Aris Reopens Apparel Facility
Aris Industries president Arnold Simon has revived his former apparel manufacturing company Adamson Inc., which will operate as a separate entity from Aris, as well as license the company’s five brand names, according to an Aris spokesman.
Last month, the Commerce, Calif.-based company broke free of its five-year licensing deal with Grupo Xtra of New York Inc. and managed to win back full control over its trademarks, including XOXO, Baby Phat, Members Only and Fragile.
Grupo Xtra owner Marc Stern filed for Chapter 11 protection in Los Angeles Superior Court after not paying his employees’ wages for three weeks. According to Aris, Stern owes the company about $6.2 million for six months worth of unpaid royalties.
A company spokesman said Adamson Inc., which had been dormant for about six years, was established to help assist workers with back pay and guarantee them future work.
Grupo Xtra produced apparel for Aris’ licensees at its Mexico City facility. About 200,000 units of apparel are currently being shipped back to the United States, where they will go through quality control before they are delivered to retailers, according to the company. —Claudia Figueroa
