Strip Tees is a memoir about a specific period of time (early 00’s) in Kate Flannery’s life and her rise through the ranks of the controversial clothing company American Apparel. 

Kate Flannery is fresh out of Bryn Mawr and a short stint at Urban Outfitters when she moves to Los Angeles. While hanging out alone at a bar she is approached by another young woman and propositioned to work for a new clothing company on the rise, American Apparel. Once at the company headquarters in downtown Los Angeles she quickly moves from store clerk and amateur model (the employees were used for company ads) to a company recruiter traveling across the U.S. looking for more young women with the right look. Strip Tees is filled with anecdotes about the toxic culture of a clothing company that was meant to be a game changer by employing American garment workers and instead ended up being sexual playground for its CEO and founder. 

Flannery doesn’t pull any punches or play down her own less than professional interactions with co-workers. Some of the scenes are uncomfortable and frustrating but Strip Tees a fascinating glimpse into an era and a company that reflected America, young women and a pre-MeToo workplace. I highly recommend it to readers that enjoy memoirs about fashion, pop culture and business. 

🎧 this memoir is well narrated by the author herself which adds a man authenticity to it 

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️