Friday, May 30
IMB Show Highlights Marker-Making Advancements
Faster, quicker and stronger were the buzzwords floating around the IMB equipment show, held May 6–10 at the Koln- Messe in Cologne, Germany. More than 700 exhibitors and clo...
Tween Value
Ohio specialty retailer Too Inc., which operated the Limited Too tween retail chain, announced it will shutter its teen chain Mishmash and open a new, yet-tobe- named retail concept that will sell val...
Apparel Exec to Discuss 3-D Sizing Technology
Ilona Foyer, president of Malibu, Calif.–based dressform maker Shapely Shadow Inc., will speak about 3-D scanning technology June 2 at an industry focus-group conference in New York. The Unite...
New Zealand Fashions at the CMC
New Zealand fashions are coming to the California Market Center. As part of Los Angeles Market Week, the CMC will showcase Focus, including 14 apparel lines from Down Under...
Intentia Signs On Ocean Sky International
Swedish apparel management company Intentia International has inked a partnership with Singapore apparel manufacturer Ocean Sky International Ltd. to implement Intentia’s Movex Fashi...
Transition to Macy's
Several of the stores under the Federated Department Stores Inc. umbrella are getting hyphenated. The Bon Marcheacute;, Burdines, Lazarus and Goldsmith’s stores will be renamed The Bon Marcheacute;–Macy’s, Burdines- Macy’s, Lazarus-Macy’s and Go...
International Opportunities for L.A.
Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn is putting a major emphasis on international trade to grow the local economy. That was seen at his first “International State of the City Address,” where he promised...
California Leads U.S. Retail Markets
California-based retail markets ranked among the nation’s strongest, according to a new report by Encino, Calif.–based researchers Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokera...
Companies Cautiously Plan Return to Asia
Now that the World Health Organization (WHO) has lifted the ban on travel to Hong Kong and southern China, apparel companies are deciding what to do....
New Software Aids in Customs Compliance
Avery Dennison Retail Information Services has rolled out a new version of its InfoChain Express shipping software to help retailers and manufacturers comply with U.S. Customs...
Surf Expo Goes Resort
Surf Expo is getting into the resortwear business with the launch of Cal Resort, a new trade show set to bow in August on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif....
Incentives Available for Downtown L.A. Businesses
American Apparel is doing it. Guess? is doing it. And many more apparel companies could be doing it if they tried....
NASCAR for Her
Van Nuys, Calif.–based Jerry Leigh of California has rolled out a women’s apparel line featuring the NASCAR label, thanks to a licensing deal struck with the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The collecti...
The Gardens in Palm Desert Fuels Retail Buying Spree
Retail properties continue to be hot targets for real estate companies looking to capitalize on low interest rates. This month, Davis Street Land Co. closed on The Gardens o...
Sports Business Tops Agenda at Sports Forum
The Action Sports 2003 Summit will get underway June 25–27 at the Marina Beach Marriott in Marina del Rey, Calif....
Mixed Expectations
The Consumer Confidence Index rose slightly in May to 83.8 from 81.0 the month before, according to the Conference Board. But there were mixed results from the Expectations Index and the Present Situation Index, whic...
Industry Seeks to Alleviate Workers' Comp Woes
Sam Kim thinks he has a solution for the California apparel industry’s workers’ compensation woes....
Friday, May 23
SARS, Bioterrorism Seminar Planned
The Labor & Employment Group of Los Angeles–based law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips will host a seminar titled “SARS, Bioterrorism, Chemical Weapons, Anthrax. Irration...
Custom T-Shirts Part of Lab Benefit
The LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa, Calif., will host “Reconstr uction...in progress,” a fashion installation and benefit for The Nikao Youth Project, a nonprofit program ...
Worker's Comp Tops Talks at GCA Meeting
Legislation that could offset a hike in workers’ compensation was the topic of discussion at a meeting hosted by the Garment Contractors Association of Sout...
FBI Hosts Export Seminar
Spain has one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies and a population hungry for California-style apparel, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce....
Zinc Names Kohler National Sales Manager
Los Angeles–based junior-contemporary sportswear manufacturer Zinc has promoted Gina Kohler to the position of national sales manager....
Camp Max Straus Sets Distribution Day
The Jewish Federation’s Fashion Industries Division and Camp Max Straus will hold the annual Camp Max Straus Clothing Distribution Day on June 8 a...
Walk of Style Sculpture Installation Set
Sculptor Robert Graham will attend the June 11 installation of his “Torso” sculpture in Beverly Hills, Calif. The sculpture will be the centerpiece of the city’s new Walk of Styl...
