Friday, October 25
Lower Confidence
The Consumer Confidence Index fell for the fourth month in a row in September to 93.3 from 94.5 the previous month, according to the Conference Board, the New York-based research firm that compiles th...
Designers Step In for Cancer Benefit
Los Angeles designers Richard Tyler, Estevan Ramos, Michelle Mason, Corey Lynn Calter, Monah Li, Natalie Seaver and Trina Turk are among those d...
Aussie Apparel to Acquire Federation Group Brands
Aussie Apparel Group, a subsidiary of Los Angelesbased Medex, announced its intent to acquire the global rights to sev...
New Upscale Urban Show Changes Name, Adds L.A. Installment
Threadshellip;That Rock the World, a new urban show merging music and fashion, has changed its name from Urban Rocks Fashion and will add a Los Angeles show in February of 2003, jus...
Bringing Technology Into the Classroom
Teaching the next generation of designers and pattern makers the fashion business is not what it used to be, with new technologies evolving quicker than ever. But two influential t...
L.A. Textile Show: New Opportunities for Local Businesses
Strong traffic, an increased international presence and networking opportunities throughout the supply chain marked the Oct. 21–23 run of the Los Angeles International Textil...
Hathaway Moves Away
Men’s shirt maker C.F. Hathaway Co. made the final move to shift production overseas when it shuttered its factory and laid off 235 jobs in Waterville, Me. The nation’s oldest shirt manufacturer opened ...
Bebe Wins Ruling Against May
In a surprise decision, Bebe Stores Inc. on Oct. 21 won a preliminary injunction in a trademark infringement lawsuit it filed against May Department Stores Co. ...
Port Debate Continues
The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents shippers in the current conflict at West Coast ports, is charging that port workers have been staging a work slowdown since the ports were reopened und...
Fashion With a Southern Accent
The movie: “Sweet Home Alabama” ...
Barbara Fields Buying Office to Host KAMA Trend Seminar
Barbara Fields Buying Office and Cherish International will present a Spring/Summer ’03 trend forecast for members of the Korean American Manufacturers Asso...
Hart Crafts Handbags for Macy's 100th
As part of its 100th birthday celebration, Macy’s Herald Square in New York is promoting merchandise honoring the centennial. Among the designers who’ve created special apparel, accessories, housewares...
Tracy Reese, Juicy Pump Sales at Elisa B.
Bipolar categories are the stuff of sales at Elisa B.’s contemporary 800-square-foot boutique in the historic Old Pasadena district of Southern California....
Retailers to Share the Spotlight in New Style Channel Show
A new program is in the works at the Style channel that will spotlight fashion staples and how to incorporate them into one’s wardrobe....
Paragon Gets Asian Distribution
Westlake Village, Calif.-based software provider Paragon Business Systems has inked a deal with Japanese distributor Scrum Ltd. to sell and market Paragon’s apparel industry ...
Friday, October 18
FBI to Host Finance Seminar
Fashion Business Inc. (FBI) will present a conference discussing financial incentives for garment companies to stay and grow in Los Angeles on Nov. 12 in the New Mart’s Fashi...
Femme Show Adds L.A. Pavilion
The New York-based Femme show, part of the MAGIC International trade show group, will add the L.A. Designers Pavilion at the next run of the show, set for Jan. 5–7, ...
September '02 Sales Still Sluggish
Despite easy comparison sales figures, the nation’s retailers couldn’t muster a strong September, blaming the faltering economy and warning that conditions may not improve....
Kmart Goes Green
Troy, Mich.-based retail giant Kmart is overhauling its image beginning with its big red “K” logo. The company is replacing the logo with a new one in lime green and gray. In conjunction...
St. John's Next Generation
Irvinebased upscale manufacturer and retailer St. John Knits announced the retirement of its chief executive officer, chairman and co-founder Bob Gray and also announced his successors. Daughter Kelly Gray, currently...
The Case for Purity; Street Scene: Tokyo
It’s become the widely accepted wisdom over the past two years that retailing online— if it is ever to be profitable—needs to be but one channel in a multi-channel mix of marketing media tethered to the ...
Better Late Than Never for Arden B.'s Party
True to fashionably late form, Arden B. held a grand opening party on Sept. 10—two months after its arrival at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. Wit...
ISAM: Refining Collections in the Last Bid for Cruise
Swim makers honed their offerings and buyers arrived with a few key styles in mind at the Oct. 9–11 run of the International Swimwear and Activewear Market (ISAM), which drew more than 1,500 ...
Bisou Bisou Launches True Meaning
Los Angeles-based contemporary women’s sportswear maker Bisou Bisou is getting ready to launch a new young contemporary collection called True Meaning....
ISAM's Beach Bash
The exclusive Jonathan Club in Santa Monica, Calif., was the place to be on Oct. 9 when ISAM threw
Nike Appeal
Beaverton, Ore.-based footwear giant Nike has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a California Supreme Court ruling regarding the extent to which public corporate speech is protected under the First Amendment. The...
