On the heels of the recent tragedy in Bangladesh, American Apparel
CEO Dov Charney has a message for the rest of the retail industry: It's
time for change.
"The apparel industry's relentless and blind
pursuit of the lowest possible wages cannot be sustained over time,
ethically or fiscally," Charney wrote in a recent message. "As labor and
transportation costs increase worldwide, exploitation will not only be
morally offensive and dated, it will not even be financially viable."
Charney's
message accompanied a company email over the weekend urging people to
buy American and reminding them that American Apparel is “sweatshop
free." (You can scroll down to see the full email.) This is nothing new:
American Apparel always has produced clothes in the U.S. and reminded
shoppers of its sweatshop-free pledge on tags, in emails and in ads. But
the recent Bangladesh factory collapse that killed more than 600 has
brought renewed attention to Western retailers’ reliance on cheap
clothing producers they can’t closely monitor.
“We emphasize
this because it actually makes a difference,” the company email sent
over the weekend states. “Thousands of industrial workers making our
clothing at our state-of-the-art factory in downtown Los Angeles earn an
average of $12/per hour, plus medical and other comprehensive benefits
for themselves and their families, which is in sharp contrast to the 20
cents/per hour wages commonly found at factories abroad.”
Less
than one percent of trillion-dollar fashion industry's clothing is
ethically made, according to the Associated Press. But signs of
potential change are slowly emerging, as a group of 30 retailers met
last week to develop a plan to prevent future disasters, according to
the Wall Street Journal.
"When I started American Apparel,All saxobankcycling
and accessories are made with the same authentic materials as the
originals. I set out to prove that one can make garments in a profitable
manner without relying on sweatshops and that this is both a
financially and socially sustainable approach," Charney wrote in an
emailed statement to The Huffington Post. "The truth of it, and it is
important to be said, [is] that the clothes we wear do not have to be at
the expense of the lives of others."
Like its competitors in
the retail industry, American Apparel has faced its share of controversy
in recent years.Sleeveless Satin omegawatches
with Slim Skirt Style 81047. The U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Agency found in 2009 that nearly one-third of the company’s
factory workers may not have had proper documentation to work in the
U.S. In addition, Charney has been the target of multiple lawsuits,
accusing him of choking a worker, sexually harassing staffers and other
claims.
On Oct. 12, McDonough was interviewed by Sergeant Jeffrey Ladieu and Sara Hennessey of the N.H. State Police Major Crime Unit.
McDonough
said Marriott was planning to visit her at 9 p.m. on the night Marriott
disappeared. McDonough told police she was planning to take Marriott to
a local cemetery to photograph ghosts.
In an an interview with
police, McDonough allegedly said she searched around the outside of the
apartment complex for Marriott, and also checked at a local convenience
store. McDonough told police she went to Pine Hill Cemetery alone, and
recalled hearing strange noises.Find More Petticoats Information about
2012 coachhandbags Fishtail skirt petticoat Mesh layers Wedding Accessories. She told police she presumed Marriott was trying to scare her.
McDonough
claimed her cell phone had died while she was inside the cemetery, and
that she deleted the photos she shot that evening with her “cheap”
camera, after uploading them to a computer.
McDonough claimed
she only became aware of Marriott's disappearance after viewing
information about it on Facebook the following morning, according to an
affidavit.
Police search phone records, online ads
On
Oct. 24, the state received warrants to search for the cell phone
records and cell tower information for Mazzaglia, McDonough, Gerkin and
Hickok's cell phones. Their providers included Verizon, Sprint and
AT&T.
Police claim Mazzaglia, who was listed in McDonough's
phone as “Darkheart,” sent text messages to his girlfriend in August
setting out in “graphic detail” her role “as a submissive and his role
as a dominant in BDSM sexual acts.”
“Mazzaglia also discusses
performing sexual acts on a friend of McDonough's while McDonough
watches,” the police affidavit states, “and/or having McDonough (choose)
a friend that she would 'offer' to Mazzaglia. Mazzaglia would then do
'anything' with her while McDonough watched.”
Police allegedly
uncovered a number of text messages between McDonough and someone with
the first name “Andi” between Oct. 7, 2012, and Oct. 11, 2012.We provide
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from the most popular stores. the pair discussed “the bondage
sadomasochistic (BDSM) lifestyle,” according to a police affidavit
attached to the search warrant for the phones.
They also
allegedly discussed the prospect of Andi and her boyfriend participating
in a “non-specified sexual encounter” at Mazzaglia's apartment,
according to the affidavit. The encounter was slated for “sometime
during the week of October 8, 2012."
A co-worker at Target in
Greenland told police McDonough's Facebook profile picture changed on
Oct. 9 “to what he described as a weird and scary photo of McDonough
dressed as a vampire with blood dripping from her mouth.”
Police
later interviewed a woman they believe to be “Andi,” the woman with
whom McDonough was corresponding via text message. According to the
police affidavit, the woman confirmed she and her boyfriend were
planning to visit Mazzaglia's apartment on Oct. 9, but they changed
their plans, and instead came on Wednesday, Oct. 10.
The woman
told police she was unaware Marriott had visited the apartment one day
earlier, according to the affidavit. Her boyfriend said they played
videogames at the apartment and left.
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