South Coast Home
Designers from the American Society of Interior Designers will create an installation of rooms for display June 5–8 at the South Coast Plaza’s Jewel and Center courts. Eight designers will pull home-accent merchandise from ret...
The Return of Jil
Jil Sander has returned to the German-based label that bears her name. Sander left the company two years ago, after Italian luxury company Prada Group purchased the label. The label suffered in her absence, p...
Designer Trunk Show with Horn as Host
Los Angeles boutique Horn hosted a trunk show for local label Diane Medak on May 15. Guests including socialite Nicky Hilton, stopped by for cocktails...
Eastside Independents
If Beverly Hills is Los Angeles retail’s prom queen, then Echo Park is the pink-haired punk rocker spiking the punch bowl....
30 Seconds at the Block
Aspiring singers will get their shot at 30 seconds of fame during the “Become a Block Star” event at The Block At Orange mall in Orange. Beginning June 5, contestants will compete every ...
JPR Shopping for Licensees for Fever
Calabasas, Calif.-based updated missy manufacturer John Paul Richards Inc. has temporarily put production of its Fever Jean line on hold while executives look for licensees for the c...
Paxar Unveils New Comfort-Tag Division
White Plains, N.Y.–based label maker Paxar Corp. has joined the tagless-technology brigade with the launch of its Soft.mark line of comfort-label solutions....
Candie's Land
Dallas-based specialty retailer Gadzooks Inc. announced it has extended its exclusive license agreement with Candie’s Inc. for the Candie’s line of apparel, swimwear and innerwear through August 2004. The agree...
Lectra Tech Conference to Focus on Sourcing
Sourcing consultant Mary T. O’Rourke will be the keynote speaker at the Lectra Apparel Technology Conference, which will be held June 9–12 in New York and via Webcast at...
S.F. Retail Worker Sues Chico's Over Sales-Floor Dress Policy
Upscale retailer Chico’s FAS Inc., a purveyor of casual and career women’s clothing, is the latest company to be sued for allegedly requiring its salespeople to buy and wear the company’s clothi...
Red Car Flats
The former Red Car Subway Terminal Building in downtown Los Angeles has been slated for a $65 million make-over to turn the 1925 building into 277 apartments by September 2004. Forest City Residential...
Couture Clothing Honored at Industry 212
Industry 212, the New York–based MAGIC International trade show formerly called Femme, presented its Men’s Style award to Los Angeles–based men’s line Couture, The Clot...
Gerber Steps Up 3D, PDM Capabilities
Tolland, Conn.–based Gerber Technology is taking a step into the third dimension. The company has formalized a deal with Los Angeles–based Browzwear Ltd. to develop an enhanced interface that...
First Quarter Report: Mixed Signals Cloud California Forecast
Southern California’s economy is playing the waiting game....
Cooper Bldg., SMC to Offer Free Photoshop Classes
The Cooper Building and Santa Monica College will offer free Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator classes for apparel-industry employees....
Fashion Center Execs
Northridge Fashion Center has hired Richard C. Forster as general manager and Linda Smith Frost as senior marketing manager. The mall in Northridge, Calif., is owned by Chicago-based General Growth Pr...
Puente Hills, Del Amo Malls Sold
Investors out shopping for shopping malls have swept up two major retail centers in the Los Angeles area....
Friday, May 16
FBI Moves Into New Center, Seeks New Members
Fashion Business Inc., the Los Angeles– based nonprofit organization that assists designers and small manufacturers, has moved into its newly renovated designresource center and is looking for...
Girl Mania Files Suit Against Wet Seal Inc.
Girl Mania Inc. has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Wet Seal Inc. and Zutopia, its division of tween stores, for trade-dress infringement, unfair competition and misappr...
Fine Arts Sold
The Fine Arts Building in downtown Los Angeles was sold for $12.7 million to Beverly Hills–based Blue Real Estate Management. Architects Albert R. Walker and Percy A. Eisen designed the building at 811...
Dallas Group Explores Alternative to DMC
After one group of developers failed to launch a new contemporaryapparel market in Dallas, a group of Dallas showroom owners is keeping the idea alive....
Lectra Division Earns Honor
Paris-based Lectra has presented its Chairman’s Cup award to its North American branch in recognition of the division’s business performance in 2002....
Melrose Ave. Aims for Balance of Independent Retailers
The independent spirit still thrives on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, but the retail profile on the funky street is changing— again....
Hot Kiss at the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian has selected Los Angeles juniors manufacturer Hot Kiss for its exhibit “America on the Move.” The exhibit, which opens in November, will detail how transportation has shaped America’s la...
