California Apparel News

About a year after its debut, TukaCenter, Tukatech Inc.’s Los Angeles self-service CAD/CAM store, is holding its own.

Despite some skepticism from outside the company, TukaCenter has proved to become a viable resource to the dozens of Fashion District pattern makers, designers and manufacturers.

The center offers CAD/CAM rentals, instruction, marker-making services, digitizing and other services offered on the cheap for $10 an hour or $50 a month.

When it debuted in May 2001, some outsiders thought the existing cadre of pattern-making services would offer Tukatech too much competition, but through some grass-roots marketing vehicles and general word-ofmouth, the TukaCenter concept is alive and well. In fact, the company is expanding and will add another unit in Commerce, Calif., in the coming months at its company headquarters.

TukaCenters, of which there are about two dozen based around the globe, were originally aimed at providing a resource to small companies, but somewhat surprisingly, they have also been a help to larger operations.

“We’ve been taking on a lot of overflow business from the companies,” said Los Angeles Tuka- Center manager Rachael Carson. “Especially when everyone is preparing for [the] MAGIC [International trade show], we get buried.” Because many apparel manufacturers have been trimming their human resources and operating with bare minimum staffs, when crunch time comes they’ve been turning to outside help and TukaCenter’s location a block or two away from the California Market Center, Gerry Building, New Mart and Cooper Building has been convenient.

But TukaCenter isn’t straying from its focus, according to Tukatech chief executive officer Ram Sareen, who said TukaCenter’s students “are no longer the stepchildren” of the fashion industry when they venture into the center. He applauds Tukatech regulars such as freelance designer Cindy Gotts. “I get emails and patterns from her at one in the morning,” said Sareen. “It’s people like her that this place is for.”

Aside from Sareen’s own praise, TukaCenter has been gaining interest through heavy advertising, both word-of-mouth and in print campaigns, along with some new avenues that have the company partnering with others in the apparel supply chain to gain new customers.

This year, Tukatech and interlinings supplier Freudenberg established a partnership in which Freudenberg supplies TukaCenter with a variety of interlining products from waistbands to collar supports, which students can purchase by the piece.

“It helps students and other independents because they would otherwise have to buy in bulk from suppliers or are limited in what they can choose from a fabric store,” said Sonia Chhabra, Tukatech’s marketing manager.

The two companies soon launched in-store seminars sponsoring a Freudenberg representative to TukaCenter to give a primer on interlining technology and products. The seminars have helped bring in new customers for both companies.

“They’ve gone really well. The most recent one had more than 50 people and they were all new to Tukatech,” said Chhabra. Tukatech gave away prizes at the event, including free instruction and rental time. And interlinings are just the beginning. Tukatech plans to partner with other players within the supply chain to make TukaCenter a one-stop production house. “We want it so you can do everything here,” added Chhabra.