California Apparel News

Designer Richard Tyler, considered by many to be the godfather of Los Angeles design, is headed to China to start manufacturing a revised version at lower price points of his label called Richard Tyler Collection.

The line could be out as early as February. Already Tyler is contemplating showcasing it during Los Angeles Fashion Week sometime in the future.

In addition, the transplanted Australian, who closed his 16-year-old boutique on Beverly Boulevard just two months ago, is planning to open two new stores soon, one in the Los Angeles area and one in New York.

In May, the award-winning designer known for his impeccable tailoring retired from the world of fashion for about two nanoseconds. Then he announced he would keep working but would close his boutique, downsize his company and concentrate on his bridal business and his couture business. That he did.

He still has clients flying in from out of state for private fittings at his design studio in South Pasadena, Calif., which has 16 sewing machines, two cutting tables and employs about 40 people. His bridal business, launched four years ago, is doing well at stores such as Barneys New York, where gowns sell for $2,800–$15,000.

The bridal business has been so successful that the 59-yearold designer is eyeing a retail location at Sunset Plaza, the strip of fashionable boutiques and cafes on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif., for a new store that would concentrate on bridalwear. “I want to open a store as soon as I can find the right location,” he said at his studio, seated at a lacquered Chinese table next to an array of mannequins attired in elegant bridal gowns made with scads of delicate fabric.

He is also opening a boutique in Greenwich Village on the ground floor of the Washington Street structure that houses his East Coast home. The opening is scheduled for sometime in November. This store will also have a strong emphasis on bridal gowns, with couture creations being added to the mix.

The bridal stores will feature a wide variety of price points for wedding gowns as Tyler looks at different approaches to minimize production costs. “We are thinking of doing a less expensive line of bridal gowns with a licensee to do production in China,” said Tyler, who said the more affordable wedding dresses would sell for around $800.

Looking east

For years, Tyler has insisted on manufacturing his couture and contemporary collections mostly at his design studio with only the best fabrics, often found in Europe. His wife, Lisa Trafficante, is his business partner.

But more than a year ago, he was given the job of redesigning the entire line of Delta Air Lines Inc. uniforms, which are being made mostly in Shanghai.

Flying back and forth to China to oversee production, the designer discovered that the Chinese are very good at making high-end apparel with Chinese-made fabrics that rival many of the best textiles made in Europe. “I was reserved at first about producing in China,” he noted.

With cheaper labor and more affordable fabrics in China, Tyler believes he can offer his new collection at more affordable prices while maintaining the tailored craftsmanship for which he is known. “I want to hit a broader market,” Tyler said. Jackets would retail for $250–$500. Skirts could sell for $180.

“Right now we are working out the detailshellip;. It will be out next year, in February maybe,” said the designer, who was taught to sew at age 5 by his couturier mother. The new collection, however, will be more suit-driven.

Tyler hasn’t figured out which stores will carry his new Richard Tyler Collection, but it would probably include the same stores that sold his Richard Tyler eveningwear line or his Tyler contemporary line. Those retail outlets included Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The designer also is thinking of selling his collection in Europe by opening a few showrooms there.

If a new collection and new stores weren’t enough, Tyler is also contemplating designing a handbag line now that he has been creating the luggage for the Delta Air Lines flight staff.

Tyler was in New York recently, where he was fitting uniforms on many of the airline employees in makeshift dressing rooms set up at John F. Kennedy International Airport. “It was like a trunk show multiplied by a thousand,” recalled the fashion guru, who has won three awards from the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Delta employees will be donning their new uniforms and accessories on March 1, 2006. The public got a peek at the uniforms last February when the well-tailored designs were seen on the runway during New York Fashion Week.

With all these new projects in the works, retirement now seems like a fleeting moment in the long career of one of Los Angeles’ best-known designers. “I think I have a few more years in the business,” Tyler said. “I’m not going to retire. I can’t. I can’t.”