Employment Down
California lost 13,100 jobs in April, according to the Employment Development Department. This marks the third consecutive month of nonfarm job losses for the state. Still, the state unemployment rate has bee...
Madden and Candie's
New York–based footwear makers Steve Madden and Candie’s Inc. have signed an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement in which Steve Madden will design, manufacture and distribute Candie’s footwear for w...
DMC Names New Merchandising Exec
The Dallas Market Center has named Shelli Mers Morgan director of leasing and merchandising for contemporary and young-contemporary divisions....
Bridal Baubles
Los Angeles jewelry designer Lara Noel Hill has struck a deal with Tarzana-based formalwear retailer Lili Bridals & Formals to provide personal consulting and custom design services for Lili custo...
Runway to Northern California
Academy of Art College in San Francisco will host its annual graduation fashion show, Fashion 2003, at 7 p.m. on May 20 at the school’s 491 Post St. building....
CBI Sourcing Show Attendees Hoping for New Trade Deal in 2004
GUATEMALA CITY—The buzz among Central American apparel and textile manufacturers these days centers on one thing: the hope that a new free-trade agreement will be in place with the United States next y...
Cold Weather Offsets Easter Sales
Economic doubts and chilly weather froze out sales boosts for many retailers in April. Many had counted on the late Easter holiday to help spur sales last month, but consumers continued to hold onto t...
Santee Court Gets Construction Loan
MJW Investments has received financing of $32 million for the first phase of Santee Court, the 780,000-square-foot, mixeduse village planned for the Los An...
Kellwood, Run and Simmons
St. Louis–based Kellwood Co. has announced it will develop a new men’s activewear collection with Reverend Run, one of the founders of rap group Run-DMC, and his brother, music- and apparel-industry entrepreneur Russel...
Enuke Launches Oligo Tissew Jeans
Los Angeles knitwear designer Kristopher Enuke is parlaying the artistry he learned making fine sweaters into a high-end women’s denim collection called Oligo Tissew, which the designer says m...
One Girl Who: Tapping a Niche for Knits
One Girl Who’s sophisticated knitwear looks for novelty shoppers have caught the attention of better department stores and specialty retailers on both coasts....
Friday, May 9
David Rochlen Sr., 78, Jams World Founder
David Rochlen Sr., who founded longtime aloha-shirt labels Surf Line Hawaii Ltd. and Jams World, died of cancer April 13 at his home in Honolulu. He was 78....
Liz Claiborne Signs Deal With DMC
Liz Claiborne Inc. has signed a longterm agreement with the Dallas Market Center to move all of its brands currently represente...
Neon Glows Again in Fashion District
Another landmark in the Los Angeles Fashion District was resurrected on May 6, when the 150-foot neon tower atop the historic Bendix Building at 12th Street and Maple Avenue...
Ross Stores to Relocate HQ, Warehouse
Newark, Calif.–based Ross Stores Inc. will be moving its corporate headquarters a few miles northeast to Pleasanton, Calif., in Alameda County. The company has signed an 11-year lease for 150...
SouthBay Pavilion Set for Renovation
The SouthBay Pavilion in Carson, Calif., joins the list of aging shopping malls due for a date with a bulldozer. Newport Beach, Calif.–based Hopkins Real Estate Group paid $34 million...
Developers Plan New Simi Valley Mall
Cleveland-based retail developer Forest City Enterprises Inc. will team with San Diego–based Corti Gilchrist Partnership and the...
Kellwood Acquires License for XOXO
St. Louis-based Kellwood Company has acquired the XOXO license for sportswear, dresses and intimates apparel from Global Brand Holdings, LLC in an effort to boost i...
DuPont Online
Traffic has increased 900 percent in the past year at the Dupont Textiles & Interiors Online Fabric Library, according to the Wilmington, Del.–based fiber and chemical manufacturer. The library has...
Avery Opens Central American Plant
Avery Dennison Retail Information Services has installed a $3 million label-manufacturing facility in San Salvador, El Salvador, to support its Central American apparel manufacturers. The fac...
Bebe GMM Resigns
Bebe Stores Inc.’s General Merchandising Manager Kathy Lee has resigned from the Los Angeles–based company to pursue personal interests....
Supply-Chain Consultant Service Launched
Ringwood, N.J.–based Apparel Search Company LLC has introduced Apparel Search Logistics, a consultant service to provide textile and apparel firms with advice on imp...
Kmart Emerges
Troy, Mich.–based Kmart Corp. has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with $2 billion in financing and a new board of directors chairman, investor Edward Lampert of ESL Investment Inc. Since ...
