Back in June, it appeared that American Apparel founder Dov Charney had finally—finally!—met his downfall. The t-shirt king, who is notorious for his sleazy behavior and sexually explicit advertising, basically screwed himself with a combination of bad business and continued sexual harassment of his employees. On June 18, the board of directors issued a statement announcing the removal of Charney as CEO, explaining that the decision “grew out of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.”

Charney immediately mounted a defense, rallying his legal team and striking a deal with New York hedge fund Standard General. Now, he’s officially back in the business. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Standard General, which owns a 44 per cent stake in the company, “will bring in a cash infusion of up to $25 million,” thus saving American Apparel from “potential financial ruin.”

Charney and four other board members will step down, but Charney will continue to work as a “strategic consultant” while being investigated for sexual misconduct. According to the LA Times, “a committee of board members will determine whether he can serve as ‘CEO or an officer or employee of American Apparel'” once the investigation is complete.

The good news? “Standard General is upholding American Apparel’s commitment to making its products in America. The investment firm will not support shifting even a percentage of U.S. manufacturing to low-cost countries overseas, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.”

Sounds like the employees jobs are secure for now. But are they safe from Charney’s skeezy wandering hands? Time will tell.

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American Apparel, famous for its sticky, sparkly onesies, is bordering obsessive in regard to Yiddish culture (see: American Apparel’s Black Nail Polish Color is Called ‘Hassid’). The store’s Tumblr page, typically adorned with heroin-chic models sportin’ side ponytails and see-through blouses, has a new face —a face with payos.

Meet Yoel Weisshaus. Yoel, a Chasidish Jew who grew up in a Yiddish speaking home in Brooklyn, attended Yeshiva at an early age. Yoel is a peasant with chutzpa known for suing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey over its controversial toll hikes, at prices that exceed twofold what one earns per hour under the minimum wage. Yoel is talented and drafts his own pleadings because he cannot afford an attorney, his case is still ongoing. He freelances in sales of American made braidings and ribbons for local garments and hat manufactures. Yoel has an accent because English is not his first language, but he is still striving to learn English writing.

Props and daps to Weisshaus for a job well done in the garment industry. Maybe “Peasant with Chutzpa” will be the company’s next look—shtreimels and Deep V Tee’s.

Meet Yoel Weisshaus [American Apparel]

(Photo by Bloomberg/Getty)

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American Apparel’s nail polish collection may be free from formaldehyde, but it’s hardly free from the clothing company’s signature in-your-face cheekiness. A reader drew our attention to the line’s black shade, which is tastefully named ‘Hassid.’

We take nail polish names pretty seriously around here, and understand the pressure to compete with polish powerhouses like Essie and OPI, which seem to have completely cornered the pun market. Still, Hassid seems like a particularly uninspired choice.

The meeting probably went something like this:

“So, we’ve already decided on names for American Denim, African Violet, and Factory Grey. What should we call our black color?”

“Well, we went with Raccoon for brown, and Passport Blue for navy. I just wish there was some cute way to describe the color black.”

“What about those funny black hats Hasidic Jews wear?”

“Perfect! We’ll call it Hassid.”

This isn’t the first time American Apparel founder Dov Charney, who is Jewish, has gotten himself in hot water with his fellow MOTs. In 2009, Woody Allen sued the company for using an unauthorized image of him dressed as a Hasidic Jew in a scene from Annie Hall on a billboard advertisement, and received a $5 million payment.

American Apparel has never seemed to mind ruffling a few feathers to get attention; it’s pretty much their business model at this point (that and floral crop tops). Should we take the bait on this one?

(screenshot, americanapparel.net)

(photo by the author)

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It wasn’t just the Hebrew in the background that caught my attention in the Urban Outfitters Spring 2011 catalog that just came through my mail slot – it was the tichels. Yes, Urban Outfitters has decided to co-opt the headscarf style worn by many married frum Jewish women.

Urban Outfitters has a mixed history with Israel and many American Jews who’ve accused their clothing choices of being anti-Israel. Whether that’s based on naivete or not, maybe it had some effect on their latest photo shoot – which draws inspiration from Orthodox Jewish women. I’m not talking about the frum women in shul on the Upper West Side dressed from head to toe in Bergdorf labels with the gorgeous, flowing wigs that make you feel like they’re just cheating their ways out of a bad hair day. No, not them: I’m talking about the no-nonsense ladies in urban Israel, standing behind you at the kosher market; two kids in tow and four more at home and want you to move faster because they have to get home to prepare for shabbos.

In the photo shoot, it is hard to deny the source of inspiration. The tichels, the blouse buttoned up to the chin – it’s actually pretty remarkable. I would have loved to have been a fly on that Jerusalem stone wall when the creative director of the photo shoot looked around, then said, “You know what? Let’s button her up, and put this shmata on her head like this.”

And why not? They are beautiful and stylish in their own way. I just didn’t expect Urban Outfitters to seize upon that understated beauty.

Now I can’t wait to see college students rocking this look come spring.

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