Strip Tees is Kate Flannery's memoir of her days working for the company American Apparel. Kate tells her story with candor and humor; I devoured it in a day.

Kate was a Bryn Mawr graduate and unfulfilled in her corporate job at Urban Outfitters where she thought she would be a good fit. She decides to relocate to Los Angeles and is shortly recruited to work for American Apparel, the rising star in the fashion industry. It is almost too good to be true. What follows are her experiences with the company run by the cult-like leader Dov Charney.

Kate does a great job setting the scene and is so descriptive you feel as though you are there watching it all unfold, along for the ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

4.5 Stars

I love a good 'finding yourself' memoir and Strip Tees is a near-perfect example of this.

Kate Flannery arrives in LA and is quickly drawn into a world that is unfamiliar from what she knows or expects. With her job at American Apparel, she wrestles the lines between her feminist ideals and the over=sexual nature of the company.

This is both a cautionary tale and a redemption story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity.

BAHHA, so I'm actually a dumbass. I had no idea who this memoir was about. Like no joke, I thought this memoir was written by the Kate Flannery who starred as Meredith in NBC's The Office... Yeah, I was so confused like halfway through the narration. I was like, this doesn't sound like raunchy Meredith Palmer...

SO ANYWAY, I learned a lot. I had an idea how twisted the fashion scene was in the early 2000s, but hearing about it second hand and not from rumors, is enough to make me gag at the sexist capitalist ventures at hand. I was always too young to shop at American Apparel but I was familiar with their brands, and now I'm just now learning of all the misconduct and scandals that have taken place and I'm totally Team Flannery on this one.

Strip Tees is worth the listen or read and it hits shelves on July 18, 2023.

Memoir following a young woman living in LA and working for American Apparel during their rise in the early 2000’s. It’s common knowledge by now how toxic the company was, but I appreciate the author’s honesty… even if it left me feeling little to no sympathy for her at times. This has a very specific audience, but if you’re around my age and looking for some indie sleaze inspired nostalgia, this is it.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

5/5

There is so much tea in this book!! I clung to every word. The author does an incredible job of calling out some really messed up behaviors within the American Apparel culture, while putting the reader in the headspace of the employee. It’s easy to see why all of these problematic things were not called out in the moment. There is also great discussion (and I could feel the author’s inner struggle) about feminism and how women wearing (or not wearing) whatever they want can still be manipulated by men and authority.

This memoir is a super interesting narrative, not just about American Apparel, but about feminism, modeling culture, the struggles of being a women in a powerful male led environment, and so much more.

Wow, this was so good! Strip Tees is a compulsively readable memoir that reads like a novel. Kate Flannery has such a vibrant voice. She really brought me back to the early aughts, when American Apparel started gaining popularity. As I'm pretty close to the author's age, I could identify with her and the cultural touchstones she mentions. She moves to L.A. at 23 in search of adventure and a new career and is scouted by an American Apparel employee. Flannery immediately becomes enamored with the employees, the clothes, and the energetic company culture.

Flannery starts working at their retail store in Echo Park, but is quickly promoted to be a talent scout and travel. Though she loves the environment, aspects of it give her pause. The enigmatic CEO, Dov Charney, has relationships with multiple much younger female employees which seems to curry favor for their careers. Flannery illustrates so well the thought process so many of us elder Millennials had in our early 20s, women have agency and make their own choices, so is it predatory when they pursue or consent to a relationship with another adult, even if it's someone in power?

I found it fascinating to see how a charismatic leader with a specific vision could execute it and have such devoted followers. Charney sought out young female employees with little professional experience. As a young adult, how do you learn to navigate a career when you have such limited exposure to workplaces? How do you draw personal boundaries when morality seem so malleable by those around you? An intriguing look into the dark world of an enigmatic clothing brand.

Thank you Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

When Kate graduated from college, she had high hopes for herself and her classmates. When she found herself in LA recruited off the street for the new start up American Apparel she wasn't sure if she had made the right choice. But it was the 1990's and AA and it's fearless leader Dov Charney were about to become the new hottest thing!

Thus starts an insanely exciting career for Kate as she works her way up higher and higher through the chain of command in a cult-like company. The book reads like a novel and is filled with nostalgic reminders. I loved every minute of it!

