Where Is Dov Charney Now? An Update on the Former American Apparel CEO

Netflix’s latest documentary is diving into the complicated history of American Apparel and its founder, Dov Charney.

Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel documents how the clothing brand rose to fame in the fashion industry and fell from grace due to Charney’s behind-the-scenes controversies. “Dove doesn’t understand the word ‘no,’” a person states in the film’s trailer, while another adds, “He was crossing all kinds of lines and boundaries.”

Following inappropriate workplace behavior and sexual harassment allegations, Charney was ousted from his role as American Apparel’s CEO in 2014. A decade later, Charney is continuing to make a name for himself in the fashion world.

Scroll down for an update on Charney’s American Apparel controversy and where he is now:

Why was Dov Charney let go from American Apparel?

Charney founded American Apparel in 1989. The brand grew synonymous with its simple and chic clothing, and for manufacturing products in the United States. Things took a turn when Charney was accused of sexual misconduct, inappropriate workplace behavior, and using ethnic slurs in sexual harassment lawsuits in 2005 and 2011, per CNBC.

“It was definitely an open secret that Dov was sleeping with the employees,” one person says in the Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel trailer. Another individual states, “The allegations that landed on my desk made me absolutely enraged. These claims happened over and over again.”

Charney was ultimately let go from the company in December 2014 after American Apparel determined he violated the company’s sexual harassment and anti-discrimination policies, per CNBC.

Charney — who has denied the sexual harassment allegations — told CNBC in a January 2020 statement, “The board asked me to voluntarily step down as CEO and relinquish control over my 27% ownership stake in the company, or be forcibly removed. Using old, discredited allegations they knew were false as a cover to terminate me, they embarked on a well-financed media campaign to discredit me and my track record as a successful executive and entrepreneur.”

What did Dov Charney do after his firing?

American Apparel was granted a restraining order against Charney in June 2015, temporarily preventing him from talking negatively about the company in the press, per ABC News. Charney hit back by filing a defamation lawsuit against American Apparel that same year, though the case was dismissed two years later. A judge also turned down his offer to buy the brand out of bankruptcy in 2016, per Biography.com.

American Apparel has been owned by the Canadian company Gildan Activewear since 2017. Though the company no longer has retail stores, customers can still purchase clothing items online.

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Where is Dov Charney today?

Charney got back into the fashion business by launching the clothing brand Los Angeles Apparel in 2016. Similar to American Apparel’s founding principles, the company is “focused on sustainability and efficiency in order to advance the interests of our customers, our workers, our shareholders, the community and the world,” according to its website.

Last month, the California-based company announced via Instagram that it will open a new store in Soho, New York, this summer. Charney has also teamed up with Kanye West to manufacture items for his controversial clothing brand Yeezy.

Is Dov Charney married?

Charney has kept his love life and private life out of the public eye in the years since his sexual harassment scandal. Instead, he shows off his love of L.A. by sharing photos he has taken around the city online. “This is my photographic journey of Los Angeles,” his Instagram bio reads.

Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel, Now Streaming, Netflix