Rates Unchanged
The Federal Reserve left rates at the current level—but left open the possibility of further lowering interest rates to jump-start the economy. The overnight federal funds rate remained unchanged at 1.25 perce...
The Secret Beneath Teen Apparel
Los Angeles company targets the junior-lingerie market...
Apparel Companies Lend a Hand
Apparel companies are lending a hand to troops serving overseas. Volunteer projects such as Treats for Troops are putting packages together for the men and women stationed in the Persian Gulf...
Lectra Sets New York Technology Event
Sourcing, design and marketing will be some of the subjects covered June 9–12 during the Lectra Apparel Technology Conference in New York....
City of Hope to Honor Marty Josephson
The Apparel Industries Group, a fund-raising group for the City of Hope National Medical Center, will honor Marty Josephson, co-...
Nike Lawsuit Raises First Amendment Questions for Industry Advertisers
Beaverton, Ore.–based footwear giant Nike is currently mired in a debate that could affect how companies advertise their products and services, make public statements, and defend themselves ag...
Magazines Banned
Bentonville, Ark.–based retail giant Wal-Mart has banned three men’s titles for being too racy. Maxim, Stuff and FHM have been permanently removed from the retailer’s magazine racks. ...
Alloy's ClubCotton
Online catalog retailer Alloy is teaming with Cotton Inc. to create ClubCotton, a new section of the
Mr. Rags Closing
Long Beach, Calif.–based retailer Mr. Rags announced plans to liquidate inventory at its 63 stores, including 21 stores in California. The 18-year-old chain sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protec...
New Designers at O'Neill
Irvine, Calif.–based surfwear manufacturer O’Neill has hired two new designers: Pat Fraley and Tonya La Barrie. The hirings are part of the company’s plan to refocus its casual and athletic appa...
Industry Supports Reservist Work Force
Manufacturers and retailers assist employees on military leave ...
Making Company Statements
Dov Charney, the founder and president of Los Angeles–based T-shirt manufacturer American Apparel, is not afraid to speak his mind—or voice his opinions about social responsib...
IFFE and TDA
The Textile Distributors Association will have its own pavilion at the Oct. 14–16 run of the International Fashion Fabric Exhibition at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. The pavilion will...
Friday, May 2
New Fabric Lines, Familiar Faces at L.A. Textile Show
The Los Angeles International Textile Show celebrated its 10th anniversary with a solid turnout at the California Market Center, where designers and fabric buyers from across town and acros...
VF Corp. and NGC in Production Deal
Denim and outerwear producer VF Corp. will use New Generation Computing’s e-SPS production solution to help man...
SARS Slowing?
The World Health Organization issued a statement indicating the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak appears to be contained in Vietnam and the worst of the outbreak seems to have passed in Singa...
Spending Up
Consumer spending rose 0.4 percent in March—the steepest increase in four months, according to the Commerce Department, which also found that personal income nationwide rose 0.4 percent....
ASAP Strikes Deal With C.K. Cooper
Cyber Merchants Exchange Inc., which recently moved its headquarters from Pasadena, Calif., to El Monte, Calif., announced it has entered into a financial-advisor agreement with C.K. Cooper ...
Wal-Mart Suit Filed
A group of female Wal-Mart store managers in California has filed suit against the Bentonville, Ark.–based retail giant, charging job discrimination. According to the brief filed with the court, the fe...
L.A. Fashion Week Recap
Designers, organizers weigh in on advantages and drawbacks of two-venue setup ...
L.A. Apparel Co. in Legal Battle With J.C. Penney
Montebello, Calif.–based girls’ apparel maker Guild Inc. filed a lawsuit on April 29 in Los Angeles Federal Court against J.C. Penney Corp. for copyright infringement and unfair business prac...
Developers Pull Out of Fashion District Dallas Project
Fashion District Dallas (FDD), the proposed apparel market in downtown Dallas that was to challenge the Dallas Market Center for a piece of the Southwest wholesale market, a...
Stores Closing
Spiegel Inc., the Downers Grove, Ill.–based catalog retailer, announced plans to close 60 of its Eddie Bauer retail locations, including seven stores in California. Spiegel is currently restructuring i...
Local Importers, Manufacturers Brace for Shipping-Rate Hikes
The news coming out of Asia these days isn’t great for apparel importers...
Credit Settlement
MasterCard and Visa have settled their suit with retailers including Wal-Mart stores, Sears, Roebuck & Co., Circuit City Stores and Safeway Inc. over the use of debit cards.Visa agreed to a $2 billion set...
