Friday, February 25
Sabrocita's Fashion Focus
Sabrocita Intima launched last June with an eye on the fastpaced juniors market....
CFA Plans Exporters Meeting
The California Fashion Association will host the meeting of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Exporters’ Textile Advisory Committee on March 16 in downtown Los Angeles....
Workers' Comp Fight
Lawmakers, business owners and labor leaders are preparing for a protracted fight over gubernatorial appointee Andrea Hoch, named to help implement the state’s workers’ compensation insurance system, according...
Garment District Fire
A spectacular fire raged for nearly three hours on Feb. 24 inside a building in the Los Angeles Fashion District before more than 200 firefighters put out the blaze. The fire, at 832 S. San Pedro St.,...
Exhibitors Get Sales, Publicity at MAGIC, Satellite Shows
With appearances by red-hot celebrities such as Jessica Simpson and a concert by new Grammy Award winners The Black Eyed Peas, MAGIC International proved once again it coul...
Karen Neuburger Launches Fabrics
San Rafael, Calif.–based sleepwear and loungewear company Karen Neuburger has struck a deal with Webster, Mass.–based Cranston Print Works Co. to launch a collection of cotton prints u...
Trovata Bows in New York
NEW YORK—Newport Beach, Calif.–based Trovata traveled far—in both distance and imagination—for the showing of its Fall collection on Feb. 9 during New York Fashion Week...
Wal-Mart Chief in Los Angeles to Improve Discounter's Image
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has gotten so much bad ink in recent years, particularly in Los Angeles, that the retail chain’s chief executive came to town to turn around the company’s image....
Economics Look Bright for Downtown Los Angeles
The latest residents moving into downtown Los Angeles’ lofts are affluent and educated. Nearly one out of five downtown households makes between $100,000 and $125,000 a year....
From Concept to the Silver Screen
Academy Award–nominated costume designers bring films’ characters to life ...
New Visual Communication Tools Strive for Speed-to-Market
The apparel industry has another online collaboration resource available, but this time, it is one that does not require months of implementation or a big learning curve. Everything is based on visual...
Diavolina to Reopen on Robertson in March
Shoe mavens across Los Angeles mourned when specialty store Diavolina closed in March 2004. The boutique was known for selling some of the most fashion-forward women’s footw...
Suits Up
Retail is up—particularly for men’s suits. That’s the latest news from Port Washington, N.Y.–based research firm NPD Group. In a recent NPD report, apparel sales grew 3 percent to $173 billion in 2004 from the year before. More importan...
New at d.e.m.o.
Anaheim-based retail chain Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. hired Lou Ann Brett as division president for Pac Sun’s urban retail division, d.e.m.o. Brett was previously with The Limited Corp.’s Expres...
Surf Chick Heads to Court
Who can be a surf chick?...
San Paredes' Fashions in the Raw
Some designers use couture touches to add refinement to their collections. Paul Magalad uses couture style to complete the raw, unvarnished look of his San Paredes collection....
Gen Art Announces New Garde
Gen Arts, the arts and entertainment company that supported the early careers of established designers such as Eduardo Lucero and Michelle Mason, said it will launc...
Victorian-Inspired Styles From Katherine Harestad
Designer Katherine Harestad describes her newly launched collection as “a brand-new line by someone who has been in the business for 20 years.”...
Macy's e-Juniors
Macy’s, a division of Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores Inc., has launched a new juniors Web site modeled after the department store’s THISIT juniors department...
P. Ka Bu Announces Fashion Week Slate
Independent runway series P. Ka Bu will return for the fourth time to Los Angeles Fashion Week with a two-day event featuring runway presentations and trunk shows....
Friday, February 18
Intentia Names New CEO
Swedish software developer Intentia has hired David Rode as its new U.S.-based chief executive officer. Rode will oversee Intentia Americas Inc., located in Schaumburg, Ill....
Isenberg, Sides Expanding to New York
The co-owners of The Bank, a megashowroom on the ground floor of The New Mart in Los Angeles, are moving up....
