Stories for July 2004

Subscribe

Friday, July 30

New POS Systems for Liz Claiborne

Liz Claiborne Inc. is overhauling its instore point-of-sale system with help from the Microsoft Corp.’s new Smarter Retailing Initiative, which combines Microsoft operating ...

Target Sells Mervyn's Stores

Minneapolis-based retailer Target Corp. sold its Hayward, Calif.-based unit Mervyn’s to a private investment group for approximately $1.2 billion....

Sarah in Gap

San Francisco–based retailer Gap Inc. launched a new ad campaign featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Lenny Kravitz and other celebrities showing off their personal style. (Parker accessorized her Gap jeans...

Beija Brazil: Night to Day

Beija Brazil combines the colorful attitude of Brazil with American cuts and style. According to designer Guy Blews, the philosophy of the line is to provide wearable, fun, practical and sexy...

New Exec at Malden

Lawrence, Mass.–based textile mill Malden Mills Industries has named Michael Spillane president and chief executive officer. A former executive at Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A., Spillane will immediately begin...

Dockworkers, Shippers Agree to Hire 3,000 Longshore Workers

Cargo shipments at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are expected to speed up after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced on July 29 a new hiring pro...

Lucky Brand Founders Partner in Jean Shop

West Coast denim enthusiasts Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman, founders of Lucky Brand Dungarees, have partnered with Creative Director Eric Goldstein to bow Jean Shop in New York’s M...

Quiksilver Unveils New Concept Stores in South Coast Plaza

Quiksilver Inc. will dive into a new phase of design and experimentation when it opens two new stores at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif....

Buyers Navigate Multiple Menswear Venues in NYC

NEW YORK—Buyers and media gamely traversed the New York City piers, an aircraft carrier, SoHo and downtown to cover three trade shows held July 18–2...

L.A. Fashion Week Plans Begin

In August, IMG’s 7th on Sixth will begin mailing its applications for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, set to run Oct. 26–29 at Smashbox Studi...

More American Apparel

Los Angeles-based T-shirt and underwear maker American Apparel is continuing its retail expansion. A new store on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood opens on Aug. 2. Other store opening...

Wage Recovery

The Department of Industrial Relations has recovered $724,600 in back wages for 472 workers of Los Angeles–based manufacturer MiAngels Apparel. The DIR, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor...

Increased Confidence

The Consumer Confidence Index increased to 106.1 in July from 102.8 in June, according to The Conference Board. The New York–based research company gathers information for its monthly survey from a sam...

Agave's Denim Push

Jeff Shafer got his start in streetwear, made the jump to surfwear and is now taking on the men’s premium denim market with Los Angeles–based better men’s line Agave....

ApparelMagic Attempts to Solve E-Commerce Puzzle

Apparel companies have lately become a bit skeptical about putting their collections on the Internet via online catalogs or e-showrooms. Despite the boom in online apparel s...

China and India Prepare for 2005

HONG KONG—China was not the only country setting its sights on the United States as a new frontier for apparel exports at Hong Kong Fashion Week, held July 13–16 at t...

Vintage Served Fashion Side Up

Finding a good piece of vintage clothing requires one’s best Sherlock Holmes skills, but reconstructing vintage into an entirely new design takes inspiration....

Edible Couture

The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris is staging an exhibition of French designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s designs made from French bread, according to a recent report in the Los Angeles T...

Halston Sneak Preview

Can anyone improve the work of an iconic designer such as Halston? Most definitely not, according to Bradley Bayou, the creative director reviving the legendary label....

Hong Kong Fashion Week

HONG KONG—Branding was on the minds of Hong Kong Fashion Week organizers, who presented six runway events showcasing Hong Kong designers and other Asian creative forces duri...

Donn Mason: Irreverent Furnishings

New line Donn Mason is designed for men with discriminating taste in underwear....

Friday, July 23

CFA Kicks Off 2005 Series

The California Fashion Association held the first in a roundtable series to help apparel industry executives prepare for the phase out of quotas for World Trade Association members o...

Ecko's 42nd Street Hub

New York–based urban apparel label Ecko Unlimited has signed a lease with The New 42nd Street to open a 30,393-square-foot, three-level store in the historic Times Square Theater. The store will be designed as a cross...

Election Wear

British retailer—and no stranger to controversy—French Connection has launched a small T-shirt line to encourage people to vote in the November U.S. elections. The company raised some eyebrows several years ago when it began u...

