Stories for March 2005

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Friday, March 25

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Pegah Anvarian

Los Angeles designer Pegah Anvarian turned to Manhattan’s winter season as inspiration for her Fall/Winter 2005 collec...

L.A. Market to Come Early for Spring '06

Split Fall ’05 Market Frustrates Reps and Buyers ...

Hurley Streamlines Order Management

Costa Mesa, Calif.–based surf brand Hurley International is overhauling its internal apparel order-processing system to help reduce the workload for its managers....

More quot;Project Runwayquot;

Bravo and Miramax Television announced plans to begin production on a second season of fashion reality show “Project Runway” later this year. Model Heidi Klum will reprise her role as host of th...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Szulika

Monica Nahum closed the P. Ka Bu shows at West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center on March 15, sending out a Fall 200...

Quiksilver Buys Rossignol

Quiksilver has officially entered the international ski market. After much speculation, the Huntington Beach–based surfwear giant finalized its deal to purchase Rossignol Group, a French ski equipment ...

Fashion Museum Planning September Fund-Raiser

Irene Kasmer, founder of the Museum of Fashion Designers and Creators (MODAC), has set a date for the museum’s fund-raising gala. The event will be held Sept. 24 at a yet-to-benamed l...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Juan Carlos Obando

The follow-up collection to

Quiksilver Talks Tees With Students

Quicksilver Inc. executives explained the ins and outs of designing and manufacturing T-shirts at a March 12 panel that opened the California Community College Fashion Symp...

Boutique Footwear Line Dresses Up With New Clothing

Celebrities from J. Lo to Jaclyn Smith have cashed in on their name recognition by naming their clothing lines after themselves. That’s not for rock star Tom Delonge, the singer and guitarist...

EDI Seminar Coming to CMC

A seminar addressing electronic data interchange (EDI) will take place at 12:30 p.m. on April 5 in suite C686 of the California Market Center in Los Angeles. The event will be part o...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Erica Rose

Erica Rose brought the sky and the ocean to her

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Rebecca Beeson

After founding her company more than six years ago, Rebecca Beeson presented her

BAM's Costume Grant

The Brooklyn Museum of Art received a nearly $4 million grant to catalog its collection of American and European costumes and accessories. BAM is considering partnering with another museum to...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Shakti by Jacquelyne Love

For Fall/Winter 2005, designer Jacquelyne Love switched gears, creating a look for her

Bicoastal Focus at Notic Showroom

Melissa Assa and Michelle Stephens could best be described as freethinkers when they launched the Noeuml;tic Showroom in the Cooper Design Space in January 2004....

Directives West Lands Neiman Marcus

Neiman Marcus' West Coast division will be turning to Directives West principals Sandy Richman and Sandy Potter for trend information and the latest on the California market...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Petro Zillia

Petro Zillia designer Nony Tochterman knows how to stage a fashion show. She first hinted at this season’s inspiration when she sent out invitations for her...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Magda Berliner

After a two-season hiatus, Magda Berliner revealed her

Levi Strauss Brings 3-D Fittings to Company Stores

San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. is considering using 3-D body scanners to help provide customers with better-fitting jeans. The 130-year-old denim producer is conducting tests in fi...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Meghan

Meghan Fabulous celebrated her birthday on March 17 with an eclectic

Rampage Toasts New Image

Fashion industry insiders flocked to Rampage’s Beverly Center store in Los Angeles on March 22 to shop and get a first look at the retailer’s newly revamped image....

Jill Roberts Dives Into Contemporary Surf

Jill Roberts, the force behind two contemporary boutiques bearing her name in Southern California, has teamed up with a creator of the Roxy surf brand to launch a line of surf-chic women...

Body Glove Lands Apparel Licensing Deal With Rays

Body Glove International is launching a full sportswear collection after an approximate 10-year absence....

Innovation in Fabric, Technology Spurs Business at Material World

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—Radio frequency identification technology, the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the end of quotas remained hot issues for buyers and exhibitors at last wee...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Morgane Le Fay

The look was subtle, sophisticated and a bit moody at the

VF Buys Reef

Greensboro, N.C.–based VF Corp. has inked a deal to buy actionsports footwear maker Reef Holdings Corp. Reef, which will remain based in San Diego, joins VF’s stable of brands, including Lee, Wrangler, Vanity F...

