In two lawsuits filed in San Francisco on Tuesday, Gap Incorporated and the Abercrombie and Fitch Company were charged with illegally pressuring store employees to buy clothing from the stores they worked at to wear while working. Under California state labor laws, employers cannot force employees to pay for uniforms---a law that applies to instances in which companies require workers to wear any specific design or brand of clothing. Faced with the possibility of being ordered to reimburse each of its employees in 500 in-state stores for the clothing they were compelled to buy, Gap announced through a spokesperson that while it does ask its workers to wear Gap or "Gap-like" clothing, it does not consider this to be a violation of labor law.
See "Retailers Sued Over Employee Dress Codes", Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, February 5, 2003