If you’ve lost a lot of weight, or inherited some wonky suits from a fashionable Uncle you’re in for more good news. George Zimmer, yes the guy from the commercials, is back in business with a new app that will help users connect with tailors ready to make house calls. “It’s Uber for tailors”, Zimmer said in an interview with the New York Times. The former head of Men’s Warehouse was ousted in 2013, shortly before the company he founded entered into negotiations to acquire its smaller rival, Jos. A. Banks in 2014. The new company, zTailors, is currently operating in a number of states and has plans to expand to all 50 by the end of the year.
In other clothing news, the Supreme Court ruled today in favor of a young woman who argued she had been illegally denied employment by Abercrombie & Fitch because she wears a headscarf. From NPR:
Samantha Elauf had applied for the sales job in Tulsa, Okla., in 2008 and was recommended for hire by an interviewer. But Abercrombie has a “look policy” that bars the wearing of caps by its salespeople.
In court, A&F argued that if Elauf had wanted a religious exemption it fell to her to lobby for one during the interview process. The ACLU’s legal director, Steven R. Shapiro, had this to say on the court’s 8-1 decision:
“[It] sends a powerful reminder that religious discrimination has no place in the workplace. Employers should welcome and accommodate religious diversity, not shut their doors to it.””The court’s decision sends a powerful reminder that religious discrimination has no place in the workplace. Employers should welcome and accommodate religious diversity, not shut their doors to it.”
Finally, 42 people will face criminal charges in Bangladesh over the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza that left over 1,100 clothing workers dead. The owner of the building and a number of government officials are among those indicted for charges up to, and including culpable murder. Prosecutors allege that the owner violated building codes when three stories were added to the top of the building, possibly resulting in the catastrophic collapse that has been called the worst industrial disaster in the small country’s history.
