Friday, July 25
Action Girl Bows With High Energy, Mixed Reviews
Athletic action was everywhere at the first Action Girl Sports show, held July 17–19 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif....
Playa on the Runway
Miami Beach’s ultra-modern Sagamore Hotel provided the backdrop for the
Parallel to Bow at JCPenney
Los Angeles–based BCBGMaxAzria wants to give moderate retailer J.C. Penney Co. Inc. a fashion face-lift....
L.A. Gift Show: Business Brisk for Some at CMC
Buyers were cautiously optimistic at the recent Los Angeles gift show at the California Market Center, one of several venues where buyers could shop for gifts, home deacute;cor and accessorie...
Contemporary Brands, Distinctive Details Drive Swim Sales in Miami
MIAMI—Despite sluggish consumer confidence and stormy retail waters that drove same-store sales down during the spring months, many buyers and vendors attending the July 19–23 run of the Swimwear Assoc...
Rip Curl to Build New HQ
Surfwear marketer Rip Curl USA is banking on the future. The company recently finalized a deal to buy 5.2 acres of land in California’s Orange County for its new corporate headquarters....
KAMA, DOL Plan Compliance Partnership
The Korean Apparel Manufacturers Association in Los Angeles has entered a monitoring agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division....
Royal Treatment
Queen Hemas of Yogyakarta and her delegation were among the visitors to the California Market Center during the California Gift Show, held July 15–22. The queen, who oversees international trade for th...
Get Out of the Park
Santa Fe Springs, Calif.–based shoe and apparel maker Vans Inc. is closing some of its skate parks in the face of competition from alternative—and free—venues. The company, which began opening Vans Skate Parks a...
Private-Label Boom
Sales of private-label apparel have been on the rise in recent years even as overall apparel sales have declined, according to The NPD Group Inc. The Port Washington, N.Y.–based research firm found that private-label ...
Paxar Files Suit Against Competitor
Two leaders in the tags-and-labels business appear to be heading for a courtroom battle. Paxar Corp. of White Plains, N.Y., has filed a lawsuit against Vernon Hills, Ill.–based Zebra Technolo...
Mid-Year Review: California Expected to Follow Nation Out of Economic Slump
Is it time to break out the party balloons and celebrate a turnaround in the economy?...
All Recovered?
The recession is over—that’s the word from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which found that the U.S. economy was in recession between March 2001 and the end of that year. Despite continuing job losses that ha...
Sewing-Equipment Makers, Distributors Face New Challenges
Sewing-equipment manufacturers have made significant advancements in technology in recent years. Using the latest in software technology, they have made machines faster and more precise than ever befo...
Friday, July 18
Hong Kong Fashion Week Opens With Curtailed Business Following SARS Epidemic
The World Health Organization lifted the travel restrictions to Hong Kong two weeks before the opening of Hong Kong Fashion Week—but despite just a slight drop in attendance, exhibito...
Quiksilver Dispute to Go Before Jury
A federal judge determined that a jury would have to settle a dispute between Huntington Beach, Calif.–based surfwear giant Quiksilver Inc. and Kymsta Corp., a small Los Angeles appar...
Fed's Promise
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told the House Financial Services Committee that he will keep interest rates low until the economy recovers. While the central bank remains optimistic about eco...
Swimwear at La Playa
Playa by La Blanca, a new contemporary swim line for women produced by Apparel Ventures in Los Angeles, will host a fashion show during the July 19–23 run of the S...
FLSA Fight
The National Retail Federation issued a call to the Senate to reject a proposal blocking changes to workers’ overtime rules in the Fair Labor Standards Act. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor suggested the FLSA r...
L.A. in N.Y.
California designer Cornell Collins was among four emerging designers recognized at the Gen Art Ignite event on July 17 in New York. The four designers, all of African-American and Latino descent, each received a $2,...
Gerber Hosts CAD Seminars at FIDM and Art Institute
Gerber Technology Inc. will show the latest advancements in its apparel-design software on Aug. 5 at the Art Institute of California in San Francisco and Aug. 6...
Frederick's of Hollywood: New Products, New Image, and an Eye on China
Frederick’s of Hollywood has been on a diet....
Factory Orders Up
The demand for manufactured goods rose by 4 percent in May to $320.6 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The slight uptick comes after a 3 percent drop in April—the largest decrease ...
Sears Sells Credit
Hoffman Estates, Ill.–based Sears, Roebuck & Co. sold its credit-card division to Citigroup Inc. for $3 billion. The deal frees up an additional $3 billion for the retailer, which said it plans to ...
