Los Angeles Apparel sits at a unique crossroads, a brand born from the legacy of American Apparel, still carrying the cultural influence of it’s past while striving to define its own voice. In this project, we worked closely with the brand’s ethos to explore how its social presence could evolve, leaning into the nostalgia that originally made it iconic while reframing its identity for a modern audience.

The direction of the campaign was built on two pillars: transparency and nostalgia. Much of the controversy surrounding the brand’s predecessor stemmed from labor practices and internal culture. Rather than shying away from this history, the strategy embraced openness as a strength.

The content consisted of: Behind-the-scenes storytelling, candid office content, factory tours, employee interviews, and features on the people who bring the brand to life became central to the concept. The aim was to humanize the label, making transparency not only a differentiator but also a cornerstone of trust.

Visually, the creative direction leaned into indie sleaze and early 2000s nostalgia; the very aesthetic that American Apparel helped popularize and that is now resurfacing across culture. We developed lookbooks that echoed the raw, flash-lit style of the era, paired with lo-fi video content and modern social-native formats. The result was a campaign that felt simultaneously archival and fresh, reminding audiences of the cultural edge the brand once held while making it accessible to a new generation.

By merging storytelling around workplace culture with fashion content rooted in indie aesthetics, the campaign positioned Los Angeles Apparel not just as a basics brand, but as a cultural player reclaiming its heritage. The outcome was a strategy that bridged past and present, restoring the sense of authenticity and provocation that once defined the brand, while aligning it with the values and content rhythms of today’s digital landscape.