ISAM to Return to CMC
The International Swimwear/Activewear Market, commonly known as ISAM, will return to the California Market Center in October after a three-year hiatus, according to show org...
AIMS Adds Remote Order Capabilities
Santa Anacedil; Calif.–based Apparel Information Management System, which provides order management software to the apparel industry, is partnering with Groupe BDM, ...
Buzz Over Project Keeps Energy High at MAGIC, Satellites
The speculation is over. Project Global Trade Show opened its first Las Vegas event on Feb. 13 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center with a strong showing and positive energ...
Growth Plans for AG Adriano Goldschmied and Oligo Tissew
The last three months have been very, very busy for Los Angeles designer Christopher Enuke....
Nicole at JCPenney
New York designer Nicole Miller will debut a new collection this month at JCPenney stores, as well as at the company’s catalog and e-commerce site. The designer struck a deal with the Plano, Texas–based departm...
Inland Empire Growth Poses New Opportunities
The Inland Empire is going luxe....
PEI Acquires Tropical
The bankruptcy court has approved Miamibased Perry Ellis International’s acquisition of certain domestic operating assets and the outstanding capital stock of Tropical Sportswear International, owner of severa...
Got Gump's
The parent company of San Francisco–based luxury retailer Gump’s has struck a deal to sell the company to an investment group for an undisclosed sum. The investment group includes two venture capital firms, WaldenVC an...
Colleagues to Honor Shriver and Kors
Saks Fifth Avenue and The Colleagues will honor California First Lady Maria Shriver and preview the Spring 2005 collection by Michael Kors on Feb. 23 at Th...
Nordstrom to Anchor Renovated Mall in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
The city of Thousand Oaks, Calif., has traditionally been leery of development....
Avery Releases RFID Starter Kit
Philadelphia-based Avery Dennison Corp. has released a radio frequency identification (RFID) starter kit aimed at outfitting companies that are fa...
Virtual Iris Launches Online Sales Tool
Los Angeles–based Virtual Iris Inc. has unveiled its Virtual Iris visual merchandising software, which is aimed at enhancing the online shopping experience for consumers and improving sell-thr...
Cargo Theft Expected to Increase With Ports Open Later
Cargo theft is big business in Southern California, totaling about $1 million a day....
Gerber Updates Cutting Systems Software
Tolland, Conn.–based Gerber Technology Inc. has released version 5.1 of its CutWorks production software, which drives most of the company’s leather, single-ply and multi-ply cutting m...
Methods Workshop Rolls Out Costing Software
Method Workdshop LLC, based in Lake Worth, Fla., has released new software that calculates labor costs in apparel industry manufacturing settings....
Brother Unveils Garment Printer
Bridgewater, N.J.–based Brother International Corp. will release an ink-jet printer designed to print on garment fabrics....
Cardona's First Development Line to Bow at Coterie
Visitors to the Feb. 27– March 1 run of Fashion Coterie in New York will get the first look at the latest collection from Development, designed by the Los Angeles–based contemporary label...
Abbot Kinney Changes-Fashionably
When Claudia Duentilde;as-Milan opened a designer boutique in September 2002 on bohemian Abbot Kinney Boulevard, almost everyone she consulted thought she had made a big mistake....
Speedo's New Prez
New York– based Warnaco Group has named Sheree Waterson president of Speedo North America, a division of the company’s Los Angeles–based Warnaco Swimwear division. Waterson was most recently vice president of women...
They'll Make Beautiful Music Together
Maikai Makena found quick success with his Maikai Collection of fashion T-shirts in 2004, selling them to top boutiques such as Black & Blue in Santa Monica, Calif., and...
Novel Exit
Hong Kong–based textile producer Novel Denim announced plans to sell its African businesses, located in Mauritius and South Africa, citing ongoing losses from its African textile and apparel facilities. The co...
Bye-Bye, Bayou
Los Angeles–based designer Bradley Bayou has left the New York label to pursue other design opportunities, according to a statement from Halston. The Fall 2005 collection designed by Bayou will be avai...