Marc Jacobs Continues West Melrose Avenue's Fashionable Shift

Marni follows Marc; Paul Smith is next ...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Suss Design

Suss Design presented its

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Eduardo Lucero

Eduardo Lucero put his red-carpet gowns on the back burner and focused on

Gadzooks Deal Done

Los Angeles–based retailer Forever 21 completed its acquisition of Dallas-based teen chain Gadzooks for an undisclosed sum. Forever 21’s subsidiary, Gadzooks 21, purchased 150 Gadzooks stores in 36 states, as w...

Gossamer Growth

Miami-based lingerie company On Gossamer promoted Renee Lee to national sales manager from her position as planning manager. Deb Zsori was named the new planning manager for the company....

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Sue Wong

Sue Wong presented another vivacious

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Mason by Michelle Mason

Los Angeles designer Michelle Mason revisted her days spent living in London for her Fall/Winter 20...

Surf Retailers Find Big Sales in Contemporary

The surf-and-skate market’s fastest-growing independent boutique chains are making waves by increasingly selling contemporary clothes from non-surf labels. Jack’s Surfboards, ...

Canadian Brands Head to Dallas Mart

More than 60 leading Canadian manufacturers will show their Fall and Winter lines during the Dallas Women’s & Children’s Apparel & Accessories Market, to be held March 31...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: San Paredes

Art and fashion melded when Paul Magalad presented a retrospective of his 3-year-old label,

CITA’s Leonard Discusses Safeguards and Opportunities

The man in the middle of the brouhaha over apparel and textile safeguard measures was in Los Angeles recently....

L.A. Fashion Week Fall ’05: Coco Kliks

Los Angeles designer Coco Kliks created an elaborate back story of love and salvation in a Gothic circus setting for her ...

CITA#039;s Leonard Discusses Safeguards and Opportunities

The man in the middle of the brouhaha over apparel and textile safeguard measures was in Los Angeles recently....

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Shay Todd

Designer Shay Todd took a mental journey to India when she created her

Mixed Bag of New Software, Hardware at Material World

The Material World and Technology Solutions expo, held March 16–18 in Miami Beach, Fla., showcased new products for the never-ending quest to increase speed-to-marke...

Surf Cos. Seek Alternative Shows to Court Boutiques

Coty Valdez does most of her shopping for Seattle’s Moksha at the Pool Trade Show in Las Vegas. At the August 2004 run of the show, the boutique manager discovered Low, the Brea, Calif...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Deborah Lindquist

Deborah Lindquist presented her environmentally friendly

Reality to Runway

Kristen Kirchner, a recently ousted contestant on NBC’s reality television show “The Apprentice,” has launched her first apparel line, called Kristen K. The Los Angeles–based women’s and girls...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall #039;05: Coco Kliks

Los Angeles designer Coco Kliks created an elaborate back story of love and salvation in a Gothic circus setting for her ...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Saja

On March 16, Saja designer Yoo Lee showed for the

Friday, March 18

The Pink Room at The Company Z

Every day is Valentine’s Day at The Pink Room at The Company Z.

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: A Friend of Mine

Designer Kelly Marshall returned to the P. Ka Bu runway series on March 14 to

Blue Platypus Launches E-Commerce Site

South Pasadena, Calif.–based Blue Platypus, maker of men’s and women’s casualwear, has launched a new e-commerce Web site at

DMC Gets Award for FashionCenterDallas

The Dallas Market Center has received a TOBY (The Official Buildings of the Year) award for the $21 million renovation of its World Trade Center, which last year cr...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Gen Art

High theater is the goal of many fashion shows, but Gen Art hosted a theater of surprise at “The New Garde,...

Make Way for Nobody

For the past year, Odessa Bowden has run Nobody Jones in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park district, importing boutique style to South Los Angeles and giving designers of color a place to experiment a...

Tukatech Hires New Manufacturing Exec

Emilio Divona has been named vice president of manufacturing for Los Angeles–based CAD company Tukatech Inc. ...

