Friday, May 27
Tory's New Career
More than 18 months ago, Tory Burch was a former fashion publicist turned stay-at-home mom wondering whether she should start a new career....
Calvin Klein Swim Faster
New York–based Warnaco Group Inc. has struck a deal with New York–based Calvin Klein and Swimwear Anywear Inc., the former swim licensee of Calvin Klein, to bring the new Calvin Klein swimwear collection to mar...
Panel Fields Queries From Oz
A group of Los Angeles apparel industry exporters fielded questions from Australian manufacturers during a recent video conference organized by the California Fashion Association (CF...
WTO to Discuss Iran
The World Trade Organization announced plans to begin accession negotiations to admit Iran into the organization. The group previously held off discussing Iran’s WTO entry in light of U.S. objections over Iran’...
CMC Looks to Revive Gift and Home Business
Officials at Jamison Properties, the new owner of the Los Angeles–based California Market Center mart, said they intend to continue developing the gift and home accessory sec...
Nordstom's Retirees
Seattle-based specialty retailer Nordstrom announced that two longtime board members, D. Wayne Gittinger and William D. Ruckelshaus, are retiring. Both have reached the company’s mandatory retirement age of 72...
Agenda Launches Stitch
Agenda LLC said it will widen its scope of alternative clothing trade shows by sponsoring a new industry event called Stitch in New York in July....
Carson Votes for Mall
The National Football League’s loss could be retail’s gain....
Hottest Retailers
Chico FAS’ White House/Black Market, luxury accessories retailer Coach and college sportswear chain Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear were among the top five hottest retailers this year, accordi...
Cherokee's Shabby Chic Deal
Van Nuys–based Cherokee Inc. has struck an exclusive licensing deal with Hudson Bay Companies to bring the Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic brand to Canada. The multi-year deal includes home textiles, furni...
Hot Topic's Temporary Rock
Hot Topic Rock is the section within the 610 Hot Topic stores that stocks rock T-shirts and accessories. For a short time, Hot Topic Rock has also become its own store....
ASAP's China Tour Kicks Off as Safeguard Measures Kick In
HANGZHOU, China—The 87 apparel importers who set out on a two-week trip to China on May 20 arrived just as the United States government installed temporary quotas on several categories of apparel impor...
Estmark Finds a Solution for Quick Fabric Costing
Costing fabric can be a tricky game for apparel and textile producers. Since much of the business has shifted overseas, the bidding process is left up to contractors and bidding too high or low can co...
Retail Figures Into $1.8 Billion Downtown Plan
The $1.8 billion real estate development, known as Grand Avenue, promises to give Los Angeles a vibrant, urban downtown similar to some of New York City’s best-known public spaces....
FIDM Grabs a Bigger Stake of Downtown Real Estate
The campus of Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising is a mere island in the middle of the big sea of buildings in downtown Los Angeles, but that island is about to grow larger. Camp...
High Tide At Jack's; Iconic Surf Shop Opens New Store
For more than 25 years Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach, Calif., has built a reputation as an icon of surf retailing. It was the place to go for surf fans to find the newest surf and ska...
Monah Li Joins the Downtown Renaissance
While many apparel industry workers are finding urban living to be a new experience, designer Monah Li has been there before. A native of Vienna, Austria, Li has lived in lofts in the middle of that m...
Urban Chic
A growing number of fashion industry insiders are making their home downtown ...
Maersk Buys P&O Nedlloyd
Denmark-based shipping company AP Moller-Maersk A/S announced plans to acquire Netherlands-based shipping firm Royal P&O Nedlloyd for approximately $3 billion. The deal merges th...
Hellmann Goes Domestic
After taking on the world, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has set its sites on the United States....
Surf's Boom Leads to Rising Tide of Retail
The culture of surf and skate traditionally thrives on easygoing times, yet retailing this iconic West Coast look got tougher this month....
Fila's Innovative Use of Stores
Eric Dorfman has no retail experience, but on June 2 he’ll find himself in the middle of one of Los Angeles’ most competitive streets for retail....
Cherner to Honor CDC Students
Henry Cherner, principal of Santa Ana, Calif.-based AIMS software, will deliver the keynote address to graduating students of California Design College on June 10 at the Wil...
Friday, May 20
Tyler Downsizes Company, Sells Excess Stock and Archives
Richard Tyler had planned to retire—but then he changed his mind. Instead, he opted to downsize his company and close his Los Angeles boutique to focus on his custom clientele and bridal business....
Trunk Hires COO/CFO, Moves to Culver City
Growing T-shirt company Trunk Ltd. recently hired former BCBG Max Azria executive Cyndi Hench as chief operations officer and chief financial officer....
Kenzie Moves to Santa Monica
The Kenzie label, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, will stake its claim on the Pacific Rim this summer....
