​American Apparel has responded to plus-size contest winner/protester Nancy Upton, who we wrote about yesterday. AA's creative director Iris Alonzo sent Upton--and a number of news outlets--a long letter explaining the contest's motives and letting her know that she didn't actually win (something Upton says she wasn't really trying to do anyway, though she was voted into first place). It's super long but we've excerpted parts after the jump:

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Shannon Skloss

​American Apparel's models are generally lithe and barely clothed, and never look to be above a size two. But the troubled fashion company recently launched plus sizes in some items, and an accompanying contest to find a plus-size model:

Think you are the Next BIG Thing?

Calling curvy ladies everywhere! Our best-selling Disco Pant (and around 10 other sexy styles) are now available in size XL, for those of us who need a little extra wiggle room where it counts. We're looking for fresh faces (and curvaceous bods) to fill these babies out. If you think you've got what it takes to be the next XLent model, send us photos of you and your junk to back it up.

Nancy Upton, a 24-year-old actress and student in Dallas, was galled by the campaign's tone and message. She recruited a photographer for a special project: she was entering the contest with photos like the one above, of herself smothered in different kinds of food. Her goal was simply to protest the campaign, but she actually ended up receiving the most votes and winning. She has no plans to actually model for AA, though.

Runnin' Scared spoke with Upton on the phone yesterday about the project.

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​Hipster clothier American Apparel has a new product out. It's a t-shirt that says "Teenagers Do It Better." Made in conjunction with a teen magazine called Electric Youth!, the t-shirts boast a 100% cotton design and domestic manufacturing. And of course, they're reminding people of the fact that CEO Dov Charney has been accused of sexual harassment by a number of very young women.

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​Beleaguered, but always mouthy American Apparel CEO Dov Charney has been sued again by the same women alleging he sexually harassed them. Irene Morales, Tesa Lubans-Dehaven and Alyssa Ferguson filed harassment lawsuits against Charney, as did two others, back in March but the trio have now followed up with a new defamation suit after blogs popped up online using the girls' names and naked photos of them aboved text aimed at the public like, "I LOVE THAT I CAN WASTE YOUR TAX DOLLARS WITH THESE FAKE LAWSUITS." Though Charney's lawyers have called the sexual harassment claims "contrived and baseless," and he's told Runnin' Scared repeatedly that he's being extorted, these new claims -- that he's leaking dirty laundry to the press in an attempt to smear his accusers -- seem pretty incontrovertible.

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​Although Dov Charney told Runnin' Scared recently that he has the full confidence of the board that bailed out his company last year, the New York Post reports otherwise today. "My assessment of Lion Capital is that they're a very good financial partner and they would not lose confidence in me personally as a result of fraudulent claims. They're perfectly able to make that assessment because there's intelligent leadership in that organization," Charney said. "We're faced with some challenges," he admitted. "But we have a great business and people love our product and we're having no trouble selling it." But according to the Post, a new $10 million equity infusion is being considered, leaving some board members worrying about Charney's role in the company.

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​Troubled clothing company American Apparel is all over the news again. This time, though, the situation seems dire. CEO Dov Charney, who we've spoken to in the past, is being sued for an enormous sum of money by five former employees alleging sexual abuse. Stop us if you've heard this one before (although this go-round is a bit more complicated than usual). Compounding his legal troubles, Charney's company is still on the rocks financially; rumors swirl that AA will have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy sooner rather than later.

Charney agreed to speak with us about his latest adventures, both personal and professional. He refused to say anything on the record about his most recent sexual harassment suits, although we did speak to his lawyer Stuart Slotnick, who told us, "These women have fabricated claims. These claims are a result of their intention to try and cash out at the company's expense with no legitimate basis to do so." Slotnick also confirmed that Charney had indeed had a "consensual relationship" with plaintiff Kimbra Lo after she had left the company.

Charney, who admittedly is a master of spin and has a certain charisma, was open -- in his way -- about American Apparel's financial problems, his "many followers," and the travails of Pee Wee Herman.

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​It's a commonly held belief that the irascible Dov Charney is simply a pervy sexual predator, and that the latest round of women accusing him of misdeeds have truly been abused. But the reality isn't shaping up to be that simple. Emails and texts from Irene Morales, the former employee suing the company for $250 million, paint a somewhat different picture of what may have happened. And now The New York Post has evidence indicating that Kimbra Lo, the latest accuser, isn't 100 percent blameless either. What's going on?

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​Yes, again. Earlier this month, Dov Charney was hit with a $260 million lawsuit for sexual harassment, in which a 20-year-old former employee alleged that she engaged in "forced sex" with the sexed up founder and CEO of American Apparel for eight months. Today, the New York Times reports that a Los Angeles lawsuit names four women in an additional suit, which "seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages." This one might be harder for Charney to dodge.

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​Yesterday reports hit the New York City tabloids that a former employee of controversial clothing company American Apparel was suing its embattled founder and CEO Dov Charney for pressuring her into sex over an eight month period. The New York Post says the lawsuit seeks $250 million in damages, while the New York Daily News puts the figure at $260 million, but what both papers have in common, in addition to the awful allegations, are new pictures of the alleged victim, 20-year-old Irene Morales, who is not being shy about becoming the face of her case. We have a telling comment from Charney's attorney after the jump.

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​Dov Charney, the controversial founder and CEO of American Apparel, is being sued for grimy sexual abuse graver in dirty detail and larger in dollar amount than any other grimy sexual abuse he's been accused of before. A new lawsuit from an ex-American Apparel employee seeks $260 million in damages for sexual harassment and subsequent "serious psychiatric injuries from which she will never fully recover," according to paperwork filed last week in Brooklyn Supreme Court. This one gets ugly, but echoes situations Charney has talked to Runnin' Scared about in the past.

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