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Back in January, Paula Schneider was named CEO of American Apparel following the highly-publicized termination of its sleazy founder Dov Charney. Although the Cali-based fashion veteran certainly has her work cut out for her at the controversial company, she's taking it all in stride.
She's also not afraid to talk about AA's past and progress, as revealed in her recent profile in the August issue of Elle and on Elle.com. Here are six insightful highlights from the piece.
1. Employees have daily dance parties. At the start of the interview, Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo Money Mo Problems" blasts over the building's intercom, and Schneider leads the way "to a multiethnic group of sewers who are halfheartedly stretching their legs at the once-per-shift 10-minute dance party."
2. An Entourage star wants to play Dov Charney. When first meeting the former CEO, Schneider reveals that '"Dov and I sat around talking about who'd play us in a movie.' Charney told Schneider that Adrian Grenier had expressed interest in depicting him. For the record, she wants either Diane Lane or Rene Russo—'somebody with a smaller butt'—to play her."
3. Schneider will receive a major bonus if the company's sales increase. Her face was on an employee-created picket sign "calling out a rumored $350,000 performance bonus, which she'll receive pending the results of her first year."
4. American Apparel wants to hire a Jenner. "'I'd love to get Bruce Jenner to model for us'—this was just before the debut of Caitlyn—'I think it'd be spectacular because, you know, that highlights his cause, and he is 65. I think it would be really interesting.'"
5. American Apparel is launching its first-ever "cohesive" collection this fall. "Samples include a minimalist goatskin leather moto jacket, retailing under $500, and other pointedly grown-up pieces, including a midi skirt, a trench, and wide-leg pants, all in a color palette heavy on rusts and greens."
6. Dov Charney stalks the American Apparel factory. "'Most days you'll see him right outside,' Schneider said, gesturing from her office window to the parking lot and the street beyond. 'He tries to talk to people. He can't come in the building—he has his own agenda.'"
Read the full story here.
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