Star Wars Costumes Come to FIDM
The costumes from a galaxy far, far away will be heading to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s Museum & Galleries in downtown Los Angeles....
PacSun Passes 1,000 Store Mark, Explains Flat Quarter
Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. grew to 1,013 stores across the United States and reported a comparative-store sales increase of 3 percent during the first quarter, but Wall Street analyst...
Maker of Joe's Jeans Sheds Crafts Division
Innovo Group Inc., the Los Angeles company that has morphed from a manufacturer of tote bags and denim aprons for hobbyists to a maker of designer jeans, sold its crafts and accessories divis...
New CSULA Course Takes On Textiles and the Law
Legal concerns, including copyright protection and human resource issues facing the textile and apparel industry, will be discussed in “Textile Production Meets the Law,” a new course a...
Von Dutch's 'Cinderella Man'
Los Angeles–based Von Dutch Originals will launch a new line inspired by Universal Pictures’ upcoming film “Cinderella Man.” The denim-based brand struck a deal with Universal Studios’ consumer products group to launch a high-end...
Sean John Techs Up Ops for Retail Push
Glendale, Calif.–based software distributor One Step Data Inc. has snagged New York–based menswear resource Sean John as its newest client. Sean John will use One Step’s Retail...
OC Fashion Week Planned
Orange County has sun, surf, skateboarders and national attention from “The O.C.” television show and the movie “Orange County.” Now Dewan and Dharmesh Pa...
ISAM Joins the MAGIC Lineup in Las Vegas
The California-based International Swimwear/Activewear Market (ISAM) trade show will join the Aug. 29–Sept. 1 run of the MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas....
California Cos. Take Charge-Back Issue to Court
Two bankrupt Los Angeles apparel manufacturers are suing Federated Department Stores Inc. for what they claim are illegal charge-backs....
Prelude Show to Bow at CMC
The California Market Center will add a new textile design show called Prelude to its calendar. The new show will be held Aug. 8–9....
Pakistan Fashion Week
IMG—the producer of Olympus Fashion Week in New York and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif., among other national and international fashion weeks—is looking at Pakistan, according to...
New at Saks
Birmingham, Ala.–based retailer Saks Inc. promoted Kevin Wills to executive vice president of finance and chief accounting officer. He will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer R. Brad Martin...
Fashion District Gets High Grades
Economic activity is up and crime is down in the Los Angeles Fashion District, according to the Los Angeles Fashion District Business Improvement District’s (BID) recently released annual repo...
Wins Ruling
A San Francisco Superior Court judge issued a tentative decision in which Wins of California, Win Industries of America and Win Fashions would have to pay $956,112 in back wages and $284,900 in waiting-time penalties stemmin...
The End of Quotas Isn't Really the End
Nothing is ever easy in the apparel business, particularly when it comes to importing from overseas....
Surfwear Makers Want Acceptance-But Not Too Much
SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico—For many in the booming surf industry, bigger is not always better. While many apparel brands search for ways to grow their businesses, some surfwear makers look for means to ...
D'Merlincastell Attempts Womenswear Wizardry
In the beginning stages of his career, designer Merlin Castell constructed a last-minute party ensemble out of 75 cent pocket-liner fabric and then made a hefty profit when several partygoers offered ...
Monah Li Joins Spy Zone Exchange Team
Designer Monah Li has joined Twin Concepts LLC as a contributing designer for the Los Angeles company’s Spy Zone Exchange line....
Apparel Cos. Look to Nanotechnology for Sales
Apparel companies are investing in nanotechnology to market a new generation of functional clothing....
The Circle Finds Gold in Overstock
Brian Watson had limited his fashion retailing to weekend sales of overstock and samples from indie labels such as Monah Li and Grey Ant. But on May 10, the public relations executiv...
Tinc Presents Playful, Practical Fashions
Tinc’s logo, a screen-printed silhouette of a figure climbing a telephone pole, encapsulates the design philosophy of the San Francisco–based label. Designer Jessie Skips takes a playfully misc...
New Visual Communications Co. Opens in Los Angeles
Global Apparel Network (GAN), a provider of visual collaboration solutions for the fashion industry, has opened a Los Angeles office in addition to offices in Charlotte, N.C.; Grand Rapids, M...
Moving On Up: Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard Tries On Luxury Retailing
A demolition crew in Pasadena, Calif., took apart the Goldstein Bakery building brick by brick in the early morning hours of May 16. As soon as they carted away the last stone, a constructio...
California Cruises Ahead
A new L.A. mayor and plenty of tourist attractions bode well for Southern California’s economy. ...
Friday, May 13
New Date for Quiksilver Concept Store
Those anticipating the fashion alchemy coming from Quiksilver’s experiments with men’s clothes will have to wait longer. The Huntington Beach, Calif.–based surfwear company has postponed the op...