Turk Joins CFDA

Los Angeles designer Trina Turk was among 21 designers recently inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Turk, who launched her company in 1996, designs contemporary clothing inspired by the...

Big Market, Big Shows

The gift industry is gargantuan—it is estimated to be a $253 billion market in the United States, according to Unity Marketing of Stevens, Pa. Two recent gift shows, the Cali...

Misses Swimwear Evolves at Miami Swim Show

As retail sales peaked at the height of the swim season, many buyers got an early glimpse of the latest swimwear trends at the Swimwear Association of Florida’s Cru...

Warnaco to Acquire Ocean Pacific

After emerging from bankruptcy 12 years ago to ride a wave of success in the late 1990s, the Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. is repositioning itself for the new millennium....

Rhodes Named Apparel News Publisher

Molly Rhodes, general manager of California Apparel News, has been named publisher of the 60-year-old publication by Carl Wernicke and Teri Fellman, co-chief executive offic...

CMC to Redesign 2A

The California Market Center in Los Angeles is sprucing up an area of its 3-millionsquare- foot center that has been somewhat of a no man’s land for the past year....

Champions Go Shopping

Inglewood, Calif.’s nickname is “The City of Champions.” Soon this South Los Angeles County town may earn another moniker: “The City of Boutiques.”...

Freeborders, Invista Launch Online Fabric Catalog

San Francisco–based Freeborders Inc. and Wilmington, Del.–based Invista (formerly called DuPont Textiles and Interiors Inc.) have launched Fast, a database of fibers ...

SAP Acquires L.A. Software Company

German software company SAP AG has acquired Los Angeles–based A2i Inc., a privately held software company that markets catalog-data management products for retailers and other industr...

Mid-Year Financial Review: Encouraging Signs, But Challenges Ahead

The national economy is recovering, consumers are still buying, and in Southern California, retail employment is on the rise....

Friday, July 16

Guess' Neuburger

Sleepwear designer Karen Neuburger has been named to the board of directors of Guess? Inc. ...

L.A. Fashion District Names Operations Director

Randall Tampa has been named interim operations director for the Los Angeles Fashion District Business Improvement District. He has replaced Brenda Peters, who recently left...

Lift Line: Elevator Hosts Heike Jarick

The Elevator Gallery, a 1,800-square-foot boutique and exhibition space on Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles, opened in February with an eye toward mixing art and fashion. On July 8, the store ...

New Web Vehicle for Butterfly Jeans

Riverside, Calif.–based Butterfly Jeans Co. has released a redesigned Web site at

UNITE, HERE Finalize Merger

Delegates of the United States’ main garment workers union, UNITE, voted July 8 to officially merge with HERE, the hospitality industry’s union, to form UNITE HERE, a single u...

DuPont's New Fiber Heads for China

Wilmington, Del.–based chemical manufacturer DuPont is betting on China to be a key supplier of its new polymer, Sorona...

Heading Back to Camp

Eighties nostalgia with California attitude. That’s the design philosophy behind Camp Beverly Hills, which blends ’80s-inspired style with 21st century casual chic. The popular T-shirt and swe...

American Fantasia

The American Rag Cie apparel line has tapped American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino to be the spokesperson for the brand. Barrino will appear in American Rag Cie advertising and make appearances in Macy...

Hong Kong Fashion Week

HONG KONG—The new world order of apparel manufacturing has Charlotte Hurst on a serious search. In a little more than 24 hours, the head of development and imports for Los A...

June '04 Sales Slump, But Economists Forecast Growth

Is it a hiccup or a long-term economic slowdown?...

CFA, FBI Host Cash-Flow Seminar

The California Fashion Association and Fashion Business Inc. will co-host a luncheon seminar titled “Increased Cash Flow & Profitability” on July 29 in sui...

Finding Fortune in T-Shirts and Surf

Vernon, Calif.–based T-shirt company diversifies with strategic licensing agreements and a partner in surf ...

Times Square West Coming to Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles’ fashion status may get a major boost of confidence following the July 14 announcement from Staples Center developer Anschutz Entertainment Group about its longpl...

One-Stop Shop for Beauty and Fashion

Cyrus Sorat promises celebrity-style pampering for every woman—or, at least, for the ones who can afford the one-stop shopping for beauty and fashion at his first retail venture, SX....

Strike Averted at Calif. Ports

A strike at the ports of Long Beach, Calif., and Los Angeles was averted on July 9, when clerical workers and shippers negotiated an agreement....

Urban Revival Hits Downtown San Diego

The 20,000-plus attendes expected to visit the Sept. 10–12 run of Action Sports Retailer will get a glimpse during the trade show of the new developments underway on the San Diego waterfront....