State Employment Dips in September
California made a slight improvement in the unemployment rolls in September even as it shed thousands of jobs, according to the state Employment Development Department (EDD)....
Latin-Owned Businesses, Execs Connect at LBA Expo
More than 420 exhibitors displayed their services and wares, ranging from merchandising equipment to factoring programs, at the Oct. 15–16 run of the Latin Business ...
Tukatech Expands Headquarters
CAD/CAM supplier Tukatech Inc. has completed an expansion of its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, adding a 10,000-square-foot building that will house the company’s TukaWeb oper...
Polo Suit May Have Ripple Effects
With a widespread impact on the retail industry a potential result, fashion giant Polo Ralph Lauren has been targeted in a recently filed lawsuit over its uniform policy....
Women's Action Sports Trade Show Set to Debut
Following the path blazed by the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo (ASR), Action Girl ’03, a new trade show dedicated to the female side of the action sports industry, is scheduled t...
Ports, Tech Crash Slow California Economy
The California economy, already sluggish before being dragged down even further by the recent West Coast port closures, lower-than-normal tourism and the crash of the tech sector, wi...
Friday, October 11
Now Boston in Wisconsin
Birmingham, Ala.-based Saks Inc. announced name changes and consolidation of several of its Boston Stores and Younkers department stores in Wisconsin. Under the company's plans, the West Towne mall wi...
CLAD Names New President
The Coalition of Los Angeles Designers (CLAD) has named Darren Gold, co-designer of Mhope, as the organization’s new president....
Directives West's 'How To Do L.A.'
How does one “do” Los Angeles? That was the question that Directives West, a Los Angeles-based retail consulting firm, declared the answer to on Oct. 7 with a Spring 2003 tren...
Chaus Secures Financing
New York-based misses clothing maker Bernard Chaus announced that is has secured a $40 million revolving line of credit and a $10.5 million term loan from the CIT Group/Commercial Services. The CIT de...
Lycra Targets Breast Cancer
Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Lycra has signed on as the first international sponsor of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC), an 8-year-old charitable organization licensed to the Council of Fashion Designers...
Gerber Names New L.A. Director
Gerber Technology has made a series of appointments to its software and management teams, including the promotion of Alan Seymour, who will head operations for Gerber’s Los Angeles office....
Smart Clothing
High-tech clothing was on the runway during the International Symposium on Wearable Computing, hosted by Infineon Technologies and held at the University of Washington earlier this month. Some of the ...
Hot Kiss on Sunset
Los Angeles-based juniors manufacturer Hot Kiss threw a wine-and-dine mixer on Oct. 8 during the Los Angeles Junior & Contemporary Market for retailers to mingle with Hot Kiss ex...
ISAM Debuts in Santa Monica
The International Swimwear and Activewear Market (ISAM) bowed Oct. 9 in its new location at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, Calif....
Spring Breaks at CMC's Junior & Contemporary Market
Junior resources were checking strongly during the California Market Center’s (CMC) Spring 2003 Junior & Contemporary Market Oct. 7–10, as anxious buyers and exhibitors tried to ho...
City of Hope to Host 15th Annual Golf Fund-raiser
The Apparel Industries Group for the City of Hope will host the 15th Annual Norm Crosby Golf Tournament and Dinner on Oct. 28 at the North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Vil...
President Bush Steps In to Reopen Ports
Evoking the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, President George W. Bush secured a court order on Oct. 8 to force West Coast dockworkers back to work after 10 days of port closures. The court order will force t...
State Settles With Wins Workers
About 240 former Wins of California garment workers in San Francisco will receive approximately $865,132 for more than three months' worth of back wages, according to the State Labor Commissi...
Fields Says Military Jackets, Cargo Pants Head Up Spring 2003 Looks
Marc Jacobs big-buttoned denim military jackets and Balenciaga’s cargo pants are the inspiration for Spring 2003, according to Barbara Fields, whose buyin...
May and Federated Focus on New Retail Strategies
Amid laudatory speeches and confetti blasts, the ribbon was cut and around 11,000 customers streamed into the store throughout the charity preview day Oct. 3....
Material World: Strong Turnout Bodes Well for Spring '03 Show
MIAMI BEACH, FLA.—Material World Miami Beach got off to a strong start at its Oct. 6–8 run at the Miami Beach Convention Center with strong first-day attendance, an exhibitor ...
Development and Shopping on Minds of Huntington Beach Retailers
“Surf City,” otherwise known as Huntington Beach, Calif., a town renowned for its eight miles of white sandy beaches, is in the midst of a development wave, and not everyone supports it....
Friday, October 4
L.A. Fashion Week Calendar Set
The Los Angeles Fashion Week Committee will post the calendar for Spring 2003 Fashion Week on the committee’s Web site,
Avery Acquires Packaging Firm
Tags and labels supplier Avery Dennison Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire RVL Packaging Inc., a global provider of brand identification products to...