Tukatech Gets Deal With Kohl's
Los Angeles CAD supplier Tukatech Inc. has forged a deal to deliver 25 station CAD systems with digitizers and plotters to Menomonee Falls, Wis.–based Kohl’s Corp. ...
New Contemporary Line Draws From Retro-Inspired Past
Freedom Brand has hit the ground running with its collection of “Vintage Americana.”...
June '03 Sales: Bright Spots Among the Clouds
Retail sales perked up in June for some retailers—particularly for specialty stores such as Anaheim, Calif.–based teen specialty chain Pacific Sunwear of California Inc., which continued its hot s...
Wal-Mart Takes the Lead in Radio I.D. Tracking
Just as retailers and manufacturers were getting the hang of the bar-code environment of EDI (electronic data interchange), the latest development in tracking technology, radio-frequency identificatio...
ENK to Expand Presence at CMC
New York–based ENK International, producer of the Fashion Coterie show, will take a larger presence at the California Market Center during Los Ange...
Second Sew Down Set for July 20
Los Angeles designer Atousa and youth-culture marketing company Green Galactic will host the second Sew Down music, art, fashion and technology event on July 20 at Qtopia in...
Friday, July 11
Nesi Apparel Group Coming to L.A. Fashion District
New York–based Nesi Apparel Group LLC has signed a lease to occupy a 6,000-square-foot showroom in the Gerry Building in the Los Angeles F...
Gerber Goes 3-D With Browzwear Alliance
Tel Aviv, Israel–based Browzwear Ltd. will supply Gerber Technology Inc. with its V-Stitcher 3-D visualization solution....
Fashion Museum Gets $30,000 Grant
The proposed Museum of Fashion Designers and Creators (MODAC) has received a $30,000 grant from the city of Los Angeles. Museum organizers will use the money to preserve some of the ...
Raj Finds Fountain of Youth With Contemporary Line
Swimwear maker Raj Manufacturing Inc. is hoping to make a $20 million splash with its new contemporary collection for young women called Next by Athena, which bows during the July 1...
Estevan Ramos Dives Into Swim
Los Angeles designer Estevan Ramos is taking on swimwear with a new collection of men’s swim trunks he quietly launched this summer....
Huit's Parisian Roots
Contemporary swimwear maker Huit, a division of French parent company Huit Diffusion, has a knack for incorporating elegant, chic fabrications into its stylish swim collections. The ...
Wal-Mart Extends Rights
Bentonville, Ark.–based retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that it has broadened its anti-discrimination policy to include gay and lesbian workers. The retailer’s policy also covers race, gende...
Misses Reps Dig Deep to Reach New Buyers
These are not easy times for manufacturer reps. And for those in the misses sector, it’s even more difficult. But as the going has gotten tougher, so have the reps....
Nike Buys Converse
Beaverton, Ore.–based footwear giant Nike announced plans to purchase North Andover, Mass.-based rival Converse for $305 million. Nike will also take on Converse’s existing debt....
High-End Swimwear Provides Shelter During Erratic Sales Season
It’s 3 a.m., and Julie McMackin is standing on a ladder inside her beachside swimwear boutique setting up a window display of mannequins, which she hopes will catch the attention of passersby. It would...
U.S. Cotton Growers to Bush: Keep Farm Subsidies in Place
California cotton farmers don’t really cotton to the idea of government farm subsidies being lifted. But African farmers do...
China Cup Seeks Design Entries
Young designers and students are invited to enter the 10th annual China Cup fashion-design contest, which will be held next March in Shanghai, China....
VF Buys Nautica
Greensboro, N.C.–based VF Corp. announced plans to purchase New York–based Nautica Enterprises Inc. for approximately $585.6 million. VF has agreed to pay Nautica shareholders $17 per share and approximately $14.6 mill...
Levi's, Esprit Dispute
San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. has charged Hong Kong–based Esprit Holdings Ltd. with using Levi’s distinctive stitching on the back-pocket name tag of its jeans. Levi’s said it has used the st...
More Employees Seek to Join A&F Suit
More former employees are looking to join the class-action suit against Abercrombie & Fitch Co., according to attorneys representing the plaintiffs....
Turk on Third
Los Angeles designer Trina Turk will open her second boutique at 8008 W. Third St. in Los Angeles this fall. The 3,300-square-foot store will carry Turk’s women’s and men’s collections, as well as her new sungla...
Freudenberg Acquires Comfortemp, C degree Brands
German nonwoven fabric maker Freudenberg Group has acquired the Comfortemp and C degree trademarks from Winston-Salem, N.C.–based Frisby Technologi...
