Dov Charney

Dov Charney is the founder and CEO of American Apparel, an international retail and wholesale brand known for its fashionable basics. Charney has been an entrepreneur in the t-shirt business since he was a teenager, developing a boyhood passion for all things American into the largest garment manufacturing operation in North America.

American Apparel’s vertically integrated and sweatshop-free facilities in downtown Los Angeles produce over 1 million garments per week for a network of 260 self-owned and –operated stores in 20 countries. In addition to a manufacturing model that pays the highest garment worker wages in the world, Charney’s philosophy reduces AA’s industrial footprint by utilizing solar power and creative re-use. Charney has led the organization’s public stances on immigration and gay marriage, and is involved in nearly every aspect of the business from design to manufacturing to advertising. His visionary approach to the apparel business has grown the company into a $500-million-a-year business with more than 10,000 employees worldwide.