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Is American Apparel big enough for two eccentric retail geniuses? Investors may soon find out.
Sources told The Post that Chief Executive Dov Charney, famous for his libertine lifestyle as well as his racy clothing designs, is in advanced talks to hire a respected industry veteran whose reputation for unconventional strategies — and hard partying — may rival his own.
Marty Staff, most recently CEO of men’s apparel label Joseph Abboud, has been credited with turning around Hugo Boss in the US and doubling the size of Calvin Klein in the 1990s.
Staff also jump-started Ralph Lauren’s retail business by finding and opening the designer’s Rhinelander Mansion store on Madison Avenue.
“There’s nobody better at getting a business started,” said a recruiting executive in the retail industry who asked not to be quoted by name, adding that Staff is “a great marketer and he’s opportunistic and inspirational.”
A deal to bring Staff on board could come as soon as next week, sources said. An American Apparel spokesman declined to comment, as did Staff when reached by phone yesterday.
Sources said Charney may tap Staff to be his second-in-command ahead of ex-Blockbuster executive Tom Casey, a career banker whose hire as president in October sparked criticism that the company badly needs a seasoned retail operator.
While Staff would fit that bill, insiders note he isn’t a typical suit-and-tie exec. Last year, Staff hosted a party with NBA stars and “Sopranos” cast members to launch a new line of $1,000 Joseph Abboud suits. He showed up wearing army fatigues, a “D.A.R.E. To Keep Kids Off Drugs” T-shirt, and dozens of Silly Bandz stretched around his tattooed arms.
Charney, meanwhile, has been accused by ex-employees of conducting business meetings in the nude.
Charney’s knack for clothing designs and marketing is formidable, but the company’s growth has been hampered by his micromanaging and an “allergy to paying people,” according to one source close to the retailer.
Now, sources said American Apparel’s British lender Lion Capital is pressuring Charney to beef up his management team.
While American Apparel hasn’t yet released last year’s results, the company “broke even at best” after generating more than $50 million in cash flow a year earlier, according to a financial source.
As American Apparel looks to return to profitability, Staff “might be one of the few proven apparel executives that could work with [Charney],” said one retail insider. “He’s worked with creative founders before, and manages them extremely well.”