NGC and SourceGO Facilitate Online Procurement

Miami-based New Generation Computing Inc. is helping Washington, D.C.–based SourceGO to power an online procurement service for apparel and textile manufacturers and buyers....

So Long, Pioneer

Retail Slut, a retail pioneer on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue, announced it will shut its doors at the end of the month. The store has been selling torn and frayed clothes to punk rock...

Juicy Shoes and Shades

Juicy Couture, the Los Angeles brand owned by New York–based Liz Claiborne, has signed two new licensing deals for footwear...

SFIFW to Return

San Francisco International Fashion Week will hold its debut show Oct. 20–22 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The event was ...

Robert Rodriguez: Contemporary Clothes With Evening's Edge

Robert Rodriguez created a buzz after his contemporary designer line debuted last year at Fashion Coterie in New York, securing a spot on the racks of inf...

Cherokee Signs Roots

Van Nuys–based brand management company Cherokee Inc. has struck an agreement with Roots Canada to bring the popular athletic brand to the United States. The exclusive agreement includes retail-direct licensing opport...

Seven Sale

Vernon-based premium denim brand Seven for All Mankind sold a 50 percent stake in its business to Bear Stearns Merchant Banking. The deal is estimated to be between $75 million and $100 million. The sale follows last...

Mass Merchants Migrate Into Mall Space

Real estate companies have found a new way to reinvent the suburban shopping mall: They are bringing in the discounters....

Petro Zillia's Tochterman to Speak at FIG Market

Petro Zillia designer Nony Tochterman will be the guest of honor at the Fashion Industry Gallery’s market week kickoff party, to be held March 31 in Dallas....

Jean-Claude Martin

Jean-Claude Martin introduced another immigrant success story when he debuted his two denim lines in February at MAGIC International in Las Vegas. Making a full denim collection was one of his goals when he began his career managing stores

Play That Funky Music, Retailer

Creating a soundtrack for strong sales ...

Seven7 Suit

West Hollywood–based Seven Licensing Co., owner of the Seven7 denim label, has filed suit against L’Koral, maker of Seven for All Mankind premium denim. Seven7 charges that L’Koral breached a settlement agreemen...

Getting Ahead in the Apparel Industry

Enthusiasm, great computer and communication skills, and a passion to work beyond the regular 9-to-5 routine are just some of the things that can help students excel in the apparel industry....

Reading Design

Johnny Tucker, editor of England’s Retail Equipment and Design magazine, distilled his visual display journeys into a book called “Retail Desire: Design, Display and the Art of the Vis...

Red Engine

Red Engine Jeans has opened a corporate showroom in the Cooper Design Space with the intention of getting a bigger piece of the L.A. denim market.

Deckop Resigns From Wet Seal

Joseph Deckop, who helmed troubled juniors retailer The Wet Seal Inc. after former Chief Executive Officer Peter D. Whitford left the company in November 2004, resigned from his position as executive...

Port Workers Ready to Roll, But Highways Pose Problems

Nearly 7,000 part-time longshore laborers at the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles have been trained and are waiting in the wings to work during the peak season thi...

Sin From Single

A direct descendant of explorer Juan Ponce de Leon and the daughter of a painter and sculptor, Stephanie de Leon expresses her creativity through fashion. Her line, Sin, debuted at F...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Threadless

Warmth and softness were the key themes at the

Tattoos on Premium Denim

Christian Audigier made garage gear and trucker hats trendy when he was a designer at Von Dutch Originals LLC. Now on his own, he has combined premium denim, vintage washes ...

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: AndraeGonzalo LosAngeles

Designer Andrae Gonzalo took a nostalgic turn when he staged his

La Cosa Inc.

Trevor Riewer is on a nomadic streak. Last year, after inhabiting the California Market Center for 15 years, he moved his International Lingerie showroom across the street to the Gerry Building, renovated in 2002

L.A. Fashion Week Fall '05: Maggie Barry

It was retro-Asian fusion at the

Selling Clothes With a Cause at the CMC

Combining commerce with altruism has become a new way of business for California Market Center showroom owner Sharon Koshet, who operates Sharon Koshet Sales. Koshet has in...

