Fashion Industry discussion, review, analysis, news, and information

I work at American Apparel, as part of the media team. My leaving this comment on your blog is the extent of our "coming after you."

I read the advance copy of the Clamor "expose" about the place and people I know well. To call that text "journalism" is preposterous. We don't have a problem with Clamor or anyone else publishing their opinions about us. The writer of the piece that just came out on Knowmore.org disagrees with American Apparel policies, but it's an article we consider to be very good, because it is very well researched and it presents facts in an objective way. That's good journalism. The problem with the Clamor piece is that it contains several factual errors.

As for the fine line:

I don't think any intelligent reader would assume that something she reads in a blog is necessarily a correct statement of fact, or base her opinion of a company on some blog entry. But readers of print publications have a reasonable expectation that stuff they read in those publication was produced by competent journalists and approved by fact checkers. Is it any wonder that American Apparel is concerned that ten thousand readers may form a bad (and, since based on error, unfair) opinion about the company? Law protects goodwill, and why wouldn't we resort to law when ours is threatned unfairly?

It's like this: if someone scribbled on a bathroom stall "Maria is stupid" you might erase it, or cross it out, or just ignore it. But if a professor wrote in a reference letter "Maria is bad student," and you felt that this unfair description of you might damage your carereer, you'd probably do something about it, no?

American Apparel is a bit like Kate moss - they both thrive on the insinuation of bad behavior. Its a great marketing tactic! see my post on it: www.http://visadiaries.com/wordpress/?p=15

Maria! Darling, that Clamor magazine article was preposterous! Talk about biased! They got a Union organizer to write about a Labor dispute at the factory. Then they interviewed a competitor to get the scoop on Dov Charney's worldview on women. Huh? Talk about the product, talk about the apparel, but why was Adam Neiman of garment manufacturer No Sweat Apparel asked about how Charney views the opposite sex? Can you say hatchet job little boys and girls?

I think the real news about Clamor and its oddly late article bashing American Apparel (wasn't that like, sooo last year?) is that it came at the heels of an unsuccesful, year-long campaign to get American Apparel to sign on as an advertiser. Odd isn't it, that Clamor t-shirts are made by American Apparel?

After all the hullabaloo, Charney has yet to be found guilty of anything. I continue to wear the shirts because they are sublime and I believe in the people behind the company.

Funny how this secondary "Viva" is regurgitating the exact statements of the American Apparel Media Relations person. Might this just be Weronika Cwir in Viva clothing? Let's just hope they're not made by American Apparel! ;) Shady tactics, y'all.

Ganapati, I am not Viva. All my comments are signed with my real name: Weronika, and most also include my last name: Cwir. I always identify myslef as an American Apparel employee, and I never hide that my goal is to protect my company's good name. I work on my comments to make sure that the arguments contained in them are strong enough to stand up on their own, without having to be bolstered by other commenters.

W- Not true. You post to blogs (on the clock) to have the last word and push your employer's agenda.

Everyone else - For a more detailed discussion, see the Clamor blog http://clamormagazine.org/blog/archives/fall-issue-sneak-preview/

Unfortunately, I don't get paid to post to blogs and challenge nasty corporate PR folks.

W- Not true. You post to blogs (on the clock) to have the last word and push your employer's agenda.

Everyone else - For a more detailed discussion, see the Clamor blog http://clamormagazine.org/blog/archives/fall-issue-sneak-preview/

Unfortunately, I don't get paid to post to blogs and challenge nasty corporate PR folks so let's continue the conversation in one central location.

Ganapati, of course I "push my employer's agenda." I am part of the media team at American Apparel, so it engaging in dialogue with the media and presenting my company's position is part of my job. I also answer letters from our customers, help students gather information for school projects about American Apparel, and make it easier for journalists to get interviews with people who work for me.

And yes, I work very hard. I happen to like my job very much, and I take it seriously. I am confused as to why this surprises you, and why you treat this as a reason to invalide everything I say.

Please, when you criticize my statements, either show where my arguments are illogical, or where the assumptions on which I base these arguments are false. Or, if there is another way to conduct an intelligent discussion, please point it out.

"work for me" in my previous comment was a Freudian slip; I meant to say "work with me"

Oh Ganapati! You thought I was a paid media flack? The administrators of this blog can out me in a second if I was Weronicka. We'd both be posting from the same IP address. Curious though how you simply didn't address any of the points I made. I mean its fine to get a union organizer to opine about a labor issue, if we're talking about an editorial. Also, it's fine to ask a competitor about his competition's state of mind, if you're a yellow journalist. But please, don't try portray Clamor magazine's piece as some kind of important work of cutting edge journalism. Let's just call it what it is, and that is crap. I hope no one from Clamor is planning on applying to the Columbia School of Journalism any time soon!