Build Like an Architect, Sell Like a Retailer

Architects and designers build stores by balancing visionary architecture and merchandise ...

Friday, July 9

Levi's Has a New Haas

Miriam Haas, president of the Miriam and Peter Haas Fund, has joined the board of directors of San Francisco–based denim giant Levi Strauss & Co. She succeeds her husband, Peter Haas Sr., who stepp...

BCBG Gets New High-Speed Digitizers

Los Angeles–based apparel maker BCBG Max Azria has overhauled its digitizing operations with a new scanning system recently developed by New York–based Nhega Inc. ...

The Other Side of Cute

Will fashionistas ever grow bored of cute? Probably not, judging from Los Angeles boutique Aero & Co., which journeyed to the far side of cute at its July 2 trunk show featuring ...

Gerber's New Suite

Gerber Technology recently relocated its Southern California regional headquarters to the Cerritos Towne Center and held an open house on June 30 to celebrate the ...

Lectra Names New Communications Exec

Paris-based Lectra has named Franccedil;oise Ruiz as its new director of communications. Ruiz will oversee all aspects of communications for the CAD/CAM company, which also markets collaborat...

Ashworth Buys Gekko

Carlsbad-based gold manufacturer Ashworth Inc. acquired Gekko Brands—designer, producer and distributor of headwear and apparel under the brands The Game and Kudzu—for $24 million. The acquisition will ...

Dallas to Honor Missoni, Tiffany

The Dallas Market Center will present Italian fashion house Missoni and John Loring of New York–based luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. with fashion awards on Oct. 23...

Seven for All Mankind Launches Lightweight Cashmere Tops

Seven for All Mankind is adding a soft touch to its denim line. The 4-year-old Los Angeles–based contemporary denim maker has designed a cashmere tops collection, set to bow ...

Threat of Strikes Looms at Southern California's Ports

Apparel manufacturers and retailers are wringing their hands, worried that a series of problems at Southern California’s ports may delay overseas shipments when goods start arriving for the Backto- Sch...

Singer Sells Sewing Business

Singer NV, based in the Netherlands Antilles, has agreed to sell its sewing business and trademark for $125 million in cash and debt to an investment group managed by Mt. Kisco, N.Y.–...

Mervyn's New Baby

Hayward-based retailer Mervyn’s, a division of the Minneapolis-based Target Corp., announced plans to launch a new maternity line created in partnership with actress Holly Robinson Peete. The Holly Robinson Pe...

'80s Edge

Girly, edgy and whimsical, Primp is a hip new contemporary line with a distinctly ’80s look and a unique, feminine flair....

Producing Garments at the Speed of Light

The beams of bright light used in body scanning technology are no longer the sole domain of research institutions and movie studios. They are becoming important tools for the apparel industry....

Wired for Wear

In case you have not noticed, there’s a big phenomenon developing around Internetbased music and a tiny handheld gadget that is reaching right into the world of fashion....

New at Moonlight Graham

There’s a new vice president at Irvine-based apparel manufacturer Moonlight Graham Inc., the 4-year-old maker of T-shirts, hats and outerwear bearing vintage sports logos that are carried by Urban Outfitters, Nordstro...

Feminine Fashions Revive Charlotte Russe

The arrival of flirty, feminine fashions earlier this year was welcome news to national specialty chains Charlotte Russe and Rampage and their parent company, San Diego–based...

Warnaco Cruises Ahead

The Warnaco Swimwear Group, the Los Angeles–based division of New York–based apparel giant The Warnaco Group Inc., dove into the Cruise season with a swimwear fashion show dub...

ENK's Confirmed

New York–based trade show producer ENK inked a deal with contemporary streetwear show To Be Confirmed to co-produce TBC’s New York show. (The deal does not extend to TBC’s London and Tokyo shows.) TBC’s New York show wil...

Tukatech Ends One Deal, Launches Several Others

Los Angeles–based technology firm Tukatech Inc. apparently won’t miss a beat after its longterm software supplier, OptiTex USA Inc., recently severed ties with the company. O...

L.A. Entrepreneurs

Los Angeles–based T-shirt maker American Apparel LLC and Los Angeles–based retailer Forever 21 Inc. were among the Entrepreneurs of the Year named by Los Angeles–based accounting and consulting firm Erns...

Teched-Up Apparel to Take Center Stage at Olympic Games

Like the hundreds of athletes competing in next month’s Olympic Games in Greece, apparel makers will be looking to set new boundaries with a fresh crop of technology-driven apparel....

