Friday, April 28
New Solutions for HR, Payroll Management
Apparel companies are finding more options when it comes to managing their payroll and human resources departments....
Mossimo Latest
After making a lastminute bid to buy Mossimo Inc., Van Nuys–based Cherokee Inc. withdrew its $8.50 per share offer after reaching an agreement with Mossimo’s original suitor, Iconix Brand Group Inc., to accept a $33 million buyout offer. The ...
Jamison Buys Mid-Wilshire Building
California Market Center owner Jamison Properties of Los Angeles paid $14.7 million for an office and retail building at 3020 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles, said CB Richard ...
L.A. Textile Show Sees Growth and Changes
The April 24–26 edition of the Los Angeles International Textile Show at the California Market Center added international pavilions and garnered mixed reviews....
Swimwear Retailer Sold
Orlando, Fla.–based Everything But Water, a 34- unit swimwear retailer with nine stores in California, has been acquired by investment group Bear Growth Capital Partners, a private equity division of B...
Nominations Open for Best Fashion Web Sites
Boston-based Web Marketing Association is accepting entries until May 31 for its 10th annual WebAwards, which recognize the best Web sites in 96 categories, including retailing and f...
Port Security
The Bush Administration said federal authorities plan to conduct background checks on an estimated 400,000 port workers, matching them against government terrorist watch-lists and immigration database...
Dior Homme Opens in Beverly Hills
Hedi Slimane’s fashionably skinny suits have a new home in Beverly Hills. A 1,300-square-foot Dior Homme boutique opened April 21 at 315 N. Rodeo Dr....
No Day at the Beach
Swimwear maker Beach Patrol put into receivership ...
Manufacturers Prepare for Worker Walkout
The organizers of the “Day Without Immigrants” demonstration scheduled for May 1 have promised to offer legal advice to workers who may lose jobs for participating in the protest....
Sealed Deal
Orange County, Calif.–based retailer The Wet Seal Inc. named Dyan Jozwick as chief merchandise officer. Jozwick previously was senior vice president and general merchandise manager at Robinsons-May, which was ...
Watch Your Back
Litigation surrounds denim back-pocket designs...
Sourcing in Central America Has Many Advantages
David Gren used to travel all over the world to buy fabrics and find factories that could convert them into stylish clothing for teenagers and younger children....
Gap Rocks
San Francisco–based Gap Inc. next month is rolling out its “Summer of Love” tour commemorating the summer of 1969, the year the company was founded. Gap will hit the road next month with ...
Blue Runway
At the last Los Angeles Fashion Week, an entire evening was devoted to denim collections. Skeptics must surely have looked down the ends of their noses and said, “Does denim really bel...
Trend Forecasters Scout for New Fashion Destinations
Trend forecaster Barbara Fields said she is looking for new fashion cities after 25 years of reporting juniorwear trends to America’s top retailers such as The Wet S...
Designer Davies Is the Latest Development
Designer Erica Davies has joined Los Angeles contemporary label Development as creative director. ...
Lectra Consolidates Operations in China
Technology provider Lectra has consolidated its operations in Shanghai by moving its Asia-Pacific headquarters, regional training center and call center into one location....
Friday, April 21
Fashion's Rebel Spirit Thrives in Echo Park
When a Starbucks moved into Echo Park in 2002, denizens of one of Los Angeles’ oldest immigrant and bohemian neighborhoods fretted that the place was on an inevitable track toward gentrificati...
Emerging Designer Breaks Into Designer Row
While the storefronts of Los Angeles’ exclusive Melrose Place have quickly filled up with high-profile fashion names in the past two years, Katharine Story proved there is st...
Paul Frank Executives Respond
After weeks of keeping relatively mum, executives at the embattled Paul Frank Industries (PFI) have broken their silence to tell their side of the story....
Art Institute of San Diego Adds Fashion Program
The Art Institute of San Diego this summer will introduce two fashion programs offering bachelor’s degrees in fashion design and fashion marketing....
ICE Names New Fashion Commissioner
The Italian Trade Commission, which produces the TexItalia textile show, has a new director of its fashion division in New York....
Three Girls Running by Rebecca Danenberg
Veteran contemporary designer Rebecca Danenberg applied her collection-based design experience to create sophisticated tailored denim pieces for her new line, Three Girls Running....
CAFTA Advantage
Financier Wilbur Ross, whose International Textile Group owns Cone Denim and Burlington Industries, plans to open a $100 million denim mill in Nicaragua that should be operating by late 2007. Ross, a principa...
Designers Use Diffusion Lines to Widen Their Appeal
Diffusion lines, a popular method for designers to pave avenues to new customers and retailers’ doors, have become so common that some brands are taking on a life of their own....
Other Side of Grass May Be Greener
Grass, a contemporary denim label launched in 2003, has been sold to Larry Hansel, the man who started Rampage Clothing Co. many years ago in Los Angeles....
Multinational Apparel Conference Slated for Nicaragua
The first Apparel Conference of the Americas addressing issues concerning the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the apparel industry will be held June 5–7 at the Crow...