Researchers Study 3-D With PAD Software
L’Institut Franccedil;ais Textile-Habillement (L’IFTH) is using PAD System Technologies’ Haute Couture 3D software to study 3-D technology for garment production, animation and...
CGS Launches New BlueCherry Product, Acquires Connectrix
The new quota-free trade environment is pressuring technology providers to come up with solutions that will work in an expanding manufacturing arena....
Shapely Shadow: Fitting Garments at the Speed of Light
Malibu, Calif.–based Shapely Shadow Inc. is dispelling myths about technology and its relationship with fashion. The company is proving that technology is not impossible to understand and that it...
Cavalli Opens on Rodeo Drive
Roberto Cavalli celebrated the opening of his Rodeo Drive store in Beverly Hills with a private party on Feb. 15....
From Taco Stand to Retail Stores
A little more than one year ago, the corner of Maple Avenue and Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles was home to a small taco stand sitting at the edge of an asphalt parking lot. But the makeshif...
New 3-D V-Stitcher From Browzwear
Tel Aviv, Israel–based Browzwear International, which markets 3-D tools for CAD artists, has released a new version of its popular V-Stitcher application, used by Ge...
MAGIC's Fall Forecast
Magic International showcased men’s and women’s contemporary collections for Fall 2005 in the
Gadzooks to Keep Distinct Identity From Forever 21 After Acquisition
Godzooks Inc. will maintain a separate identity from Forever 21 Inc. in the wake of Forever 21’s acquisition of the Texas retail chain, according to Larry Meyer, vice president and ch...
Friday, February 11
Metropark Gets New Executive
Metropark, a growing boutique-style specialty-store chain, has a new general merchandise manager. On Feb. 8, 20-year veteran Renee Bell was named to the position, according to Lawrence Tanenbaum, pre...
Trina Turk in Spring Bloom
Trina Turk had added a mischievous blast of color to the prim-and-proper styles of her Fall 2004 collection. But for the Trina Turk label’s Resort 2004/Spring 2005 collection, prim-and-proper gave way...
San Francisco Group to Bow at MAGIC
Eight emerging designers from Northern California will show their lines Feb. 14–17 as part of the first San Francisco Designers Collective at WWDMAGIC in Las Vegas....
Moving From the Slopes to the Street
686 Clothing Co., the snowboard line known for its technical and innovative outerwear, has taken the outdoors to the streetwear level by creating a premium sportswear and high-fashio...
New York Fashion Week '05: Jasmin Shokrian
It’s been a steady stream of firsts for 31-year-old designer Jasmin Shokrian, the latest being her first runway show. After winning $25,000 and the Ecco Domani Fashion Founda...
New at Chinese Laundry
Leah Formiconi has joined Los Angeles–based Cels Enterprises, makers of Chinese Laundry shoes, as licensing and design coordinator. Formiconi, previously known as Karen Eways, has nearly 15 years experience in...
California Employment Numbers Head Up Slowly
Job creation in California should grow in the first quarter of 2005 but not as quickly as it did in the last half of 2004....
Sometimes You Find a Great Notion
The co-founder of Hard Candy cosmetics has teamed up with an Italian digital artist to turn art into commerce at a new lifestyle brand company that produces sexy images on form-fitting T-shir...
It Jeans Men
Expanding its business with an eye on international distribution, It Jeans will introduce a men’s line for Fall 2005 to add to its mid-tier collections for women and children....
JW Los Angeles by Johnny Was
Fun, feminine and flirty, JW Los Angeles is a new lifestyle line that reflects the modern way that people dress. Casual streetwear and T-shirts are mixed with feminine pieces for an unexpecte...
Sri Lanka Hopes to Land U.S. Apparel Business Post-2005
With China and India expected to gobble up a bigger piece of the world’s apparel pie, scrappy Sri Lanka is launching its own battle to protect its apparel industry....
Retail Starts Off the Year 2005 Right
Winter storms raged through much of the United States during January, but the outlook for retail sales was surprisingly sunny....
Companies Opt for Multiple Venues in Crowded Las Vegas
When the apparel trade shows in Las Vegas open their doors on Feb. 13, visitors will notice that, in order to offer something for everyone, the events keep getting bigger. The size can be so unwieldy ...
