We can admit it, deep down under that layer of snarky cynicism, we really do like some of American Apparel's collection -- minus the deep V-neck shirts they popularized last spring, of course. Still, it's hard to believe that anyone would crown the super hipstery designer, obsessed with t-shirts and latex, 'Label of the Year.' Sunday, the Guardian ran an article chronicling the rise of this year's king of UK retailers. Maybe we're just jaded with all of the sex scandals and soft porn advertising.

This might be one of those rare times where we find ourselves more jaded about something than the Brits. According to the Guardian, the terminally trendy kids in the UK have been flocking to American Apparel's stores like no other. And business must be healthy, because AA stores are popping up all over -- with stores in Bristol, Glasgow, Brighton, Liverpool, and 7 in London. According to AA spokesman in Britain, Brent Chase: "we are looking at every city in the UK with a decent-sized population."

The simple, if not sometimes uninspired, collections seem to be catching on for all the same reasons that AA grew to be the largest clothing manufacturer in the USA. Styles are cheap, youthful, ethically produced, and of course, there's the sexy advertising. From the sound of it, American Apparel has become even more deeply embedded in the UK than in the States.