American Apparel Buys Out Oak NYC

American Apparel may be a strictly made-in-L.A. brand, but its new acquisition means its about to soak up some serious Brooklyn flavor. In a surprising move, American Apparel has bought Oak NYC, the brand's first purchase of an independent retailer. Why Oak? Dov Charney, charmain and CEO of American Apparel tells WWD, "I saw an opportunity to build Oak without a lot of extra costs. They can leverage our manufacturing capabilities, our POS [point-of-sale] and RFID [radio frequency identification] systems, our warehousing, and our freight and distribution.” Charney also notes, "The Oak aesthetic is a very different look and feel than American Apparel, and it’s noncompetitive in price.” In other words, it's a perfect fashion marriage.

Though Oak will operate as a separate division within the company, the duo behind Oak will provide advice on product to the American Apparel team while simultaneously "being empowered to grow their business," according to Charney. We're curious to see what effect, if any, Oak's Williamsburg roots will have on the West Coast brand. Maybe just a lot more black. (WWD)