Donnkenny Files
New York manufacturer Donnkenny filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York and has struck an asset purchase agreement with Donn K Acquisition LLC, a company affiliated with Pacific Alliance LLC. Donnkenny al...
Love Junkie's New Take on Tattoos
For those who like the look of a tattoo but fear the physical pain or commitment of getting one, a Love Junkie artistically detailed shirt might satisfy their aesthetic craving....
New York Fashion Week '05: Richard Tyler Lands Gracefully
Los Angeles designer Richard Tyler soared to new heights with his latest couture collection that floated down the runways at New York Fashion Week in Bryant Park....
Program to Extend Port Hours Is Delayed
A plan to alleviate cargo congestion at Southern California’s ports won’t get started until June 1....
CMC Clarifies Fall '05 Market Dates
California Market Center executives have clarified the Fall ’05 market dates in order to assist buyers in determining which of the three markets is right for them....
Shuttered Palm Springs Mall Sees New Life
Desert Fashion Plaza, the one-time hub of upscale retailing in Palm Springs, Calif., became the desert hamlet’s bane when its anchor, Saks Fifth Avenue, left town four years ago. The center, ...
Showroom Is Keeping the Faith
The Cooper Design Space received a new tenant on its second floor when the Faith and More Showroom moved its five contemporary lines from the seventh floor....
Level at Levi's
Leon J. Level has joined the board of directors for San Francisco–based denim maker Levi Strauss & Co. Level is the chief financial officer of Computer Sciences Corp. At Levi’s, Level is a member of...
New York Fashion Week '05: BCBG Goes Bohemian for Fall 2005
A gypsy landed in the middle of an early 20th century British tea party on Feb. 7, the night the BCBG Max A...
Velvet on the Move
Contemporary label Velvet by Graham & Spencer is relocating to Culver City, Calif., from West Los Angeles later this month....
Showing Green
More than 35 companies offering organic apparel, housewares and personal care items will be on display at the Organic Exchange booth at this month’s MAGIC International. Among the companies showing are...
Ross's New Execs
Ross Stores Inc. announced that Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Balmuth has assumed the additional title of president because James C. Peters, who served as president and chief operating officer since 2000, resigne...
NextTrim.com Defines the 'Finding' in Findings & Trimmings
With the new year comes a whole new Web-savvy way of sourcing apparel trim, packaging and tags. Launched on Jan. 3, with several features to come in the following months,...
Tankfarm's Parade of Hits
John and Mike Anderson have had no problem capturing the humor and fast times of rock ’n’ roll youth culture with their graphic T-shirts, sold under the Tankfarm Clothing label. The mu...
Once Smitten, Twice Buy
A grown woman walked into Smitten with a pair of kids’ snowboard boots. She had bought them at a snowboard shop, where the all-male staff had been clueless about how to fit a female customer. ...
The Name Game Gets Tricky for One Apparel Company
Entrepreneur Media Inc., the owner of Entrepreneur magazine and other publications and Web sites, demanded that a San Diego apparel company withdraw a federal trademark application f...
The Curious World of Jared Gold
Jared Gold calls his company, Dark Dynamite Inc., “an eccentric lifestyles corporation.”...
Friday, February 4
Gaylord Joins Continental
Fred Gaylord has joined Continental Business Credit Inc., where he will work as senior vice president in the new business and marketing department....
Sourcing Zone Goes Moroccan at MAGIC
A group of 25 manufacturers from the Kingdom of Morocco will be among the exhibitors at MAGIC International’s The Sourcing Zone during the trade show’s Feb. 14–17 run at the Las Vegas C...
Hong Kong and China Prepare for Quota Changes
HONG KONG—A cautionary wind is blowing through Hong Kong and China as Asian apparel manufacturers wait to see if quotas will really disappear....
Target to Anchor Westfield Topanga
The Westfield Group announced that discount retailer Target will be the fifth anchor at the Westfield Topanga shopping center, which is undergoing a $300 million redevelopme...