New at Liz
New York–based manufacturing giant Liz Claiborne Inc. named Bob Zane senior vice president. The move was part of an executive-level shuffle that also included the promotion of Michael Scarpa to senior vice president of financ...
Kitson Finds Gold in Cartoon Characters, Announces New Kids Store
Kitson built its reputation as one of the boutiques favored by celebrities on Los Angeles’ Robertson Boulevard. But in the past year, owner Fraser Ross has found success in cartoon characters....
California Employment Outlook Slips
Even though California’s job growth rate is expected to cool during the second quarter of the year, the overall employment outlook should be better than last year’s....
Saks Investigation
Birmingham, Ala.–based Saks Inc. terminated several executives after an internal investigation found that the company hadimproperly collected approximately $20 million in markdown allowance money during the 19...
Good Times to Roll Again for Skate Boutique
First-time retailer Brad Block hopes to make some surf shop history in one of the cradles of the surf industry. In 2004, he took over 17-year-old Good Times Surf and Sport, located a few miles away ...
Avery Unveils 'Error-Free' RFID Printer
Pasadena, Calif.–based Avery Dennison Corp. has released a radio frequency identification (RFID) labeling system aimed at reducing misreads and mis-shipments caused by faulty labels....
Execs Discuss Downtown Los Angeles Retail
While the revival of downtown Los Angeles has been built on residential and corporate real estate, retail could play an increasingly important role, according to Tom Gilmore...
MAGIC Teams With JCK for Accessories Show at Hilton
Woodland Hill, Calif.–based trade show giant MAGIC International will host a new accessories show at the Las Vegas Hilton during the Aug. 29–Sept. 1 run of MAGIC’s Las Vegas sh...
Cherokee Inc. Is Up for Sale
A British retailer is considering whether to buy Cherokee Inc., the Southern California company that has been successful in licensing brand names to Target Corp. and other mass merch...
Little Black Dress Returns to L.A.
The fourth annual Little Black Dress charity event will return to Los Angeles at the W Hotel on June 7....
Quiksilver's Kohl's Deal
Huntington Beach–based surfwear manufacturer Quiksilver Inc. struck an exclusive licensing deal with Menomonee Falls, Wis.–based retailer Kohl’s Corp. for Quiksilver’s Tony Hawk clothing brand. Under the deal, Kohl’s will be the ...
Op Hires
Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp., the Irvine-based division of New York– based Warnaco Group, named Eric Crane vice president/creative director of marketing and advertising. A graphic designer, Crane has been producing Op’s...
FBI Adds S.F., S.D. Chapters, Offers Certificate Training Program
Fashion Business Inc. is bringing its apparel-focused business training programs to start-up and growing apparel manufacturers in San Diego and San Francisco.The Los Angeles–based nonprofit ha...
Expanded E-Tail Conference Firms Up Plans
The agenda of eTail 2005 (
Gap, Other Stores Prospect Market for Female Baby Boomers
Gap Inc. earns millions of dollars manufacturing and retailing clothing for young adults with its Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy chains. But the San Francisco–based compan...
Fashionable Homecoming: Domestic Companies Return to L.A. After Sourcing Elsewhere
For Reo Starr LLC, Thailand was not paradise.Launched in 2002, the Los Angeles–based denim company had jean samples made in Thailand and decided to do production there, as well. The first run ...
Beauty and Breeding
It took a disaster for designer Tigerlily Hill to get the Crown Atelier line off the ground, but, as a result, she found a renewed sense of purpose....
Marshall Gordon Leaves SAP for TradeCard
High-ranking technology executive Marshall Gordon has joined New York–based supply-chain specialist TradeCard Inc. as its new senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing....
Central American Factories Stalled While Waiting for Free-Trade Agreement
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala—Inside one of Guatemala’s largest apparel factories, hundreds of nimble workers stitch colorful knit shirts to the rhythm of Latin music interspersed with rock ’n’ roll tunes....
Dressed With Distress
From the look of Grail’s paint-splattered T-shirts and roughed-up sweaters, it appears the guys who applied the distress were having a grand time. Each treatment is intended to recall a story ...
April '05 Retail Sales a Mixed Bag
April beat the estimates, and economists such as Michael Niemira admitted surprise when retail sales grew 2.2 percent compared with April 2004. These gains were measured by an index of the co...
Friday, May 6
New Product Gives Denim Distressed Look
Paramus, N.J.–based Polysoft Products, a maker of industrial scouring materials, has launched two new products aimed at the do-it-yourself consumer denim market.Polysoft’s Den...
Three More Fashion Stores Move to Robertson
Construction workers on Los Angeles’ Robertson Boulevard are now almost as common a sight as paparazzi hunting for celebrity shoppers. The workers are busy building three new fashion ...
