American Apparel opened its first shop in 2003 based on the ideal that not only can a large company achieve capital success but also environmental and social success as well. From the inception of the nationwide clothing company issues such as anti-sweatshop and anti-globalization have always been at the forefront. In addition to that American Apparel recycles over a million pounds of clothing fabric and uses scraps to make some of their smaller sized garments.

The Sustainable Edition is their newest attempt in improving yet another aspect of the company’s process. The new line is a selection of American Apparel’s most popular styles and is composed of 100% USDA certified organic cotton. This is a mere stepping stone as the ultimate goal is to gradually increase the amount of organic cotton used in the company’s main clothing line. Their search for new ways to improve the cultivation of cotton is underway and the business is hopeful that eventually every garment will be composed of a certain percentage of organic fiber.