Friday, February 28
Fashion Week Plans Begin:Collins, Berliner, Krajecki to Show
A preliminary Los Angeles Fashion Week schedule has been posted at
Tilly's Moving to Irvine Spectrum
Growing teen apparel retailer Tilly’s will move its corporate offices and distribution facilities to the Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, Calif., this summer....
L*Space Launches Denim Line
Santa Ana, Calif.-based swimwear manufacturer L*Space launched a denim sportswear collection featuring jeans, skirts and T-shirts at last month’s Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in ...
Gen Art Issues Call for Styles Entries
New York-based nonprofit organization Gen Art has issued an international call for entries for its fifth annual Gen Art Styles 2003 competition, set to take place April 22 at New York...
Hip-Hop Brand Pugilist Debuts
Pugilist Gear will roll out a line of T-shirts, caps, denim and womenswear in August at MAGIC International in Las Vegas....
Lucky Lingerie
Lucky Brand Dungarees, the Vernon, Calif.-based subsidiary of New York’s Liz Claiborne Inc., has struck a deal with Charles Komar & Sons for loungewear, sleepwear and underwear. The deal calls for a new co...
Pitching Technology to L.A.'s Melting Pot
Bringing technology to the melting pot that makes up the Southern California garment industry can be a cumbersome task, but design-software firm PAD System Technologies said it has a secret w...
Style and Sales Drive Business at Coterie
Fashion was good and business was even better at Fashion Coterie, held Feb. 23–25 at the Show Piers in New York. Buyers from all over the globe turned out for the show despite reports...
Rodeo Drive Revamp Includes quot;Walk of Stylequot;
Even Rodeo Drive, the ritziest shopping street in Beverly Hills, Calif., needs a cosmetic make-over from time to time. And the high-fashion thoroughfare is about to get one....
Isaac at Target
Isaac Mizrahi is back—and this time he’s at Target. The New York-based fashion designer-turned-talk show host will unveil a collection of women’s sportswear and accessories at the Minneapolis-based discount reta...
Traffic Up at Miami Swim Show
Attendance and moods were up at the Swim Association of Florida’s Summer 2003 Swimwear Show, held Feb. 25–26 at the Miami International Merchandise Mart in Miami....
TC2 Sets Seminar in N.C.
Cary, N.C.-based technology firm TC2 is hosting a forum on supply-chain management in the apparel industry April 2 at its headquarters. The seminar, “Delivering the Goods—Break...
Votre Nom Boosts Sales Team, Opens L.A. Corporate Showroom
New York-based eveningwear and sportswear manufacturer Votre Nom is taking a bigger stake in the Los Angeles market by hiring more sales executives and opening a corporate showroom i...
Premiegrave;re Vision Report: New Developments in Fiber, Finish and Print
Premiegrave;re Vision concluded its Feb. 11–15 run at Parc d’Expositions in Paris with encouraging results as 31,397 visitors attended the fair....
AAFA/OSHA Signs Ergonomics Agreement
Arlington, V.A.-based Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) signed an agreement that will align its members with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to better pr...
Roxy Reader
Junior surf brand Roxy, a division of Huntington Beach, Calif.-based surfwear giant Quiksilver, has teamed with MTV and publisher HarperCollins to create a new reality show and a book series about the...
Freeborders Releases New PDM Package
San Francisco-based software company Freeborders, Inc. has added a new version of its product data management solution to its arsenal. FB iPDM 2.6 is designed to help retailers and b...
New Pres at Donahue Schriber
Patrick S. Donahue has been named president and chief operating officer of Costa Mesa, Calif.-based retail-development company Donahue Schriber. Donahue succeeds his brother and company found...
Prices Up
The Consumer Price Index, a measure used to gauge inflation, rose 0.3 percent in January, according to the U.S. Labor Department, which said the increase—the largest since last April—was primarily caused by rising ener...
SOLD: Ace Ross Studios
Los Angeles-based Ace Ross Studios has been purchased by apparel-industry newcomer Brandon Beak, according to the company’s former owner, Ace Ross....