Local Entrepreneurs Launch Stain-Removal 'Pal'
It’s a common problem: trying to remove those white deodorant streaks that turn up when you put on dark clothing. Los Angeles–based entrepreneurs Shannon Larkin and Courtney Rovira have introduced a pro...
California's Share
Apparel employment is down in California and nationwide. But the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. (LAEDC) has found a bright side to the bad news. Manufacturing in Southern California has...
Lunada Bay to Bow David & Goliath Swim
Lunada Bay will show its playful side during the July 19–23 run of the Miami Swim Show....
I Am Spam, Spam I Am
Filters of junk e-mail could toss out legitimate communication from e-tailers along with the spam....
MAGIC to Launch Fabric Show
Trade show giant MAGIC International just got larger....
Smooth Waters Ahead
With Roger Williams at the helm, Authentic Fitness sails toward new opportunities....
Forever 21 Buys Reference Stores
Los Angeles–based retailer Forever 21 Inc. has purchased the assets of bankrupt retailer Reference Clothing Co. The company plans to convert some Reference stores into Foreve...
Friday, July 4
Mall Acquisitions
Virginia real estate developer The Mills Corp. completed its acquisition of the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance for $442 million. Indianapolis–based developer Simon Property Group announced plans to...
Tag-It Selects Oracle to Manage Trim Supplies
Woodland Hills, Calif.–based Tag-It Pacific Inc. will use Oracle Corp.’s E-Business Suite to manage the 25 million to 30 million pieces of trim it delivers t...
Wayne to Head Old Navy Marketing
Susan Wayne has been named executivevice president of marketing at Old Navy, a division of San Francisco–based retailer Gap Inc. She will report to Old Navy President Jenny Ming....
S.F. Clothing Charity Shutters
The San Francisco Clothing Bank has shut its doors for good....
Jones Suit
Discussions between Jones Apparel Group Inc. and Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. have broken down, according to statements made by Jones, which filed a breachof- contract suit in New York State Supreme Court against ...
4 Whatitsworth Automates Production Model
Los Angeles–based apparel resource 4 Whatitsworth Inc. has automated its global production network. The maker of Tyte junior bottoms and Beau Dawson conte...
Swift Layoffs
Atlanta-based Swift Denim announced plans to cut about 300 jobs at its facility in Columbus, Ga. The denim maker said the cutbacks will allow it to reduce its weekly denim production by 23 percent to 1.1 mill...
Bebe Protests
A group of activists and apparel workers gathered on July 2 in downtown Los Angeles to protest alleged labor violations on behalf of two former Bebe Stores Inc. employees....
The Benefits of Shopping
Several thousand shoppers turned out June 29 for the first Shop Fun in the Summertime event at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. The mall closed its doors to the general public, and guests sipped cocktails,...
Happy Campers
More than 900 7- to 13-year-olds were outfitted with camp clothing at the recent Camp Max Straus Clothing Distribution Day. The Fashion Industries Division of the Jewish Federation organized the event...
New Junior Lines on the Roster for Action Girl Launch
Girls rule....
Gipsy MAGIC
Woodland Hills–based trade-show producer MAGIC International will kick off its Aug. 25–28 trade show in Las Vegas with an opening-night party featuring the Gipsy Kings at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casin...
Manufacturing Flat
U.S. manufacturing remained flat in June, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The organization said its seasonally adjusted factory index held at 49.8 in June, compared to 49.4 in May. A...
Suburban Outfitters
Indie retailer brings fashion to Main Street ...
PacSun Promotions
Anaheim.-based retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. promoted Bill Rosenbaum to the newly created position of vice president/general merchandise manager for the chain’s outlet division. Rosenbaum, who has been with the company since 20...
Promising Start for Job Fair
Approximately 1,700 people lined up to meet with representatives of fashion, home and beauty companies at the 24 Seven Fashion Career Expo, held June 18 at the Metr...
St. John Names New Licensing Executive
Irvine, Calif.–based St. John Knits International Inc. has appointed Robin Orlick Bull to the position of senior vice president of strategic planning and licensing. The hiring is part of the ...
FGI's Vintage Experts
Author Gloria Lintermans, Decades Boutique owner Cameron Silver, Distinction magazine Editor-in-Chief Laurie Pike and stylist Vincent Boucher discussed the current popularit...
Junior Business Thrives Down San Pedro Corridor
The junior apparel business is taking a new direction in downtown Los Angeles. Buoyed by the success of the San Pedro Wholesale Mart, a new mini-boom of wholesale-showroom construction is occurring o...
