETFLIX’S Trainwreck docu-series has me in a chokehold, okay? From cruise ships turned floating toilets to festivals that never were, this series is my kind of chaotic binge.

- BERNELEE VOLLMER

But this week’s episode, Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel, really got me spiralling.

It’s giving fashion fever, cult realness and one of the most problematic CEOs to ever sit in an open-plan office. Welcome to the world of Dov Charney - or as I like to call him, the man who turned a T-shirt into a movement and himself into a menace.

American Apparel wasn’t just another clothing brand in the 2000s. It was the brand.

Everyone wanted in. It was quirky, it was edgy and it made basics look like runway statements.

The kind of place that, rumour has it, even opened up after hours just for Beyoncé to shop in peace. That's how hot this label was.

From teen Tumblr girls to A-list celebs, the whole world was romanced by cotton bodycon and neon gym shorts.

But like every cult, there's a “visionary” behind the madness and in this case, it was Charney. The man, the myth, the narcissist.