Okay, I'm way out of the kitchen with this one, but I've recently taken an interest in American Apparel. They have an interesting story, and a store down the street from my place.

From the photo, you might just assume they are like the Gap or any other large, hip clothing store. But what makes American Apparel different is that instead of just being a design, marketing, and retail company, they are a manufacturing company. Buying something from someone who makes their own product makes me feel more connected with them. And to strengthen the connection, all their clothing is made, from knitting the fabric through the completed shirt, 113 miles from me in their Los Angeles factory.

My first experience with their clothing is when a guy came in to my store and gave us Converse shirts. This became my favorite t-shirt for the next few years because it fit me perfectly and was made of such soft cotton. Only recently did I look at the label and find out that it was made by American Apparel.

American Apparel is run by Dov Charney who started the company in the late 90's. It has been one of the fastest growing companies in the US over the past years. They are unique in many ways and that has created interest in them. They are located in the United States despite the cost of labor being lower in other countries. They employ over 5,000 people at their plant and are conscious of treating their workers well, paying on average $13.50 per hour. They have a line of clothing made with organic cotton sold at the same price as their other cloths, recycle all their scrap fabric, have solar panels on their roof supplying 20% of their electricity, and have a department dedicated to sustainability. The models they use in their advertising are mostly company employees and their ads are sexy. Many people don't like their focus on sex, but I'm okay with it personally. Their clothing has no printing on it, making it clean and simple.

When I think of the people I am most drawn to, I think of four qualities that must come together. First, I'm drawn to people who do original things or do them in a unique way that reflects their personality. Second, whatever they do, they do it well, putting substantial energy and thought in to it. Third, I respect what they do. And fourth, they are positive and fun to be around. I'm drawn to American Apparel based on these things, given what I know right now about them.

Being open to letting people in to see with their own eyes what you are all about is a powerful way of communicating who and what you are. It's hard to fake authenticity, although not impossible, when someone is right in front of you. I'm impressed about how open American Apparel is to having people tour their factory.

Here's a recent study on generation Y (people in there 20s) and what they look for in the things they buy. American Apparel scored high on this list. One of the main qualities is simplicity. This translates in to product design, pricing, and product offering. Think of companies like Apple and Jet Blue. Other qualities include social and environmental consciousness (Whole Foods and American Apparel) and a sort of dorkiness that reflects the companies personality (Trader Joe's Hawaiian shirts and newsletters and In-N-Out Burger uniforms; I also think of the beer nerds at Stone Brew).