Nicole Richie in Bongo
New York–based denim label Bongo has tapped “The Simple Life” co-star Nicole Richie to be the company’s new spokesperson. Richie will be featured in the Spring 2005 ad campaign. Bongo is one of th...
FIDM, Annenberg School Event Examines Creativity and Copyright
Innovators in the worlds of fashion, television, music and technology shared the stage at “Ready to Share: Fashion and the Ownership of Creativity,” ...
Looking to Improve Margins Post-2005
Managing gross margins is a never-ending challenge for apparel manufacturers and retailers. This year, because of the World Trade Organization’s elimination of textile and apparel quotas, manu...
Seven Expansion to Add Up to More Money
After settling a bitter court battle with his former partners, Peter Koral is getting ready to expand his high-end Seven for All Mankind denim line....
Brooks Brouhaha
Graduates and former employees of Brooks College in Long Beach were featured in a “60 Minutes” story investigating allegations of deceptive practices at several colleges. The students an...
Sourcing Seminars to Be Held at ASAP
The ASAP Global Sourcing Show will get underway on Feb. 14 in Las Vegas with several seminars and panel discussions designed for manufacturers and retailers producing offshore....
Levi's New Guy
San Francisco–based denim giant Levi Strauss & Co. named Hans Ploos van Amstel chief financial officer, replacing turnaround expert Jim Fogarty, who had steered the company’s finances since late 200...
New at Wet Seal
The changes keep coming at The Wet Seal Inc. The Foothill Ranch–based retail chain named several new members to the board of directors. Sidney Horn, Harold Kahn and Kenneth Reiss join existing board members He...
Obey's Command: Follow Slow Growth
Shepard Fairey’s Orwellian posters with the vaguely ominous moniker “Obey/Giant” have been mysteriously appearing on billboards and public buildings around the world for the past 15 year...
Three Dots Set for Expansion, Move
Orange County tops manufacturer Three Dots Inc. is moving into a new and larger headquarters in Garden Grove, Calif....
Buyers Preview, Place Orders at WCE in L.A.
Westcoast Exclusive allowed Southern California retailers to place orders and preview Fall lines produced by top menswear labels in an upscale, intimate setting, although some participants s...
FBI's New Manual, DVD
“Fashion for Profit,” the apparel industry manual written by Fashion Business Inc. founder Frances Harder, has been released in its sixth edition with a new chapter on fashion r...
Kristin Knauff's Apartment Living
When Kristin Knauff opened a women’s clothing store in an apartment on Los Angeles’ La Brea Avenue in 2003, she thought the novelty of her digs would attract a discerning, dedicated following and leave ...
Rates Up
The Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate by one-quarter of a point to 2.5 percent, citing a growing economy and a need to provide “ongoing support to economic activity.” This is...
Designer Gives Peace a Chance
Most people will say they want peace in the world, but J. Gerard wants people to wear their convictions on their sleeves....
Alstyle Promotes Scarborough
Todd Scarborough has been named acting president of Anaheim, Calif.–based Alstyle Apparel....
TALA Presents Awards, Inducts Officers
The Textile Association of Los Angeles presented awards to Michael Goldman and Ilse Metchek Pola and inducted new officers and directors at its annual inaugural lunch, held Jan. 27 ...
Newport Beach to Gain Boutique Shopping Center
First tenant will be Lisa Kline ...
Cherokee Taps UBS
Van Nuys–based Cherokee Inc. is looking for expansion opportunities. The company has retained UBS Investment Bank to help its board of directors look into possible strategic alternatives, according to ...
Malden Management
Lawrence, Mass.–based textile firm Malden Mills named Edward Schade chief financial officer and Jonathan Adelman executive vice president of global sales. The news follows the recent announcement that ...
Barriers Prevent Quick Passage of CAFTA
Apparel manufacturers may have to wait a little longer to see CAFTA become a reality....
Domenico Vacca Introduces Luxury Label to L.A., Europe
When Domenico Vacca visited his new Rodeo Drive boutique, the corporate lawyer–turned–luxury vendor talked about the vagaries of international law one moment and expertly wrapped a shirt for a customer ...
