Late Wednesday night, American Apparel fired to its controversy-courting founder Dov Charney as chief executive due to an “ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.”
At the same time that scandal clung to Charney, the company’s financial performance faltered. Shares in the company have fallen 84 percent over the past five years. Charney was the subject of lawsuits for sexual harassment and violence aimed at employees, charges routinely denied by American Apparel.
Charney relished the aura of misbehavior and his company’s advertising became renown for its over-the-top and unbuttoned sexual imagery. Some of the ads were so out-there that they drew bans overseas.
Here’s a look at ten of the most controversial ads used by the retailer.
