American Apparel is now crowdsourcing clothes

American Apparel is trying something new to get people to shop there again: it's crowdsourcing clothes.

The retailer is letting small businesses and vendors pitch their products in 90-second videos for the chance to be sold at American Apparel, the company announced Wednesday.

The company is calling the project Made In.

"Cutting and sewing 100% of our garments in America is at the core of our DNA," American Apparel Senior Vice President of Marketing Cynthia Erland said in a statement. "We want to continue to support manufacturing in the US by giving small businesses the opportunity to thrive and succeed."

There are stipulations to enter the running: the products have to be made in the United States, sell for less than $100, and vendors need to be able to ship 500 units to the company's distribution center within a 30-day period. Participants need to submit the video by June 17th.

The company claims this isn't a contest.

American Apparel has made other efforts to improve its business.A few months ago, the company launched a partnership with Postmates for rapid delivery. While that effort appeared to be more about keeping up with the demands of today's consumers, the Made In project seems to be about cementing American Apparel's identity.

The company has been coming off of some tough times.

The retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, though a US Bankruptcy Court judged had approved a plan to reorganize, the Los Angeles Times reported in January.

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