Analysts Remain Bullish on Hot Topic

After flying high for several months, Hot Topic, Inc. reported negative comparable store sales for the month of June, the second consecutive month of declining comp-store sales for t...

Brand Management

Warnaco’s Van Ness juggles designer swimwear and private-label lines ...

Friday, July 2

EPC Group Forms Policy Board for RFID

Lawrenceville, N.J.–based EPCglobal, the organization responsible for setting standards for the electronic product codes used in radio frequency identification technology, has appointed Elizab...

FCD Revises Market Schedule

FashionCenterDallas, the new apparel mart located at the Dallas Market Center, will trim the dates of its future market weeks by one day beginning in August....

Burke Joins Dickies Girl

Chris Burke has joined juniors casual apparel maker Dickies Girl as marketing director. He reports to Masud Sarshar, chief executive officer and president....

Project Runway Finalists

“Project Runway,” the upcoming fashionthemed reality television show from the Miramax Film Corp. and Bravo, selected 25 finalists from a recent Gen Art–sponsored casting call in Los Ange...

Night at the Gallery

The owners of Los Angeles boutiques Noni and Black Market LA feel that fashion is art. So when both stores hosted parties on June 25, it was no surprise that fine artists were at the...

TPC Installs New Officers

Members of the Textile Professional Club gathered for their end-of-the-year dinner at the Wyndham Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood, Calif...

Mrs. Cox's Neighborhood

“Here’s my girls,” Eva Cox said as she hugged four women stepping out of the midmorning heat into her high-end contemporary casual boutique, Kate Daniels, in Seal Beach, Calif....

Fed Raises Rates

As anticipated, the Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates by one-quarter of a percentage point after four years of lowering and holding interest rates to stave off recession....

Maui & Sons Enters Strategic Partnership

Surf apparel maker Maui and Sons International Ltd. has signed a manufacturing and retail licensing deal with Zhejiang Elteno Garment Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Sha...

Guess Goes Upscale With Marciano

Guess? Inc. wants to get into the upscale retail business....

Confidence Up, Way Up

The Consumer Confidence Index rose dramatically to 101.9 in June from 93.1 in May, according to The Conference Board, the New York–based research company that compiles the index. The group also saw increases i...

Prada's New Store Will Have Distinct Los Angeles Look

Prada's ambitious expansion of its Rodeo Drive flagship store has been in the works for several years. The wait to see the store’s new look will be over on July 16, when the Italian fashion ho...

Columbia Cracks Down on Counterfeiters

Portland, Ore.–based manufacturer Columbia Sportswear Co., with the help of Chinese authorities in the Fujian province cities of Jinjiang and Shishi, raided several factories and seized more than 8,100 pieces ...

Gottschalks' New Concept

Fresno-based retailer Gottschalks Inc. will open a two-level, 100,000-square-foot concept store in the River Park area of Fresno in the spring of 2005. The new store will be the only full-line departm...

Left-Leaning Tees

Caitlin Blue doesn’t mince words when discussing her political views—or the concept behind her T-shirt line, Clothing of the American Mind....

Seven Lawsuit Adds Up to Confusion

A long and drawn-out lawsuit dispute among the founders of Seven for All Mankind ended with a jury recommending that the creative forces behind the company be paid $5.5 million in pr...

Group Strikes Gold With Red Hats

Fashion tends to fixate on youth, but in the past year, companies have been clamoring to license products for The Red Hat Society Inc., a national club for women aged 50 and older....

Surf School Confidential

Typically, celebrities and athletes, not surfing instructors, launch their own fashion lines and stores. However, Izzy Tihanyi, founder of the Surf Diva Surf School, opened a 2,000-s...

CFA Panel Tackles Calif.'s Strict Labor Laws

Apparel manufacturers and retailers have to navigate a maze of labor laws to keep their operations above-board and profitable....

Hudson Gets New Position at MJW

Real estate executive Larry Hudson has been named director of asset management for Los Angeles–based MJW Investments, which owns the Gerry Building fashion showrooms as well as numero...

Finding New Tactics to Offset Workers' Compensation Claims

In the wake of landmark legislation aimed at reforming California’s distressed workers’ compensation system, Los Angeles apparel makers are finding ways to reorganize their infrastructures to keep spira...

Retail Key to $1.2 Billion Grand Avenue Project

The centerpiece of the highly anticipated Grand Avenue Project will be a 16-acre park adjacent to Los Angeles City Hall....