If you loved the 90's, were interested in the cult like story of AA or just wanted to read a very well written coming of age story of a feminist navigating the image-obsessed world of LA, Strip Tees is for you!
#HenryHolt #KateFlannery #STripTees

I knew American Apparel was gross but WOWWW. I didn’t know the half of it. This was a quick read that reminded me of The Girls by Emma Cline’s in memoir form. Comparing it to the likes of Gloria Steinem or Hunter S. Thompson’s writing feels like quite a stretch, but it’s an interesting read for anyone that came of age in the early 2000s. I did get tired of hearing that she went to Bryn Mawr 😮‍💨🫠 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

If you were of a certain age in the early aughts you absolutely knew (and wore or wanted to wear) American Apparel. The provocative ads and overpriced hipster-meets-disco styles were the definition of the era's indie sleaze vibe. You'll also remember that it all fell apart when the owner was ousted for inappropriate behavior, but never before have we truly gotten a behind-the-scenes look at the rise and fall of the brand. Flannery's sharp memoir takes the reader through the cult-like workplace environment that helped AA become one of the biggest brands of the time, focusing on the company's young women who were enticed by the offer of power, career autonomy, and the idea that clothing could truly change the world. I was a teen during the AA heyday Flannery describes here, but I know there are so many companies (in media, fashion, music, etc.) who used the millennial girlboss lean-in ethos to take advantage of the women who made them, and this continued well into the 2010s when I was first starting my own career. I am so thrilled to see women are starting to tell their stories of that time. This is a necessary, readable, entertaining, and at times shocking dive into a bygone era that nevertheless carries warnings for young women of today. Highly recommend!

As someone who grew up in Southern California in the early aughts, and subsequently moved to San Francisco during the same time frame that American Apparel was on the rise this memoir was like taking a trip down indie sleaze lane. I appreciate the author's frankness about her naivety that carried her into the LA fashion industry. It's easy to see the red flags in hindsight but I think so many women of this (my, our) generation were blinded by drive and ambition in the name of feminism to truly see how much power these greasy old men had. I had friends who worked at some of the retail stores mentioned, and now I only wonder if they had been sold the dream by Kate herself. I really enjoyed getting an in depth glimpse at the rise of AA from the author's perspective. This was a great read but I do feel like there is a very niche audience who will truly grasp the importance American Apparel held for so many of us.

WHAT DID I JUST READ?!? I am in utter disbelief at the absolutely horrific conditions that a huge brand like American Apparel required their employees to work. This tell-all memoir will have you at the edge of your seat, and certainly have you rethinking a career in retail.

This story was so beautifully written, I felt extreme sadness for Kate, and I am so glad she had the courage to tell her important story.

Know your worth, ladies!

This memoir is by Kate Flannery from American Apparel not Kate Flannery from the Office. I was so excited to read this book. I was hooked when she mentioned The O.C. and cults in the first chapter. It was interesting to hear an insiders perspective to the downfall of American Apparel.

I was irritated by the choices she made in her life. Kate is a college graduate of Bryn Mawr and let's you know. I don't think she did her alma matter any favors in how she has done post graduation. She doesn't portray herself as the hero of her story. She feels more antihero. Her book made me want to go shopping but not at American Apparel.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and and Henry Holt and Co. for my advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

"Strip Tees" is the memoir of Kate Flannery and her experience working at American Apparel. If you're like me, you likely were in middle and high school when AA blasted onto the scene. You probably wanted to be as effortlessly cool and gorgeous as the AA girls. This was such an interesting read because it is such a lovely little slice of what it was like in those early 2000s when being a hipster was all the rage. I didn't really live it since I was a teen and also fat. And poor, hahaha. Anyways, I enjoyed this a lot. I thought Flannery expressed a lot of reflection about how she dealt with the AA cult and how it got her with it's corporate male-centered "feminism" (let's be real, we've all been there). Admittedly, it was a very white feminist look at the whole thing which I'm not surprised at since Flannery is a white woman and as this is a memoir, I definitely understand that while American Apparel and Dove were built specifically on the backs of WOC, a disillusioned Flannery seemed completely dazed and going through the motions.

