“Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel” Unzips a Fashion Empire

Netflix’s acclaimed Trainwreck docuseries is no stranger to documenting industries and companies where big dreams can become big disasters, and Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel is no exception. Directed by Sally Rose Griffiths, the episode looks at fashion’s neon-lit, controversy-soaked corner: the rise and fall of American Apparel and its founder, Dov Charney.

For those who only remember American Apparel as Walmart’s ill-fated “prince of retail,” the brand was a cultural force in the early 2000s, boasting brightly colored basics, ethically made clothing, and ads with near-constant nudity. In many ways, working at American Apparel was an opportunity for its then-young, mostly idealistic employees, as much as it was for the company. But as Griffiths digs deeper, one thing becomes increasingly clear: behind the graphic tees and feel-good rhetoric, there was dysfunction.

With the help of frank interviews and a dizzying amount of archival footage, Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel documents Charney’s rise as a visionary designer and his fall from grace as a business owner accused of sexual misconduct, erratic management, and financial mismanagement, with his empire falling apart before our eyes. Griffiths doesn’t sensationalize any of the topics or the story; instead, the former employees’ interviews paint a picture of a workplace with murky lines and a concentration of power that went unchecked.

Most striking is that American Apparel, with all of its slogans and ‘look good/feel good’ branding, was selling more than just clothes. It was selling an identity. When that identity began to crumble, so too did the people involved. A blast from the early 2000s past, with an infectious indie-electro soundtrack to match, Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel is both nostalgic and disconcertingly relevant.

This documentary is one that anyone who ever took on the brand’s image (especially if you rocked the extra-deep V-necks) should stream as soon as possible, for a fashion-forward reminder that the dream can come unspooled a lot faster than you might think.

Final Grade: B+

Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel is available to stream tomorrow on Netflix