Pictured dancing naked around his office, this is the boss of fashion brand American Apparel who was sacked over alleged misconduct.
Dov Charney founded the firm in 1989 but has been accused of sexual harassment by at least eight of his staff – and was kicked out of the company this week.
The video of the businessman gyrating in the nude in front of two women emerged 24 hours after he was fired.
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One of the women off-camera is heard telling him to shake his ‘booty’, and he then scuttles away with his hands covering his modesty.
It was not clear last night when the video was taken or whether its discovery had contributed to him being fired.
But a former model for American Apparel has confirmed that the man in the video is ‘100 per cent’ Charney.
Mad genius? Dov Charney, 45, a Canadian national, started American Apparel in 1991 as a humble wholesale T-shirt manufacturer
Another former staff member at the fashion retailer claimed the women in the footage both worked for American Apparel.
Born in Montreal, Charney started American Apparel while he was still a student.
The business now has 10,000 employees and 249 stores in 20 countries, including the US and the UK – but the brand has faced criticism for using overtly sexual images in some of its advertisements.And Charney, who once described himself as ‘a bit of a dirty guy’, has faced repeated accusations of sexual misconduct from female employees.
Big business: American Apparel currently employs 10,000 employees and operates 249 retail stores in 20 countries
Courting controversy: The retailer has repeatedly come under fire for using young models dressed in sexy clothes to promote the brand
In one, former saleswoman Irene Morales claimed she was held as a sex slave for eight months just after she turned 18, when she was forced to perform sexual acts in Charney’s Manhattan apartment.
In a separate claim, Miss Morales and several other woman said they were forced to pose nude in a series of pictures which later surfaced on the internet.
All the cases have been either dismissed or settled, but the company announced Charney’s departure on Wednesday.
Explosive allegations: In 2011, Irene Morales (left) sued Dov Charney (right) accusing him of treated her as a 'sex slave'
Weakened: Morales's claims were later undermined by a trove of explicit pictures and messages she allegedly sent her boss
Legal victory: Two years ago, a New York judge tossed Morales' $260million lawsuit against Charney
Chairman Allan Mayer, who has been on the board since the company went public in 2007, said: ‘We take no joy in this, but the board felt it was the right thing to do.
‘Dov Charney created American Apparel, but the company has grown much larger than any one individual and we are confident that its greatest days are still ahead.’
American Apparel’s share price rose by more than 20 per cent after the announcement. But at 40p a share, the firm’s value has dropped dramatically since 2008, when it could command more than £8 a share.
Master of his domain: Dov Charney, then-chairman and chief executive officer of American Apparel Inc., stands for a portrait in a company retail store in New York in 2010
Unexpected dismissal: Charney reportedly did not see his termination coming and will fight to regain control of American Apparel
MADE IN AMERICA: DOV CHARNEY AND THE RISE OF AMERICAN APPAREL
As a teen growing up in Montreal, Canada, Dov Charney was obsessed with American culture.
He has described his early envy of the choice available in America as compared to Canada in terms of how many 'hundred' different breakfast cereals teenagers south of the border could have.
He adored the simple fashions of classic, bargain brands such as Hanes and Fruit of the Loom and began importing them and selling them to classmates while in High School.
His early entrepreneurial spirit is evidenced by his claims to have sold 10,000 t-shirts while still a student, buying and transporting his stock himself in a rented U-Haul truck.
Charney launched American Apparel in 1991 with a $10,000 loan from his father while still attending Tufts University.
The company was originally conceived as a wholesale business manufacturing basic T-shirts, allegedly inspired by Charney's ex-girlfriend.
By 1997, the humble sewing operation cranking out T-shirts has grown significantly, moving first to Charleston, South Carolina, and then to its now famous seven-story 800,000-square-foot Los Angeles factory.
In 2003, American Apparel expanded into the retail market, with stores popping up from coast to coast and beyond.
American Apparel has built a large fan base thanks to its commitment to manufacturing all its clothing in the U.S. instead of outsourcing the work to other countries.
The company also prides itself on paying employees fair wages and providing health insurance, which is uncommon in the garment industry.
Charney claimed to have the 'highest earning apparel workers in the world.'
By 2005, Charney was looking at over $200million in annual revenue and in 2014, he had more than 260 stores worldwide, with revenue in excess of $500million. A year later, the prosperous business was sold for more than $380million to Endeavor Acquisition Corporation, but Dov Charney stayed on as president and CEO.
Beginning in early 2000s, the fashion mogul has faced accusations of sexual misconduct, with as many as nine former employees suing Charney for alleged harassment. However, all the cases have been either dismissed or settled out of court.
In 2009, things took a turn for the worse for American Apparel when the company found itself teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, which was narrowly avoided thanks to an $80million loan.
Six months later, American Apparel was forced to fire 1,800 workers after federal agents raided its factory and discovered that many employees were in the U.S. illegally.
The once-thriving retailer continued struggling, and three years after American Apparel went public the New York Stock Exchange threatened to remove its listing because of delayed quarterly filings.
In a bid to turn the company around, Dov Charney went on the offensive, closing several dozen stores, focusing on efficiency and harnessing the power of Groupon to sell clothes at a discount.
The past two years have been a roller coaster ride for American Apparel, with strong quarters followed by losses and more bankruptcy talk. With Dov Charney’s firing, the company is once again looking at an uncertain future.
Source: Business Insider
