Fashion

You'll Actually Be Able To Shop American Apparel Again Super Soon

by Rosie Narasaki
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You thought they closed their doors forever, but they're back — so, when can you shop American Apparel again? Yes, the popular-yet-troubled brand went bankrupt earlier this year, but they were actually bought by Gildan Activewear, Inc. (and for a cool $88 million, no less). Now that the dust has settled, Gildan is planning on bringing American Apparel back. Online only — unfortunately, the brick and mortar shops will stay closed — but it's still quite the boon for fans of the brand.

You may recognize Gildan from their presence in the Target underwear aisle, or from the tag on the back of that screenprinted shirt you got for participating in that 5K last summer — they're known for their activewear basics and underwear, which makes them a good fit for American Apparel's wares.

Gildan has already been selling American Apparel pieces wholesale, and they're planning on relaunching American Apparel's website soon — within the next two weeks, actually. "At the end of the day we will do very well with this brand," explained Gildan chief executive Glenn Chamandy to Business of Fashion. "This will hopefully be one of the best acquisitions the company has ever made, in terms of return on investment, so we’re very excited about it."

According once more to Business of Fashion, the new line will include jeans, in addition to "American Apparel's historic offerings" — which presumably means that their super soft T-shirts, technicolor leggings, and thigh-high tube socks will all be back.

Interestingly, Gildan will be manufacturing American Apparel clothes both here in the U.S. and overseas — which is at odds with the original brand's "Made in the U.S.A." mantra. Still, the U.S.-manufactured option will be available for those who want it.

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It's also worth noting that former American Apparel CEO Dov Charney has started a rival company, Los Angeles Apparel — so that's always an option too, if you really, really miss the brand's glory days.

What do you think? Will you be shopping from the resurrected American Apparel e-commerce site?