SWOT Analysis
Marketing 304 Section 12382
Group# 5
Nancy Alonzo
Yavon Irving
Salvador Bustos
Cory Lashinsky
American Apparel is a vertically integrated clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer. AAI is best known for making basic, solid color T-shirts and undergarments. They have expanded into dresses, denim, bedding, pants, and accessories for men, women, children, babies, and dogs. Their long-term goal it to become the #1 destination for basic apparel – the first name that consumers think of for t-shirts, sweatpants, underwear, socks, etc.
What sets American Apparel apart from other clothing companies is that every aspect of their production takes place in the center of Los Angeles, California, making it the largest manufacturer in the United States that is sweat-shop free and does not outsource. American Apparel has the highest paid factory workers in the United States and they currently employ approximately 10,000 people globally (about 5,000 are employed in Los Angeles). Overall, American Apparel is striving to become the biggest apparel operation in human history, “one t-shirt at a time.” Their mission statement says it all: Committed to leveraging art, design, and technology to produce garments of the highest quality, while pioneering industry standards of social responsibility in the workplace. American Apparel’s goal is to make basic garments that people actually enjoy wearing without having to rely on cheap labor.
Since the opening of their first store in Los Angeles, CA, in 2003, American Apparel has been successful at leveraging their core competencies of design and merchandising, making it a recognized name in quality clothing.
American Apparel is a unique brand with its own unique target-market of young adults who prefer the quality of a good piece of a basic garment. Their racy ads have captured the young generation of fan base that are loyal to the brand. However, as in any other business, American