American Apparel Launches New Nail Polish Collection

[flyme2themoon]

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Apparel (NYSE Amex: APP), the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, is announcing the launch of its brand of Made in the USA nail polish. The company, which is well-known for its garments' versatility and use of vibrant colors, felt that American Apparel Nail Lacquer was a natural extension of its current product offerings.

"We think this nail polish captures what American Apparel is all about -- a Made in the USA, high-quality product in a beautiful range of colors. It's a venture of families in manufacturing, from the factory in which the polish is made to the Nail Lacquer logo created by Dov's uncle, the noted graphic designer Israel Charney," said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

Each of the 18 colors in the primary offering evokes an important part of American Apparel. One is the color of raw cotton, while another -- a minty green color called Office -- was matched to the color of an accounting notepad found on the seventh floor of American Apparel's headquarters. Factory Grey is the actual shade used to paint all floors of the company's manufacturing operations, while Hassid - dark black - is a nod to American Apparel's Jewish roots. Even the collection's custom shade of red, "Downtown LA", took the area where the factory is located as its inspiration.

For the initial run of 60,000 bottles, which will be sold exclusively in American Apparel shops worldwide, the creative directors found a true family-operated nail polish manufacturer in New York City with whom they instantly connected. Together they worked to develop a beautiful high-quality polish using the techniques and secrets the family had been using since the early 1970s - symbolized best by the 91-year-old grandmother who still fills the bottles.

"It was important to us that we work with a domestic manufacturer who had a long history in the business. Like our clothing, the palette is intended for year-round use. It's a painterly range of colors designed for long-term appeal and creative interpretation. We put equal focus on making sure the polish and the colors were both durable and beautiful," Brady said.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer is priced at $6 per bottle and is available in a 3-pack for $15. It will be sold at American Apparel stores worldwide as well as online. The nail polish is DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free. The full color palette, ingredients and photographs can be found in the American Apparel web store.

Source: prnewswire.com and americanapparel.com

This is wonderful news for nail polish fanatics...

 

[flyme2themoon]

Colors

Left to right:
Hassid, Cotton, and Manila


Mouse, Pinto, and Downtown LA


Source: americanapparel.com

 

[flyme2themoon]

Colors

Rose Bowl, Poppy, and Palm Springs


Coney Island, Dynasty, and Berry


Source: americanapparel.com

 

[flyme2themoon]

Colors

Mount Royal, Passport Blue, and Peacock


Office, Hunter, and Factory Grey


Source: americanapparel.com

 

[ChrissyM]

is this out already then?

i wonder how the quality is...
i can't imagine it's very good...

 

[michyed]

^Same here! The advertisement photo looks very tacky already

 

[hautechild]

minty green color called Office -- was matched to the color of an accounting notepad found on the seventh floor of American Apparel's headquarters. Factory Grey is the actual shade used to paint all floors of the company's manufacturing operations

Well this really makes me want to buy their nail polish. Of course I want to be able to say my nails are inspired by office paper and factory walls

 

[flyme2themoon]

is this out already then?

i wonder how the quality is...
i can't imagine it's very good...

The collection's already available online. And if it's not in the stores today, it should be soon.

I'm hoping the quality will be like that of China Glaze, Color Club, Misa, & Orly---- other cheap nail polish brands with quality just as good as (if not better than) their "pricier" counterparts.

 

[chicca]

don't like the packaging and I'm not an AA fan!! I must ask my sis that loves AA & make up for a review!

 

[michyed]

Well this really makes me want to buy their nail polish. Of course I want to be able to say my nails are inspired by office paper and factory walls

 

[lucy92]

if you bought any of this please don't use it. apparently it is being pulled from the shelves for containing hazardous material.

they are reformulating the nail polish now.

Does American Apparel's New Nail Polish Contain Hazardous Material?

 

[flyme2themoon]

What about those who have already purchased the nail polish? Do you think AA will be willing to exchange the older bottles for the newly reformulated ones, or issue a refund? We'll see...

 

[flyme2themoon]

From alllacqueredup.com:

I don’t know how many of you read Jezebel on the regular (I have it in my Google reader) but today they published an article titled Does American Apparel’s New Nail Polish Contain Hazardous Material? that I feel the need to address.

First, many of you have emailed me asking about this line and if I will be reviewing it. As you know, the polish has been back-ordered on the site so it wasn’t easy for me to obtain. I did receive a few sample bottles from their PR reps and have been testing the formula for review since I don’t like to write about new brands without some kind of wear test. So that’s why you haven’t seen mention of the line on ALU yet.

Second, I think it’s irresponsible of Jezebel to title their post in such a way. Yes, it gets eyeballs but considering that most people just skim nowadays, it can potentially be harmful to the brand and scary to the public. Here’s what you need to know…

* There is an issue with the “quality” of the bottles and from what I’ve heard, some people have received broken bottles in the mail. Then again, that’s happened to me with non-American Apparel polish.

* All nail polish is deemed a “hazardous material” by the USPS which is why it is required to be shipped ground. They even reference needing special measures for disposal but that is true for all nail polish. I’m assuming American Apparel was using an air method for shipping their packages which is why they can’t ship that way anymore. Heck with FedEx, I have to sign for nail polish packages because polish is so “dangerous.”

ps. I know plenty of you swappers/e-tailers out there use non-ground methods but you do so at your own risk. Say it with me Fanatics, “Does this parcel contain anything fragile, liquid, perishable, or potentially hazardous?”

*American Apparel polish is being pulled from the shelves but not being recalled. So you don’t have to pitch your bottle for fear of using a lethal product. The bottle is obviously weak so I wouldn’t suggest playing catch with it.

Here’s what’s going to happen. According to the document obtained by Jezebel, American Apparel is working with their supplier to improve the quality of the bottles and will restock in the next week or so. So those of you still dying to get your hands on these new colors, the wait won’t be that long.

In the meantime, look for my review of the formula and colors I received soon!

From daily-nail.blogspot.com:

This letter was received in response to my email to Nichole Williams of American Apparel setting the record straight:

"The reason for the recall is because after receiving a few reports of bottles breaking, we made the internal decision to do a voluntary recall of the bottles on both a retail and public level.

We chose this small US manufacturer to produce our nail polish because we support their business model and have a fondness for family who runs it. However, one of the realities of all manufacturing is first-run glitches. We worked all last week with the manufacturer to make the improvements necessary for the second run. Another reason we sought out a US-based company is so we would be able make changes and now, we can investigate what went wrong as quickly as possible. We still believe in the factory we're working with and the new polish will be in stores within the next two weeks.

We will offer an exchange of two new bottles or a $10 giftcard for anyone who brings in a unit from the original run or a receipt."