California Apparel News

Los Angeles–based updated label I.D.I. may not be as familiar a brand as its larger rivals, but an expansion into new categories as well as a physical expansion of its headquarters may change that in the near future.

I.D.I. has been flying under the radar for 21 years. It’s best known for its array of colorful, denim-friendly tops that sport a contemporary vibe yet a misses fit.

Owner and Chief Designer Matthew Hekmat is taking the company into new waters with a new denim line that hits stores this fall. Leggings, menswear, footwear and an expansion of the company headquarters are also on tap.

Compared with some of the industry’s leaders, I.D.I.’s annual sales of $6.5 million is small, but it allows the company to operate efficiently. I.D.I. makes 90 percent of its products domestically and produces a robust 240 styles a year.

Hekmat, a self-taught designer who learned the trade from his father, a Los Angeles clothing-store owner, is prolific and known to provide retailers with variety and quality. All garments are pre-shrunk, and most are embellished with some type of embroidery or intricate needlework. They also feature colorful designs. A rainbow of tie-dyed styles was featured in the Spring/Summer 2008 collection. Wholesale price points range from $18 to $44. A more moderately priced line called Tryst is wholesale priced from $8.50 to $14.50. A private-label business makes up about 40 percent of the company’s sales, as well.

“My strength is that I mix things up,” Hekmat said. “I like to do a lot of 3-D and mixed media. I come up with a concept and give it meaning, give it life. I make a story out of it so that the buyer can relate to it.”

For the Spring 2009 line, Hekmat is employing a theme of nature. To gain some ideas, he hired a photographer to travel Southern California, shooting the region’s flora and fauna.

Director of Operations Richard Stern said retailers look at Hekmat’s pieces as they would artwork.

“Our customers like the way they keep coming up with new styles,” said Sally Lewis, owner of the Expressions boutique in Lake Forest, Calif. “There’s lots of variety, and the fit makes it even better.”

Lewis said the label’s contemporary styling works well for her Orange County customers, as even the more mature consumers are looking for fashion items.

I.D.I. delivers product monthly so stores aren’t overwhelmed with one or two large shipments.

Next up for I.D.I. is a new denim collection that ships this fall. The line features about eight styles priced at $34.

“It’s a great price,” said the company’s West Coast sales representative, Herlinda Ellis of the Studio III showroom,located in the California Market Center in Los Angeles.

Hekmat said initial orders have been strong. The series features indigo and black jeans with trouser, flare and regular cuts.

Next year, Hekmat will start doing some men’s T-shirts and women’s skirts along with a women’s T-shirt and sandals collection. A series of shirts will debut this fall to help raise money for breast-cancer research.

The restrictive economy has not hindered I.D.I. In fact, Hekmat says the company can take advantage of the situation because it produces mostly in the United States.

“We can react faster [than importers]. Even in this market, we are selling well,” he said. As an example, he pointed to the recent announcement that Christopher & Banks will shutter its Acorn stores division by the end of the year. I.D.I. will be one of the few lines carried by the retailer until then.

“Matthew put his spirit into everything,” Stern said. “We never compromise on anything. We don’t cut corners. Matthew puts his stamp of approval on everything. That’s why we have very minimal returns but lots of reorders.”

Down the line, a new company-owned headquarters is part of further expansion plans.

Studio III’s Ellis added that the company is making it easier to weather the downturn.

“Right now you have to be right on target to make it— and they’re doing it,” she said.

Hekmat said the only real challenge he sees is time.

“I love what I do,” he said. “I enjoy the challenge of coming up with change and newness.”

I.D.I. will be in the Studio III booth at the WWIN show, to be held Aug. 25–28 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

For more information on I.D.I., visit www.eyedeye.com or call (213) 624-1064.