CMC Sets Market Schedule
The California Market Center (CMC), home of the California Mart, has set its market week schedule for the Oct. 7–10 junior and contemporary market....
L.A. in N.Y.: Lloyd Klein
The Studio 54 location of
Gen Art Names 2002's Fresh Faces
Gen Art has named the designers to be featured in its Fresh Faces in Fashion show set for Nov. 3 at the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles....
Art Support
Actress Lisa Kudrow joined Inner-City Arts students and board members in breaking ground at an Oct. 1 event to kick off a $7.5 million expansion project, which will add 24,000 square feet of space inc...
Malibu Gym Apparel
Malibu Gym Apparel (MGA) is relaunching as a fashion brand for men and women for the 15-year-old Malibu Gym fitness center in Malibu, Calif....
Xlarge Poised for Growth
With a new line, new distribution focus and even new licensing deals, Los Angelesbased clothing design firm Xlarge is poised to grow even bigger. That’s the mission for the company, which curr...
Nally & Millie
At a time when many apparel companies are branching into edgier styles for women’s separates, Nally & Millie, a missy contemporary line that focuses on the latest styles and fashion trends...
ISAM Set to Bow in Santa Monica
The International Swimwear/Activewear Market (ISAM) is adding the final touches to the upcoming edition of the show, which is expected to draw roughly 1,000 attendees to Santa Monica, Calif., for its...
There's More to Missy
Swim makers take a fresh look at the missy market ...
Material World Looks Ahead to 2004, 2005
Textile trade show Material World Miami Beach is set to bow with an eye to the future at its Oct. 7–9 run at the Miami Beach Convention Center...
Unemployment Drops
Claims for unemployment benefits fell by 24,000 to 406,000 for the week ending Sept. 21, marking the biggest decrease in two months, according to the Labor Department. Analysts said the news indicated...
LV and Wilson
Louis Vuitton has engaged avant-garde stage designer Robert Wilson to design the Holiday window displays for all the Louis Vuitton stores worldwide. Wilson’s displays will center around a newly redesig...
Perc No More?
Dry cleaners in California may be prohibited from using perchloroethylene, commonly called perc, in their cleaning if the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) adopts a ban on the chemica...
Warnaco Files Plan
New York-based Warnaco Group filed a Plan of Reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, with plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2003. The plan calls for the apparel...
Stalled Port Talks Lead to Lockouts
The stalled negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) have blossomed into work...
Strong Turnout, Sales Mark Gift Markets at CMC, L.A. Mart
The retail cloud seemed to have lifted at the recent Los Angeles gift markets, which ran concurrently Sept. 29–Oct. 1....
Focused Buyers, New Resources at CMC's Urban Suburban
Urban Suburban, a young men’s and juniors urban apparel and footwear show held at the California Market Center (CMC), opened to focused buyers and exhibitor growth for its Spring 2003...
U.S. Clothing Retailers Settle Saipan Workers Suit
Six more American retailers have settled a wage violation claims class-action lawsuit filed by apparel workers in Saipan....
Jonny Rock
Jonathan Marks used to be a penniless, die-hard rock music fan from Delaware. That is, until he figured out how to make a profit from the music....
Cherokee Taps Wescoat
Cherokee Inc., a licensing and branded-apparel management company based in Van Nuys, Calif., has named Kyle Wescoat chief financial officer....
Levi's Requests Brand Protection in Delhi
San Francisco-based Levi Strauss & Co. has filed a trademark infringement suit and is seeking brand protection from a Delhi, India, court after an Indian retailer was discovered selling ...
Billabong Plans New Flagships
Riding high on the success of its initial stores, Irvine, Calif.-based Billabong USA plans to add up to five more doors to its retail mix in the next 18 months, according to president Paul Na...
Babystyle to Open First Bricks-and-Mortar Store
Los Angeles-based babystyle, a maternity and baby lifestyle e-commerce site and catalog company, plans to open its first retail store, in Manhattan Beach, Calif., by late November....
Hartenstine Named to AAFA Board
Apparel industry executive Warren Hartenstine has been named to the board of the American Apparel & Footwear Association’s (AAFA) Supplier and Resource Division (SRD), the technol...
L.A. in N.Y.: BCBG Max Azria
Max Azria explored the age of innocence for
Sisters With Rock 'n' Roll Style
The Movie: “The Banger Sisters” ...
State of Industry, Export Opportunities and Pitfalls Top the Agenda at Export Summit
More than 60 people turned out to find out more about export opportunities for apparel and textile manufacturers at a Sept. 26 summit sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of ...
Kerkes Joins Tommy Bahama
Resort apparel maker Tommy Bahama has announced the appointment of Don Kerkes as director of the company’s denim division Indigo Palms, a new post reporting to Tony Margolis,...
Freudenberg to Carry Fiber Dynamics' Interlinings
Freudenberg Nonwovens has agreed to purchase certain interlinings and embroider y backings business from Fiber Dynamics, effective Sept. 30....