Fashion District Management Contract Up for Renewal
The Los Angeles Fashion District Business Improvement District (FDBID) contract is up for renewal, and area property owners will soon decide whether to approve the district for another five y...
Zinc Taps Youth Market
Los Angeles-based juniors contemporary sportswear manufacturer Zinc is preparing to launch its first branding campaign....
Cynthia Hart Launches E-commerce Site
Los Angeles-based handbag designer Cynthia Hart has re-launched her Web site as an e-commerce site....
GMAC's L.A. Office Cuts Payroll, Moves Downtown
GMAC Commercial Finance, one of the country’s largest specialized lenders to the apparel industry, laid off 21 of its Los Angeles-based employees and moved remaining employees to a new downtow...
Friday, February 21
Deborah Belgum Joins California Apparel News Staff
Veteran journalist Deborah Belgum has joined the editorial staff of California Apparel News as senior editor. Belgum was most recently with the Lo...
Rival Dallas Group Hires Former CalMart Exec
Dallas-based developers looking to challenge the Dallas Market Center (DMC) for a piece of the local wholesale market have taken some aggressive steps with...
OP in Action
Laguna Beach-based Ocean Pacific has signed on as a title sponsor of Girls Learn to Ride, a series of action-sports clinics open to women only. The clinics, which will be held February and March acros...
William B. Contractors Seek Payment in Excess of $50,000
Several local apparel contractors are seeking more than $50,000 in payment from Royal Apparel Group for sewing work completed for the manufacturer’s William B. contemporary women’s lab...
Eve's Fetish
Los Angeles-based Innovo Azteca Apparel has struck a deal with hip-hop artist and actress Eve to create a line of apparel and accessories under the Fetish label. The junior and contemporary label will...
Ergonomic Alliance
The American Apparel & Footwear Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have signed an alliance to disseminate information about ergonomics in the workplace. The two grou...
Electricity Alert
Electricity prices in California could increase this summer thanks to Pacific Northwest drought conditions that are cutting into that region’s hydroelectric power generation. Officials are anticipating...
MAGIC, Satellite Shows Weather East Coast Delays, Cautious Buying
Las Vegas was busy as buyers traveled between seven apparel trade shows held in five venues during the recent run of MAGIC International and concurrent satellite shows....
Polo Promotion
Boca Raton, Fla.- based public-relations firm TransMedia Group has signed on to promote the U.S. Polo Association sportswear brand for the next year. TransMedia, which last year publicized the Polo Associatio...
eBay Expands MAGIC Presence
Online auctioneer eBay Inc. is using technology to grab a bigger piece of the apparel market. The San Jose, Calif.-based company has been integrating its site with a number of tech partners t...
Snow Sales
The blizzard that dumped 2 feet of snow on several East Coast states also contributed to a drop in retail sales on Presidents Day, according to the National Retail Federation. The organization said re...
CLAD to Host New Member Meeting
The Coalition of Los Angeles Designers (CLAD) will host a new member meeting and informational session on Feb. 27 in the California Market Center fashion theater. ...
MAGIC's Fall Fusion
There was a Tyrolean theme on the
Friday, February 14
Retail Group Forming Tech Committee
The International Mass Retail Association (IMRA), based in Arlington, Va., is forming a new committee that will explore the technology needs of retailers through meetings with retail executiv...
Israeli Childrenswear Line Bows at MAGIC
Shilav Apparel, an infants’ and childrenswear manufacturer in Tel Aviv, Israel, is preparing to launch a contemporary children’s apparel line that features clean, bright looks created by a Euro...
Mixed Retail Results in January '03
Retail sales were sluggish in January— although among the specialty stores there were some stunning gains and spectacular losses....
Cherish Sets Up Trim, Knitting Shop
Los Angeles-based manufacturing consultant Victor Kim and his company, Cherish International, has acquired TNS Mills in the Los Angeles garment district and has set up shop ...
Rapper Ice-T to Debut Men's Line at MAGIC
Rapper and actor Ice-T will join the growing list of hip-hop artists with apparel lines as he debuts his menswear collection, IceWear, during MAGIC International....