NY Textile Exhibit Goes to Extremes
Technical textiles are on display through the end of October at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York....
Change Is The Lab's Subject
Costa Mesa, Calif.–based specialty shopping center The Lab opened for business in 1993 to bring Orange County shoppers designer fashions that they might not find at upscale neighbor S...
Petro Premieres Moderate-Priced Denim Line
A new player is entering the premium-at-a-price denim market....
Swiss Textiles
Haute couture textiles from Switzerland’s St. Gallen region will be on display at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum & Galleries in downtown Los Angeles beginning...
American Apparel Techs Up Retail Stores
Los Angeles–based American Apparel is expanding its point-of-sale technology with new software from Irvine, Calif.–based Retail Pro. Company executives have signed licenses to use the ...
Avery Relocates Inland Empire Plant
Pasadena, Calif.–based tags and labels manufacturer Avery Dennison Corp. has sold its Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., production facility and is moving into a new leased facility n...
Executive Changes at Apparel Ventures
Apparel Ventures Inc., the swimwear company that holds licenses for established brands such as Ralph Lauren and generates $100 million in annual wholesale volume, made changes to its...
Rate Hike Again
The Federal Reserve raised the federal fund rate one-quarter of a percentage point to 3 percent, citing a need to provide “ongoing support to economic activity” after spending slowed sli...
Niemans Sold
Dallas-based luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Group Inc. has been purchased by an investment group consisting of the Texas Pacific Group and Warburg Pincus LLC in a deal valued at approximately $5.1 bill...
Lee Cooper Sold
London-based denim brand Lee Cooper has been sold to an investment group that includes the owners of the Anchor Blue, Most and Designs retail chains. Boca Raton, Fla.–based investment group Sun Capital, along ...
Cone Plan in Effect
The second amended Chapter 11 plan of liquidation for the Cone Mills Corp. went into effect on May 3, according to Michael R. D’Appolonia, chief restructuring officer for the Greensboro, N.C.–based denim giant....
Tukatech Aligns With Snapfashun, Design Options
Los Angeles–based technology provider Tukatech Inc. has formed marketing alliances with Los Angeles trend companies Snapfashun and Design Options to bring the latest silhouettes and...
TALA Sets Schedule for 61st Annual Playday
The Textile Association of Los Angeles is planning its 61st annual summer “playday,” set for May 20 at the Los Robles Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif....
CFA Meeting Venue Change
The California Fashion Association membership meeting on May 17 has been moved to suite C686 in the California Market Center....
FBI Receives L.A. City Grant
Fashion Business Inc., a nonprofit organization founded to help up-and-coming designers and manufacturers, has landed a grant from the City of Los Angeles to help local apparel manufacturers ...
The Devil You Know
Actress Meryl Streep has been tapped to play the part of autocratic magazine editor Miranda Priestly in the film version of Lauren Weisberger’s novel “The Devil Wears Prada,” ac...
Jelessy Announces New Retail Division
More Los Angeles–based denim brands are following the path from manufacturing to retail blazed by Lucky Brand Jeans. In April, True Religion announced it was going to build a...
CSULA Sets Spring Textile Production Schedule
California State University, Los Angeles’ new Textile Production and Management certificate program announced its Spring ’05 course lineup. Beginning May 25, the university’s division of extende...
Peru Picks Up Pace to Stay Vital in Apparel World
LIMA, Peru—As a slew of struggling Latin American countries wage a heated battle to save their apparel and textile industries in a quota-free world, Peru is counting on Pima....
Levi's Technology Test Draws Crowds
San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. is hoping some new technology can help boost sales and improve customer service....
Shopping Takes a Holiday
Jessika Pavlic and Rebekah Rafalski opened the Holiday boutique in September 2002 at Beacon Hill, a bustling pedestrian neighborhood in their hometown of Boston. The area is one of the city’s ...
Speedo Returns to Activewear With Axcelerate
When Speedo closed the last of its retail stores in 2004, it also stopped selling the activewear line it was carrying in its shops. But consumers continued to ask for the workout clo...
Volcom Files IPO
As Volcom Inc. shifts its focus from thrashers to investors in preparation for its forthcoming initial public stock offering, the company will have to grapple with one detail other t...
Finding Distinction in Basics and Back Pockets
Blue Cult’s streamlining efforts lead to 200 different looks ...
Built by Wendy Comes to California
The elements of the Built by Wendy label seem to describe the quintessential California designer. The cut of the clothes is casual, the colors are light and cheery, and many of the design inspirations stem from 1970...
Cotton's Compassion Tees
New York–based Cotton Inc. has teamed with Quincy, Mass.–based retailer J. Jill to launch the Compassion’s In Fashion campaign, aimed at raising funds and awareness for poor and homeles...
