This audiobook is perfect for anyone born between 1978 and 1985 that loved America’s Next Top Model or the Hills! The authors memoir is written in a way that makes here relatable and she is enjoyable to listen to in audiobook format.
As a rural girl, I can’t exactly relate to the author but I imagine there are many LA and NY millennials that this book will resonate with.
Her story is captivating and seeing her grow up and eventually succeed after many fails is amazing.
I would recommend this book to all of my friends and you should read it too!
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in audiobook format.

Wow! What a book. It was so interesting to read her story about her time with American apparel. It read so well it felt like I was there watching it all happen. Very crazy story! Thanks NetGallery!

Being from LA, I was looking forward to this story and while it was a story told well, it made me so sad. This a great audiobook production and gives you insight to skeezy corporate America through Kates eyes.

Like many, I remember the days where American Apparel dominated the fashion and retail scene. Known for its hip young looks and classic styles with ethical sourcing and production. What I didn't know was the scandal and culture that ultimately caused its demise. Dov, CEO and founder lacked the ethics and integrity his company boasted.

Author, and narrator Kate Flannery shows readers behind the curtain. From her own wooing, successes as an employee and the crumbling facade she began to witness no holds are barred in this memoir and tell all.

Anyone that remembers American Apparel or wants to see an inside look at the underbelly of the beast this book is for you!

a really interesting look at the 'cult' of american apparel in the mid-2000s. this was very NXIVM coded, with girls recruiting other girls to be exploited for company marketing, all under the helm of dov charney. flannery details her experience with the knowledge of more modern views on feminism and grooming, but also acknowledges that she was operating within the post-9/11 'post-feminism' mindset of not playing into victimhood. a really compelling read all around, i was hooked from the opening line.

This memoir explores the nostalgic charm of the 90s and early 00s, and Flannery adeptly captures the spirit of that era. I found myself bursting with laughter at the amusing anecdotes. Readers with an inclination towards fashion, marketing, modeling, life in LA, or other mainstream trends from a couple of decades ago will likely appreciate it. However, I would have preferred a greater emphasis on the author's personal journey.

I enthusiastically recommend this audiobook to those intrigued by startup culture and those seeking an extraordinary tale of brainwashing and exploitation. This memoir deviates from the norm with its rapid pace, unpretentiousness, informal tone, and overall ease of reading.

Also, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read.

I absolutely adored this book. It was one millennial's memoir about her career through the rise and fall of the clothing chain, American Apparel.

I think I loved the fact that Kate Flannery was completely unknown to me. She was just your average girl, looking for a job in her early 20's and she fell into place with the giant cluster of what became American Apparel.

Flannery describes essentially being brainwashed to buy into everything this company had to offer, and not being able to see that it was riddled with sexual harassment and an extremely toxic atmosphere. She describes it as a cult.

I truly enjoyed every minute of it.

I had the opportunity to listen to the book on audio as well as read a physical copy. I loved that it was narrated by the author, describing her own experiences. The tone was perfect and since she narrated herself, you know it was told exactly the way she intended it to be.

I highly recommend this one to any and all millennials or just lovers of non-fiction/memoirs in general.

I never wore American Apparel but I know it was all the rage in the early 2000's. I had no idea the founder was pushing boundaries with women the whole time. This book was an interesting read and I always need to add more nonfiction to my reading list! Thanks for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook!

Strip Tees felt almost like a Netflix Docu-series that the reader can't help but binge from start to finish. The author gives an honest account of falling into the toxic workforce immediately after college, and she leaves the reader constantly in her corner trying to get her 25-year old self to see her self-worth and value as a human and as a woman. Interesting read as a millennial who noticed American Apparel stores appeared one day and then disappeared the next but who never thought twice about it.

Strip Tees was an entertainment, enlightening, nostalgic memoir about a young woman, starting her career during the American Apparel revolution. The audiobook narration was soothing and added more personality to the story. There was a beautiful balance of humor, frustration and feminism from the eyes of a 20 something making her way in the world.

Let's be honest. I've still never had a better t-shirt than the black American Apparel unisex v-neck. But WHOA did they had a lot going on behind the scenes.

Kate Flannery, former recruiter at American Apparel spills all kinds of tea on what was actually happening at the brand during its height of popularity and its eventual downfall. She spares no details as she describes her promotions and the way she felt slowly brainwashed by the company's so-called feminism, which was actually exploitation.

As a millennial myself, I can say that Flannery does a great job of immersing you back in what that era felt like, good and bad. She really shines when she's taking you through the story at hand, but every now and then it felt like the momentum would slow down with some of the flashbacks and repetitive philosophizing.

