Guez New President at Dickies Girl Licensee

Paul Guez, sometimes referred to as the godfather of premium denim, has been named the new president of Apparel Limited, the Los Angeles company that has the license to make Dickies Girl pants and apparel for the juniors market. He started his new job Jan. 10.

Guez, who founded Sasson Jeans in the late 1970s and later lost the label in bankruptcy court, has a long history developing denim labels.

More recently, he was chief executive of Blue Holdings Inc., the parent company for Los Angeles denim brands Taverniti So and Antik Denim. He stepped down from that position in mid-2007.

Apparel Limited was founded by Masud Sarshar to make workwear-style pants for teen-agers under the Dickies Girl label in sizes 0–27. The label is made through a licensing agreement with Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co., the Fort Worth, Texas–based company that owns the Dickies brand. Williamson-Dickies makes rugged workplace pants that are popular with painters, construction workers and just about anyone who needs a sturdy garment.

Guez joins Apparel Limited at a contentious time. Apparel Limited recently sued Williamson-Dickie for allegedly making a product very similar to its own Dickies Girl product but in misses sizes rather than juniors sizes.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Dallas on Dec. 29, alleges breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional interference with an economic relationship.

The lawsuit maintains that Williamson-Dickie has been making women’s pants similar to the ones manufactured by Apparel Limited and placing them in the same retail outlets, such as Wal-Mart and Kmart. Apparel Limited also sells its Dickies Girls to stores such as Sears, JCPenney, City Trends, Tilly’s and Amazon.com.

Court documents note that in July 2010, Apparel Limited became aware that Williamson-Dickie was manufacturing and selling merchandise that duplicated Apparel Limited’s line of Dickies Girls, but it was sold under the Dickies label.

However, Williamson-Dickie was selling even-numbered sizes for misses rather than odd-numbered sizes for juniors on the same racks in Wal-Mart and other stores where Dickies Girl was sold.“I don’t think the average person would understand the difference between the two,” said Robert Esensten, an attorney representing Apparel Limited. “It is hard to explain how your own licensor is selling the same exact goods, the same color, the same fits and the same styles.”

Williamson-Dickie, in an emailed statement, said it does not comment on legal matters and has not been served with the lawsuit. “For 90 years, Williamson-Dickie has maintained a rock-solid reputation among consumers and business peers—a position we will both protect and maintain," the company said.—Deborah Belgum