LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Apparel (Amex: APP) is announcing the launch of an exciting partnership with Sesame Street to produce a limited edition run of classic t-shirts. Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street this fall, the new line will feature a handful of Jim Henson's most compelling characters printed as their original line drawings on American Apparel garments.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091005/LA86649)

Sesame Street, which for nearly half a century has made a mission of educating children in more than 120 countries, approached American Apparel earlier this year with the show's entire catalog of graphics. The two companies immediately connected over the different but passionate ideologies that drive them and set about working together.

"We sat down and went through eight discs of artwork from the Sesame Street archive and picked the ones we responded to the most. It took almost two months, but the end result is a cast of characters and images that bring a modern feel to Sesame Street and a heritage to American Apparel," said Carolina Crespo, a graphic designer at American Apparel.

The original artwork needed almost no adjustment. Drawings of the various Sesame Street characters were translated into line illustrations and printed on the dozens of bright colors of American Apparel t-shirts. The first four prints selected span the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90's, and range from individual characters like a grumpy Big Bird to a picture of nearly the entire cast.

The line, which is set for release this month, will be sold in 25 American Apparel stores worldwide, including locations in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Berlin, as well as online. With the recent relaunch and expansion of the American Apparel Kids' line, the companies hope to translate the same classic images into kids' sizes.

Despite their upcoming 40th birthday, Sesame Street characters like Bert and Ernie, the Count and Big Bird have remained timeless and widely loved. Accordingly, American Apparel and Sesame Street hope this limited edition partnership will appeal to audiences all across the spectrum, connecting with them over comfortable basics and classic pop culture.

About American Apparel

American Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of branded fashion basic apparel based in downtown Los Angeles, California. As of August 31, 2009, American Apparel employed approximately 10,000 people and operated over 275 retail stores in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China. American Apparel also operates a leading wholesale business that supplies high quality T-shirts and other casual wear to distributors and screen printers. In addition to its retail stores and wholesale operations, American Apparel operates an online retail e-commerce website at http://www.americanapparel.com.

SOURCE American Apparel