American Apparel Is Officially Back in Business

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When American Apparel filed for bankruptcy last year and proceeded to close all of its stores, a bunch of Racked staff members were distressed that they’d never be able to get their favorite Easy Jeans or crop tops again. We shouldn’t have worried, apparently, because Gildan Activewear, which acquired American Apparel out of bankruptcy proceedings, has finally gotten American Apparel’s e-commerce site is back up and running, and it’s full of old school pieces.

The website invites visitors to “Shop the Archives,” which features select pieces from classically racy photoshoots dating back to 2007, like the Disco pant and striped thigh-high socks. The “Basics Shop” is full of just that: baseball tees, crewnecks, and colorful hoodies.

But it’s not all the same. Gildan only purchased American Apparel’s name — not its operations — and as a result, it’s moved a portion of its manufacturing facilities abroad. (American Apparel has historically made its clothing in Los Angeles.) That’s why you’ll see a landing page for its made in USA capsule collection, which positions eight items that are manufactured in the States next to their “globally made” duplicates, giving customers the option to buy a $48 USA-made hoodie or a virtually identical $38 version made elsewhere. Needless to say, the company is going to be watching to see how much made in USA really matters to customers and responding accordingly.

In a bid for transparency about its new foreign factories, American Apparel’s site has a “Sweatshop Free Stories” section that houses what promises to be a recurring series on the workers in American Apparel’s new factory in Honduras.