April 2, 2008 | By Kelli

American 'Peril

On Monday, actor-director Woody Allen sued American Apparel. It turns out that in 2007 the trendy t-shirt company used an image of Woody Allen from his movie "Annie Hall," (which he won an Oscar for best director) where he is dressed as a rabbi, for an outdoor and online advertising campaign. And this was all done without his consent. Allen states that he never endorses commercial products in the U.S. and these ads are "especially egregious and damaging." The billboard reads "The Holy Rabbi" in Hebrew and also says "American Apparel." The law-suit states that American Apparel never contacted Woody about getting permission to use his image and he is seeking $10 million in damages.

American Apparel, who handles its own advertising, has always been known for provocative photography featuring its own employees modeling the clothing. They pride themselves in their use of photography and the fact that the images they use are untouched. In a 2006 article from the Oregon Daily Emerald, Brian Wiley, the art director at one store says, "when you see polished images all the time and then you finally see something real, it's out of the ordinary." Jewlicious.com quoted a spokeswoman from American Apparel saying, "Woody Allen is (American Apparel's) spiritual leader and that's the only statement the company will make on that issue" and laughing was reportedly heard in the background.

As a side note, it's quite interesting that this photo from Forward, of the billboard, was located on the corner of Houston and "Allen" in New York...coincidence?

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