'I want my home to be like the Playboy Mansion in the Seventies': How American Apparel's Dov Charney aspires to be the new Hugh Hefner
Declaration comes as controversial American Apparel boss, 42, faces two sexual harassment suits, with one even alleging that he forced her to be his 'sex slave'.
American Apparel founder Dov Charney has admitted that he aspires to the lifestyle that Hugh Hefner created at the Playboy Mansion in the Seventies.
An article published today lifts the lid on the 42-year-old's unconventional lifestyle which sees as many as 12 friends or employees staying at his LA home at any one time.
The revelation comes after two former employees filed sexual harassment suits against Mr Charney, with one even alleging that he forced her to be his 'sex slave'.
Unconventional: American Apparel boss Dov Charney has as many as 12 friends or employees staying at his LA home at any one time
Ilse Metchek, a friend of Mr Charney and president of the California Fashion Association told the New York Times that his house was like a 'dormitory'.
She said: 'He is not a good solitary soul. He needs to have somebody around to say, "Yes, Dov," or feed into what he is saying.'
She added: 'I say, "Why don’t you get better people in there instead of those chirpy girls?"'
Interviewer Laura M Holson recalled: 'He would like to recreate the lifestyle Hugh Hefner did at the Playboy mansion in the 1970s, he said.
'To illustrate the point, he grabbed a Time magazine from July 1973 and turned to an article about Mr. Hefner and Bob Guccione, the founder of Penthouse. There, the two publishing magnates were photographed working on their magazines and enjoying dinner around a table, surrounded by women, naked and clothed.'
Aspirational lifestyle: Hugh Hefner in the Seventies with two of his 'Bunnies'. Mr Charney aspires to make his home like the Playboy boss's mansion of that era
Mr Charney defended his lifestyle, saying of Ms Metchek: 'She hasn’t been to my house and hasn’t met the people I live with.'
The feature described the fashion mogul's home, in LA's Silver Lake, as a 20-room Twenties property with a sculpture of a single finger in the front yard.
Allegations: Irene Morales, 20, has filed a lawsuit that claims Mr Charney forced her to perform sex acts on him
It also detailed Mr Charney's controversial hiring policy, that requires all prospective American Apparel employees, of which there are 10,000 worldwide, to submit a photograph with their job application.
They are made to sign a confidentiality agreement, it revealed, that will force them to pay $1million in damages if they 'photograph or record Dov Charney or any of his residences'.
He explained: 'I don’t have people sign documents to go to dinner. I’m not at that point. [But] to have one or two devices to protect the company’s dignity, I think that is all right.'
The sexual harassment suits, of which there have been five since 2005 (two were settled, a third is pending) are not the first controversy Mr Charney has faced in his career.
His penchant for risque ads and shocking behaviour has earned him something of a bad boy reputation that regularly sees him in court.
He famously masturbated in front of a reporter while she was interviewing him in 2004, and in 2008 his company was made to pay $5million to Woody Allen after using a photograph of the director in a billboard advertisement without permission.
American Apparel, which was founded in 1989, is also mired in financial problems. The firm made an $86m loss last year, with sales dropping by 4.6 per cent.
Last month it warned it may have to file for bankruptcy and could face liquidation if it cannot find enough cash to keep running.
It blamed its troubled financial state in part on 'extraordinarily challenging world-wide economic conditions'.
Controversial: American Apparel is known for its risque ad campaigns
Thanks to British private equity firm Lion Capital, American Apparel has now been able to hire a number of new senior executives, including Marty Staff, a former CEO of Joseph Abboud and Hugo Boss USA, as chief sales development officer.
But this move will not see Mr Charney take a back seat.
He added: 'I’m supposed to hire all these clowns, like they know better. Oh, just put me in the creative room, the rubber room, the clown room. Give him a model. Give him a camera. He’ll be O.K.'
Mr Charney and his legal team have denied all sexual harassment allegations. His lawyer, Peter Schey, said: 'The allegations are false. I think this is an effort to shake down American Apparel.
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