Less Productive
Worker productivity slacked off in the last quarter of 2002—although not enough to erase the gains in productivity made all year, according to the Labor Department. Productivity reached a 50-year high ...
Macy's in Hawaii
Federated Department Stores has acquired two former J.C. Penney stores on the islands of Maui and Hawaii and plans to convert them to Macy’s stores by fall 2003. Federated already has stores in both locations. The existing st...
Steve Madden Overseas
Long Island City, N.Y.-based shoe maker Steve Madden Ltd. has signed an exclusive distribution deal with F.E.E.T. to sell Steve Madden shoes in all European countries except the United Kingdom....
Bloomie's Is a Go in San Francisco
The much-anticipated, but much-stalled Bloomingdale’s retail project in downtown San Francisco appears to be progressing. Chief developer Cleveland, Ohiobased Forest...
Two Lines From Master P
Hip-hop mogul Master P thinks he knows what teens want in their fashion....
What's in a Name?
L.A. apparel makers rely on specialists to boost image...
Van Halen Bassist Debuts T-shirt Line
Anaheim, Calif.-based Bonspeed is a T-shirt collection for men and women who like fast cars and rock ’n’ roll. Owners Brad Fanshaw of Hot Rods by Boyd and Michael Ant...
Textile Innovations Abound at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market
The energy was high among exhibitors and attendees at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show held Jan. 31–Feb. 3 in Salt Lake City....
Drawing on Personal Experience
In an economic climate that has made it increasingly difficult for small and midsized labels to stake a claim on retail floor space—particularly when competing with major brands—B.i.y.a.y.c.d.a...
Noland's Action Chic at MAGIC
Designer Meghan Noland describes her contemporary collection as “sort of a James Bond–meets–The Crocodile Hunter look.”...
MAGIC Enters the Sourcing Zone
MAGIC International is ready to explore the brave new world of global sourcing as it prepares to launch an international manufacturer pavilion at next week’s Magic Marketplace in Las ...
Talking Licensing at MAGIC
The Licensing International and Licensing Industry Merchandiser Association will host a networking luncheon at MAGIC International between noon and 2 p.m...
Rhodes' Fashion Museum Set to Open in London
The British-born designer raised funds and awareness from her San Diego studio ...
New Line for Emme
Plus-size fashion model and former “E! Fashion Emergency” host Emme has teamed again with St. Louis-based Kellwood Company to launch a new apparel line for J.C. Penney stores. The collection, ca...
Bebe Change
Brisbane-based retailer Bebe announced the resignation of its vice president of stores, Patrick McGahan. The company has not announced his replacement....
A New Approach to Identifying Textiles
Learning about fabric isn’t always about Xs and Os. That’s why Los Angeles-based designers James Darren Clay and Victoria Woodford developed the Fabric Swatch Kit, a learning tool for design st...
Unemployment Drop
The national unemployment rate decreased 5.7 percent in January, according to the Labor Department, which found that payroll employment increased by 143,000 in January following nationwide losses of 1...
Self Esteem Taps Dynasty Footwear
Los Angeles-based juniors manufacturer Self Esteem has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Dynasty Footwear Ltd. to produce hip, trendy footwear for juniors and girls....
GGAA Appoints Hinds
Craig Hinds has been named president of San Francisco- based Golden Gate Apparel Association (GGAA), a 140-member organization that holds apparel and accessories trade shows in the B...
Friday, February 7
Label Penalty
Michigan-based Pelle Pelle has agreed to pay $40,000 to settle a Federal Trade Commission charge that the streetwear manufacturer put the wrong care labels on several of the company’s men’s pants and ja...
Cherokee Renews Target Deal
Van Nuys, Calif.-based Cherokee Inc. announced that Target Corporation plans to continue its licensing agreement to carry the company’s branded apparel for men, women, childr...
Wet Seal Chief Bronstein Gone
Kathy Bronstein, longtime chief executive officer of the Orange County, Calif.-based retail chain Wet Seal, Inc. has been “relieved of her duties,” the company said. She will be...