Sneaker Worship

Sneakers are a growing obsession in the streetwear market, and Los Angeles’ cachet as a streetwear capital grew when the Adidas Original store opened at the corner of Melrose and Fairfax avenu...

Friday, March 11

Lee Graff: Manufacturer, Philanthropist

Lee Graff, founder of Graff Californiawear, died on March 8. She was 94....

Serfontaine Introduces T-Shirts

Mik Serfontaine made a name for himself in the premium denim market with his use of rope stitching on jeans. Now he hopes to carry over the unusual style to a new line of men’s T-shirts....

Ergonomic Education

The American Apparel & Footwear Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are planning a six-city seminar tour to promote a recently released ergonomics manual. “Ergonomics ...

Surf and Skate Industry Gets Serious at ASR Back-to-School Show

Action sports Retailer Trade Expo's Back-to-School show proved the benefits of quality over quantity for many of the skate and surf industry’s retailers and vendors....

And the Webby Goes to...

Now in its ninth year, The Webby Awards have become the Oscars of the World Wide Web. The Los Angeles Times proclaimed it is simply “the only award show for Internet ...

Sew Down Event Sets Lineup

Fashion, art and music event and marketplace Sew Down will host its sixth event on March 18 at Club Naked in Hollywood....

John Varvatos' Measured Risk

Modish yet safe was the way fashion critics described John Varvatos’ self-named men’s label when it premiered in 1999. But Varvatos felt this description did not capture the entire spirit of his line. H...

ApparelMagic Connects Web Showrooms to ERP

Glendale, Calif.–based software company ApparelMagic has upgraded its business management software, which can now be integrated into e-commerce applications, allowing companies to link their W...

OptiTex in Project With U.S. Navy

CAD company OptiTex Inc. and fellow software developer Zweave Inc., both of New York, are helping the U.S. Navy develop better-fitting apparel....

Record Crowds at Lingerie Americas

NEW YORK—The sixth biannual Lingerie Americas event kicked off on March 6 with record attendance figures at the Altman Building and the Metropolitan Pavilio...

Mamont to Join Twin Spring

Karen Mamont, longtime executive at the California Market Center, is leaving to take a job as public relations and fashion director for Twin Spring LLC, a new fashi...

La Brea's Creative Sprawl May Be Changing

When John Knoedler quit his job in corporate sales at The Coca-Cola Co. last year, he wanted to open a store on a street whose character had not been completely defined by other retail. He got his ...

Bloomingdale's Suit Boost

Bloomingdale's stated an eloquent case for the men’s suit at its invitation-only “Get Suited” event on March 3. More than 50 men visited t...

Hydrolab's Vintage Spinout

Monique Shelton jumped into the apparel business in 2003 when she began selling vintage surf clothes at her boutique, Hydrolab, located in Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood. But she found vintage isn...

Canadian Call for Safeguards

Union leaders in Canada are calling on Canadian politicians to implement safeguard measures restricting textile and apparel imports from China. Alex Dagg, Canadian director and executive vice president of the...

Dye Right

New York–based Cotton Inc. announced its support of HueMetrix’s “Right First Time” dyeing systems, which allow dyers to “better control their exhaustion processes to more effectively dye cotton pro...

St. John Departure

Bruce Fetter, chief operating officer of St. John Knits International Inc., has resigned from the Irvine-based luxury apparel maker. He has also resigned from the company’s board of directors and will continue...

CFF Turns 10, Features Poker Fund-Raiser

The California Fashion Foundation (CFF), the philanthropic wing of the California Fashion Association, will kick off its 10th year with a charity poker tournament on July 1...

February '05 Sales Strong Across Retail Sector

California’s weather was miserable and wet for much of February, a good complement to what is typically the second-lowest volume sales month of the calendar year. But economic headli...

Top Sourcing Execs at FIDM Seminar

A slate of sourcing and technology executives will address the changing face of global apparel trade during the second Balanced Sourcing Symposium conference, set f...

Apparel Incubator Raises Promising New Companies

It’s a familiar tale. A young apparel designer comes up with a fresh idea for a clothing line and in no time lands plenty of press, thanks to placement in influential retail boutiques and a following a...

