American Apparel Snaps Up Cool NY Shop Oak, Eyes LA Spaces

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Notorious for its Pantone-happy basics, skin-baring ads and controversial leader, American Apparel's latest move comes at a bit of a surprise at first glance. Dov Charney & Co. recently snapped up NY-based retailer Oak, known for its avant-garde aesthetic that makes it pass for AA's edgier, East Coast cousin.

"I saw an opportunity to build Oak without a lot of extra costs," Charney tells fashion trade pub WWD. The NY boutique will move some of its in-house label's production to AA's DTLA facilities, but founders Louis Terline and Jeff Madalena will continue to run the show on their own. Oak is also setting its sights on expansion outside of NY, with shops in LA (hooray!) and Seoul in the works.

So why's this addition good for AA? For one, it makes the financially-recovering company's books look better, as our sister site in NY points out. The purchase will also help the LA-based business rebound with holdings in a non-competitive market. No news yet on whether the merge means even more perks for AA's employees.
· American Apparel [Official Site]
· American Apparel Purchases N.Y. Specialty Retailer Oak [WWD, sub req'd]
· American Apparel Buys OAK NYC: Why That's a Good Thing [Racked]
· Did You Know American Apparel HQ Employees Get Free Valet? [Racked]
· Dov Charney Talks About How He Would Have Saved JCPenney [Racked]