Who owns American Apparel?
American Apparel is owned by Gildan (Canada, NYSE: GIL), which has owned the brand since 8 February 2017.[1]
Evidence: Gildan Activewear Inc. Annual Report on Form 40-F filed 2026-02-26, SEC EDGAR, 26 February 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Gildan Activewear Inc. verified
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇨🇦 Canada, Montreal
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Los Angeles, California
- Founded
- 1989
- Category
- Apparel, footwear & accessories › Fashion apparel › Casual & denim
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: GIL
- Trademark registrant
- GILDAN ACTIVEWEAR SRL (USPTO)
- Last verified
- · 2 sources
About American Apparel
American Apparel made clothing in Los Angeles and built its identity on domestic manufacturing and provocative advertising before collapsing amid governance failures. Gildan bought the brand in 2017 and moved production abroad. The move abroad ended the domestic manufacturing that had been the brand's entire proposition, so what Gildan bought was a name whose meaning it then removed.
Trademark record for American Apparel
The USPTO record for the American Apparel mark lists GILDAN ACTIVEWEAR SRL as the owner of record (serial number 76544549). That name matches the owner named above.[2]
Ownership timeline of American Apparel
Where American Apparel sits in Gildan
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Gildan ownership tree →
See the full Gildan brand portfolio (13) →
Other brands owned by Gildan
Gildan controls 13 brands on Brandtree, 12 of them in apparel, footwear & accessories.
Also in apparel, footwear & accessories
Other brands in casual & denim, and who owns them
The 133 brands in casual & denim on Brandtree belong to 59 owners. The largest is Azzas 2154, with 8; Gildan has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Fábula | Azzas 2154 | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Carter's | Carter's | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Duck Head | Oxford Industries | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Cortefiel | Tendam | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| & Other Stories | H&M Group | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| Bershka | Inditex | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| GU | Fast Retailing | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| BSX | Giordano | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
About the owner: Gildan
Gildan is a publicly listed company headquartered in Montreal, Canada, founded in 1984. Brandtree records 13 brands under its control, and it is listed as NYSE: GIL.
Gildan makes the blank T-shirts that other people print on, which means its garments are worn by millions of people who have never heard of it. It manufactures in its own factories in Central America and the Caribbean rather than contracting out, unusually for the industry. It acquired Hanesbrands on 1 December 2025, adding Hanes, Bali, Maidenform and, in Australia, Bonds, and in July 2026 agreed to sell the Australian part of that business.
🇺🇸 American Apparel and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, American Apparel among them.
- 7 For All Mankind — Delta Galil 🇮🇱
- AKHG — Duluth Holdings 🇺🇸
- Adore Me — Victoria's Secret 🇺🇸
- Aerie — American Eagle Outfitters 🇺🇸
- All in Motion — Target 🇺🇸
- Allen Edmonds — Caleres 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of American Apparel?
The parent company of American Apparel is Gildan, a publicly listed company headquartered in Canada.
Is American Apparel American or Canadian?
American Apparel originated in the United States in 1989, but it is owned today by Gildan, which is headquartered in Canada. So American Apparel is an American-origin brand under Canadian ownership.
Since when has Gildan owned American Apparel?
Gildan has owned American Apparel since 8 February 2017.
Is American Apparel still owned by Gildan?
Yes. As of 5 October 2026, American Apparel is still owned by Gildan. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Gildan Activewear Inc. Annual Report on Form 40-F filed 2026-02-26 — SEC EDGAR, SEC filing, published 26 February 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [2] USPTO: AMERICAN APPAREL, serial 76544549 — United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark registry; retrieved 5 October 2026.
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