More American Rag

Private Brands—a subsidiary of Los Angeles–based manufacturer Tarrant Apparel Group and Macy’s Merchandising Group, the sourcing division of Federated Department Stores—has amended its exclusive distribution agre...

Zipper Business Goes Global

Tag-It Pacific Inc., based in Woodland Hills, Calif., has signed a $20 million deal to franchise its Talon zippers in the Middle East....

Cortado Joins Apparel News

Rhea Cortado has joined the fashion department of California Apparel News as editorial assistant, a new position for the publication...

SIMA Names Waterman's Ball Honorees

The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association will honor three-time world surfing champion Andy Irons as Waterman of the Year at its annual Waterman’s Weekend environmental fund-raiser...

Friday, March 4

JCPenney Gets British

JCPenney has introduced a British-inspired menswear line called Nick(It), designed by Nick Graham, creator of Joe Boxer loungewear. The “dressedup sportswear” line will bridge the gap between young men...

Situation Normal's Urban Stake

Gregory Johnsen opened the Situation Normal boutique in 2003 to introduce new and hard-to-find streetwear brands. He also may have given himself a job as one of the people revitalizi...

Panattoni Launches Retail Real Estate Division

Sacramento, Calif.–based Panattoni Development Co., known for its big industrial and office projects, has opened a retail division and plans to develop shopping centers throughout the...

Trend Scouting at Fashion Coterie, D&A

NEW YORK—Despite chilly temperatures and blizzard conditions, retailers flocked to New York from around the world looking for newness in the apparel market. Fashion Coterie; Designer...

Gen Art Issues Call for Styles Entries

New York–based art and fashion organization Gen Art has issued a call for entries for its seventh annual International Styles Competition, set for May 17 in New York....

Material World NY

Atlanta-based Urban Expositions, producers of the Material World fabric and sourcing show, will bring the event to New York this Fall. The show, set for Sept. 28–30, will be held at the Jacob Javits Co...

Tisci to Head Givenchy

LVMH Moeuml;t Hennessy Louis Vuitton named Riccardo Tisci creative director for the Givenchy women’s collection, filling a position that has been vacant for nearly a year since the departure of Julien ...

More Cherokee

Van Nuys–based Cherokee Inc. announced the extension of its licensing agreement with Target Corp. through January 2007....

Robinsons-May to Anchor Chino Hills Center

Robinsons-May has signed a letter of intent to anchor The Shoppes at Chino Hills, a new open-air lifestyle shopping center under development in Southern California’s Inland Empire....

FIDM's Grand Debut

It was an evening of tomorrow’s design today at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s

Sirens & Sailors Expands

Jennifer Phillips, one of the pioneers of the boutique revolution in Los Angeles’ Echo Park, nearly left the retail scene she worked so hard to build....

Fashion for Hire

New York–based recruiter 24 Seven Inc. will host its fourth Fashion Career Expo on March 10 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. The all-day event will feature more than 25 companies, including A/X Armani...

Puente Hills Mall on the Block

The Puente Hills Mall in the city of Industry, Calif., is for sale again. After being sold less than two years ago for $148 million to current owner Irvine, Calif.–based Pass...

Springs' Clareman Dies at 87

Ben Clareman, longtime textile executive, died on Feb. 23. He was 87....

Ports Batten Down Hatches to Cope With Cargo Increase

The crux of the shipping season isn’t even here yet, but industry experts already are reading the tea leaves and seeing signs of port congestion up and down the West Coast....

Analysts Forecast California's Role in Federated's Nationwide Plan

Where does California fit into Federated Department Stores Inc.’s new nationwide plan?...

4Whatitsworth in China

Los Angeles–based 4Whatitsworth Inc.—maker of the Tyte, Beau Dawson and Duplex brands—will open a satellite office in Shanghai, where it will house a portion of its sourcing and product development opera...

The Oaks Renovation on Hiatus After Fed, May Merger

One reaction to the merger of Federated Department Stores Inc. and May Department Stores Co. is to wait until the dust settles....

Mercedes-Benz Designers Suites Set

The Designer Suites at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios will have a new location and an expanded roster of designer lines when the event gets underway...