Gerber Expands Operations South of the Border
Tolland, Conn.-based Gerber Technology has appointed Tecnologiacute;a de la Informacioacute;n en Sistemas Administrativos (TISA) as its newest sales and service agent in Mexico. The...
PAD Sets NY CAD/CAM Seminar
The Los Angeles offices of PAD System Technologies will host an apparel patternmaking and design seminar Feb. 19–20 at Quebec’s government delegation offices in New York....
Apparel Firms Cope With EDI at FBI Seminar
Preparation and taking advantage of new technologies are the keys to helping young, growing apparel companies cope with the sometimes confusing world of electronic data inte...
Getting Down on Streetwear With Crazy Legs and Easy Roc of Rock Steady Crew
This week, California Apparel News’ fashion pages feature a trio of dancers—Rock Steady Crew’s Crazy Legs and Easy Roc and Lindsey Blaufarb of Beat Freaks—showing their...
Government Officials to Speak on Sourcing at ASAP
Representatives from the governments of Bangladesh, Bolivia, China and the Philippines will present a seminar titled “Global Sourcing Made Easy” from 1–5 p.m. ...
CMC Bows Market Tuesday Event
The California Market Center debuted its Market Tuesday concept with a book signing by Judy’s stores founder Marcia Israel-Curley....
Seventeen Mag May Be Put on Block
New York-based Primedia Inc., publishers of teen lifestyle magazine Seventeen, said it is considering selling the publication and other assets, including Teen magazine, to f...
Idol Fashion
Malibu-based Jakks Pacific Inc. has struck a deal with the producers of reality show “American Idol” to produce a line of fashion and beauty accessories for the tween market. The licensi...
Tukatech Opens Tukacenter in China
Los Angeles-based CAD/CAM provider Tukatech Inc. has opened a new Tukacenter CAD/CAM rental and training store in China....
Mr. Rags Files
Long Beach-based retail chain Mr. Rags has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Santa Ana. The company, which was purchased last year from teen accessories chain Claire...
Kohl's Gives $2.5M to Children's Hospitals
Kohl's isn’t wasting any time in tossing its goodwill to Southern California. The Wisconsin-based retailer, which is building close to 30 department stores in the region, has pledged $2.5 mi...
Solitude Unveils Eco-Friendly Boardshorts
Solitude is taking the water out of boardshorts—or, at least, the surf- and beachinspired company is taking the water out of the printing process used to make them....
FBI to Host EDI Seminar at MAGIC
Los Angeles-based trade group Fashion Business Inc. (FBI) will present an electronic data interchange seminar at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Sands Expo Convention Cent...
Kagan Welcomes Padilla Back
Janet Padilla has been hired as Kagan Trim Center’s national sales manager, a post reporting to Jed Kagan, president....
Mass Market
The number of Americans over the age of 55 is expected to grow by 60 percent in the next 20 years, eventually reaching 30 percent of the U.S. population by 2022, according to a recent report titled “The U.S. M...
Close Shows Diminish Traffic at L.A.WCE
Fewer exhibitors attended the Feb. 2–4 run of the Westcoast Exclusive (WCE) in Los Angeles compared with previous WCE shows. The diminished attendance was caused by a tight trade-show calendar that placed co...
CLAD Joins CFA
The Coalition of Los Angeles Designers (CLAD) has joined the California Fashion Association (CFA). CLAD plans to kick off the partnership with a series of business-to-business semin...
Style Network Looks at 'Style Essentials'
E! Network’s Style Network is preparing to debut a new series called “Style Essentials,” which will air Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. PST....
JM Associates Buys Clothestime
Clothestime is getting another chance at big-time retail. The Anaheim, Calif.-based retailer has been acquired by JM Associates, a multinational juniors manufacturer that plans to restructur...
U.S., California in 'Nontraditional Recession'
The economic outlook should improve in the second half of 2003—provided the conflict in Iraq is resolved quickly....
DrunknMunky Purchase
One of the founders of New York-based Fubu has purchased a controlling interest in Los Angeles-based streetwear brand DrunknMunky. Fubu chief executive officer Daymond John and other investors formed ...