That said, I was shocked at some of the things she detailed here. All of the absolutely inappropriate interactions between workers and superiors, the active works towards covering up sexual assault by men in the company, and the collective guilting hidden under the guise of liberated sexual feminism...I mean, these are things we've all heard and read about American Apparel but reading it from Flannery's recollection and first-hand experience was definitely a shocker. I saw some reviews calling Flannery problematic but I absolutely sympathize with her choices. Especially when you're already struggling with finances and building up a resume...I thought Flannery's recollection about Dawn and her guilt around scouting her and countless other young women was so poignant and just heartbreaking. When Flannery recognized that guilt and was still unable to leave American Apparel because of finances and the absolute money black hole that is Los Angeles left her stuck. I'm not making excuses but I mean. I don't know. At the end of the day, we can all say we'd have done differently, but would we have walked away? Would we have quit? I don't know, all of that critique feels chronically online and cruel. But let's move on.

This is a relatable and wonderfully written memoir for the millennial woman. Like Flannery, we too bought into the American Apparel hype. We all scrambled for those short shorts, athletic style socks (old school HelloGoodbye anybody?), and hoodies. I mean, to this day, you can still find "vintage" American Apparel dresses, rompers, and hoodies on Depop for sale and they get purchased pretty quickly. I would absolutely recommend this book for anybody that wants a snapshot of culture from like 2005 to whenever AA closed (I can't remember off the top of my head).

Strip Tees is a remarkable memoir that offers a brave and unflinching account of Kate Flannery's experiences while working at American Apparel. With unyielding honesty, Flannery unveils the deeply ingrained toxic work culture and the prevalent issue of sexual harassment within the company. Her storytelling is captivating, and her courage to shed light on these disturbing realities is commendable. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of workplace dynamics and advocating for change.

I read this so quickly. I worked at American Apparel in one of the retail stores so this was fascinating to read, especially from the corporate side. I had known about the allegations around Dov and we were always worried about him coming into the store, so I was aware but was surprised by some of the events mentions. What a crazy ride! I wish there was more around Kate's journey towards the end of her being there vs. more of a generic ending. Great book overall for anyone who's worked there or even shopped there!

If you love pop culture and/ or lived in Southern California in the late 90s, early aughts, then this is the book for you! It is interesting to see how easy women can be taken advantage of in order to “get ahead” in their profession. This was before the time of “#metoo”; so for many this story demonstrates how easy it is to become attracted to power.

This was an entertaining, airplane read on a weekend getaway.

***I received a free ARC of this e-book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.***

I loved this book. I was about 12 years old when the AA craze started -- I remember blushing when my mom went into the store with me; I remember sweating and willing myself into their too-tight high-waisted shorts. That is exactly what this book felt like -- too-tight, and very warm.

Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! I am so excited to see the world I grew up with seen through others eyes with these type of memoirs. This memoir is so incredible and wild and so fulfilling to read. This one really makes you stop and go wow you too?! So excited to recommend this to everyone!

I really enjoyed this memoir. I didn’t realize until reading this just how toxic American Apparel was and how much of a creeper the CEO was. I always found their ads to be borderline pubescent and creepy, and now I understand why. Her writing kept me interested, and I couldn’t wait to read about the company’s downfall.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company for this early Netgalley copy of Strip Tees by Kate Flannery.

Kate is new to L.A. when she’s scouted by American Apparel, a burgeoning new name in fashion—a brand that claims to be a “revolution.” Hired as a shopgirl and welcomed eagerly into the company’s “sex-positive” and unorthodox culture, she is swept into the whirlwind and eventually becomes a representative of the brand, scouting girls and guys to staff the new stores popping up across the country. But, of course, everything is not as it seems. Soon, as the novelty starts to wear off through a series of mortifying events, Kate starts to question the company as a whole and reckon with her own role within it.

This memoir was a fast-paced, conversational read that I was utterly sucked into from start to finish. It may be due to the fact that I have both lived in Los Angeles and worked in the fashion/retail industry in some capacity, but I was utterly engrossed with everything Flannery had to say. I feel terrible saying this, as this memoir is founded on the author’s misfortunes as much as her successes, but this is probably my favorite memoir to date. The author is utterly honest about her best and worst moments, and ruminates openly on how both intoxicating and damaging the “cult” mentality that she experienced can be.

If you love fashion, can remember the rise and fall of American Apparel in the 2000’s, and/or are a native (or even non-native) Angelino, then I recommend this book to you. It’s an easy and engrossing read that calls back to a familiar time and place, and that gives us an inside look into an absolute fashion empire from someone just outside of the inner circle.

Will there be a sequel following the author’s next career? If so, I will be first on the pre-order list.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ - EXCELLENT

CW: sexual harrassment