This made for a fast and interesting read which I couldn't put down, reading most of it over the course of one afternoon. Definitely pick this up if you also enjoy reading about takedowns of unethical businesses.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Kate Flannery is an amazing story teller and her book is so raw. I'm so glad that i never owned anything from American Apparel. I"m shocked but also not shocked with what took place at that time. I'm about the same age as Kate and feel like this could have been anyone's story who I know.

3.5,stars

This was a fairly interesting story. I requested it because I like memoirs as well as the nostalgia of the 90s/early 00s, and it certainly met those criteria. Beyond that, though, I probably wasn’t the ideal audience for this book; someone who’s particularly interested in fashion, marketing, modelling, life in LA, and/or other mainstream trends from a couple decades back might appreciate it more.

I loved everything about listening to this memoir. Kate Flannery narrated it and she was so good - she should really consider narrating other books! I would listen.

Kate Flannery moves to LA after college and quickly gets scouted by someone from American Apparel. I was a huge American Apparel fan at the time Kate was working for them, and all the talk of their clothes made me so nostalgic. Kate also uses so many other cultural references that felt so familiar.

American Apparel's founder came under a lot of scrutiny and I remember when that happened. Kate writes about all of it -- the good, the bad, and it so open and honest about her experiences with the company and with him.

Overall such a good memoir and I loved the candidness and all the details that were included. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

When I say we should all care more about who gets our money ... SHEW. This memoir truly sounds like an episode of some of the most popular podcasts about gaslighting, narcissism, sexual assault, and so much more. Whole shocking to hear, it's sad that it's not more shocking that it is since awful people have a way about them. I found myself wanting to yell to the author that it wasn't normal, she needed to get out. I hope so many young and influential people read this and know that they should trust their senses more than their self doubt.

I started listening to this audiobook the other day and was instantly hooked!

In the early 2000s, a young adult straight out of college, Kate suddenly finds herself working for the trendy new brand American Apparel. In some ways similar to a cult and in others the playboy mansion, American Apparel was not your average t-shirt company. I knew very little about American Apparel prior to reading this book, other than the fact that my 2009 grad hoodie was from their line and that it was a popular brand for that sort of thing. I had no idea that there were sexual harassment suits and some questionable practices going on behind the scenes. That being said, I also didn't know that the brand stood for things like sustainability and anti-sweatshop policies. Does ensuring your factory is a place where safe work and fair pay counterbalance an owner who (consensually) hooks up with his 19 year old employees in store fitting rooms? Well that is for you to listen and decide!

Kate's first hand account brings listeners back to the early to mid-2000s as she describes life long before iphones and the #metoo movement, and gives a behind the scenes view of a brand that was much more than a line of screen printed hoodies. I did find things slow down a bit as the end of the story approached, but overall it was a very interesting memoir, and the author and narrator did a great job telling the story. It is definitely one I'd recommend. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to listen to and review this book!

In "Strip Tees" we follow Kate as she navigates the post-college job market in LA. Kate finds herself in a land of opportunity when she is approached to join an upcoming fashion company: American Apparel. Not only is American Apparel fresh and fun, but it is a rule-less land, wear what you want, travel, expense your parties and become the models/designers/recruiters and sales person.

Kate is determined to climb her way to the top ignoring controversial advertising campaigns and stripping down in the name of feminism. She describes how working there blurred the line between empowerment and exploitation, with some of her friends sleeping their way to the top for free trips and clothes and her doing everything-but-that to try to stay true to herself and in the company's good graces.

"Strip Tees" is nostalgic, it captures a specific moment in time when American Apparel was the hottest thing on the market and we were all scrambling for simple tees and tube socks. Kate is honest and raw in her reflections of the choices she made and the things she turned a blind eye to. It was a quick and entertaining read.

Jumping into this book, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Due to living under a rock, American Apparel was not even a blip on my radar. This book was such an eye opening look at the rise and fall of the company

A very entertaining memoir. I didn’t know much about the AA scandal, so it was interesting to learn about. Crazy the things they had underpaid young women in charge of. Some interesting dilemmas on choice feminism and sex positivity being used as a weapon against young women. I wish the author’s current opinions and thoughts on that were explored a bit more.

I worked in screen printing in the early 2000s when American Apparel was all the rage. I remember having very knee-jerk reactions to seeing the models in the catalogs we would get at the shop, and having a lot of thoughts about what was going on there. I remember watching the fallout happen in news stories years later, and thinking, “Man, I saw this coming.” I could not wait to start reading this, and was excited to hear the author was reading this title herself.

The opening line was perfect. I was instantly hooked.

The story progresses at a great pace, and held my interest the entire time. It doesn’t read like she’s trying to take anyone down or sensationalize the story - this is just her part in a big machine of manipulation.

Her persistent optimism through the whole ordeal really showed just how far in she was, and how manipulative the whole game was.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it if you’re interested in the American Apparel story.