American Apparel Opens in Dublin, Ireland

DUBLIN and LOS ANGELES -

American Apparel, the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, has opened their first store in Ireland.

The 4,000 sq ft two-story space, located in Dublin’s historic Irish Life building, is one of the largest American Apparel stores in Europe.

“The space itself was alive with character and cultural significance. By leaving the original building details intact and combining our original graphics and product line, it is a retail installation that celebrates architecture, photography and fashion. We are especially excited to be here because of the proximity to both Trinity College and Grafton Street, which positions us right at the heart of Dublin’s city life,” said Marsha Brady, creative director for American Apparel.

The Dublin location features American Apparel’s staple collection of basic T-shirts, sweatshirts, underwear and the company’s new product categories, which include men’s button down dress shirts, floral prints, and jackets.

American Apparel has already hired 20 new employees for the store but may be holding additional open calls for models and sales associates in the coming weeks.

“Hiring in Dublin allowed us to broaden our global search for employees with a unique vision of style. We look for people with a deep understanding of what our brand means and a desire to make their own contribution to it. As we grow, we’re excited to incorporate Ireland’s voice into the company’s aesthetic and that will come from our new employees and customers,” Brady said.

The long anticipated opening occurred on Thursday, satisfying many bloggers and fashion websites who’d speculated about the opening date of American Apparel Dublin for quite some time.

“After months of delays and setbacks, most beyond our control, it was a joy to see supporters who have obviously been following the company from afar finally able to come inside the first American Apparel in their own country. We are all very proud of our first store in Ireland,” said Brent Chase, American Apparel’s UK operations manager.

American Apparel is known for its provocative advertisements, outspoken political viewpoints and its Sweatshop Free labor policy. Garment workers for the company are paid fair wages (between $12-18 USD per hour) and have access to low-cost medical insurance for themselves and their families. American Apparel has over 10,500 employees and is the largest clothing manufacturer in the United States. Over 47,000 Made in USA pieces produced by these workers were imported to Ireland for the Dublin location.

With this opening, American Apparel now has more than 270 stores in 19 countries.

About American Apparel

American Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of branded fashion basic apparel based in downtown Los Angeles, California. As of June 30, 2009, American Apparel employed approximately 10,000 people and operated over 270 retail stores in 19 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China. American Apparel also operates a leading wholesale business that supplies high quality T-shirts and other casual wear to distributors and screen printers. In addition to its retail stores and wholesale operations, American Apparel operates an online retail e-commerce website at www.americanapparel.net.

Source: American Apparel

Marsha Brady of American Apparel, +1-213-488-0226, marsha at americanapparel.net