American Apparel relaunches vintage line

American Apparel has announced the relaunch of its vintage line, California Select. The company will begin by making a special, hand-selected collection of 100 pieces available in American Apparel's online store for the first time.Since its beginning

in 2007, California Select has sold tens of thousands of vintage pieces both on Ebay - where each one was individually styled, modeled and photographed at the American Apparel headquarters in Los Angeles - at 44 exclusive retail locations worldwide. The vintage garments are sourced from out of the way warehouses and flea markets by the company's buyers in an effort to celebrate classic fashion designs and provide styles that complement the company's basic garments.

"We're passionate about and inspired by the unique nature of vintage items here at American Apparel and have amassed a really amazing collection of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. We decided to switch from the difficult auction platform to our own webstore, not only to showcase our vintage findings to our online shoppers, but also to better meet the growing demand for the line," said Iris Alonzo, a creative director for American Apparel.

California Select's forays into vintage-inspired styles, garments reworked from vintage fabrics and products that are a hybrid of vintage and new materials, have become important sources of innovation in American Apparel's line. The recently released Sheer Rib Lace Raglan, among other styles ranging from pleated pants to flannel button ups, was developed after the success of a similar California Select pieces.

The company's newest vintage inspired styles and curated one-of-a-kind vintages pieces can now be found and purchased in the American Apparel online store. Image: American Apparel ad campaign