Being First
Saks Fifth Avenue has plans to be the first department store in the United States to open in Shanghai, China. Saks Inc., the Birmingham, Ala.–based parent corporation of Saks Fifth Avenue, announced it...
[TC]2 Names New Board of Directors
Cary, N.C.–based [TC]2, an industry educational and research organization, has elected new members to its executive committee and board of directors....
Virgin Bets on Fashion as Music Sales Hit Sour Note
If fashion can be sold by once non-traditional venues such as TV shows and the Internet, then why not at music stores, too?...
Testing the Waters
Gap Inc. is planning to expand to the Middle East, signing a franchise agreement with Al Tayer Group to open 25 Gap and 10 Banana Republic stores there by 2010. Al Tayer Group will hold the exclusive rights t...
M.Fredric Gives New Brand the Royal Treatment
Monarchy, a new Los Angeles–based menswear line that also makes tees for women, held a launch party April 18 at the M.Fredric store in Studio City, Calif. The drinks flowed freely and the store...
Kline to Open New Store
Lisa Kline helped pioneer retail on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles and now she’s heading west....
OptiTex Expands to Caribbean Basin
OptiTex USA Inc. executives have reached an agreement with Palm Beach, Fla.–based Apparel PreProduction Inc. and its Dominican affiliate Grupo Banyan S.A. to distribute OptiT...
Moving Over
Rob Portman, who has been U.S. trade representative for a little more than a year, has been nominated by President Bush to be the new director of the Office of Management and Budget. Bush nominated deputy trade repre...
Frederick's Signs Licensing Deal With Celebrity Stylists
It’s a first for Frederick’s of Hollywood....
Companies Fighting Over Mossimo
A bidding war has erupted between two companies vying to buy Mossimo Inc., a brand of clothing sold at Target Corp. stores throughout the country....
IDBBank Heads to Cyberspace
New York–based IDBBank (Israel Discount Bank of New York) has redesigned and relaunched its Web site with an eye toward clearly communicating the bank’s corporate identity and services....
Wal-Mart Names New Tech Exec
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has promoted Rollin Ford to chief information officer and executive vice president....
Celerant Opens West Coast Office
Celerant Technology Corp., which provides retail management systems to the apparel industry, has opened a West Coast office in San Diego....
Fornarina Showroom Moves to Gerry
After years of staking out a spot in the back of the Fornarina store on Melrose Boulevard in Los Angeles, the Fornarina showroom has a new home to call its very own in the Gerry Buil...
Russell Acquired
It looks like Warren Buffett will be getting comfortable. The investor holds a 40 percent stake in Omaha, Neb.–based Berkshire Hathaway, which announced plans to acquire Russell Corp., an Atlanta-based athletic apparel and eq...
New Digs for Denim Label
A premium-blue-jeans maker has changed addresses in Vernon, Calif....
L.A. Int'l. Textile Show's International Expansion
The Los Angeles International Textile Show is preparing for its April 24–26 run at the California Market Center with an expanded roster of textile and trim suppliers, includi...
ASR Hires New Show Director
Action Sports Retailer, the San Juan Capistrano, Calif.–based company that organizes trade shows for the surf- and skate- clothing crowd, has hired Andy Tompkins as group show director to repl...
Chrome Clothing
CYCLING IN STYLE: San Francisco–based manufacturer Chrome, known for its functional bicycle messenger bags with a hip urban attitude, introduced the first item of its new clothing lin...
Punk Rock Still Growing in Grn Apple Tree
Punk rock was such a constructive force in the life of Luis Pulido Jr. that he recently threw a party at punk nightclub Mr. T’s Bowl in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles....
Linea Pelle Handbags
Linea Pelle Inc., the 20-year-old Los Angeles–based company known for its denim-friendly, low-slung leather belts, launched a new line of handbags for Fall 2006....
Gerber Helps Students at Shanghai University
Gerber Technology has donated its Accumark CAD (computer-aided design) software to the Shanghai University of Engineering Science (SUES)....
Friday, April 14
Gerry Building to Get New Leasing Director
Larry Hudson, general manager for the Gerry Building on Los Angeles Street in downtown Los Angeles, was scheduled to leave his post April 20 to pursue other interests....
AIMS to Host Online Seminar
Santa Ana, Calif.–based AIMS (Apparel Information Management System) and affiliate Focal Technology will present a free seminar on selling apparel over the Internet ...
YMI Sets the Mood
YMI Jeanswear International, a Los Angeles–based junior denim brand, staged a fashion show April 4 for its Fall looks to take advantage of visiting buyers and retailers in to...
Wet Seal's New COO
Retail chain The Wet Seal Inc. has promoted Executive Vice President Gary White to chief operating officer. White has been with the Foothill Ranch–based retailer for two years, starting as senior vice president of sales and o...
Tarrant Apparel Sues Celebrity Licensor
Tarrant Apparel Group has filed a $100 million breach of contract lawsuit against Jessica Simpson, just two weeks after saying it hoped to resolve its business differences with the entertaine...
Ziji Designs
Three is not a crowd for the designers at Ziji....
Westfield to Add Condos in Century City
Los Angeles–based shopping center developer Westfield USA is jumping on the latest trend in real estate by building 260 condominiums at its Westfield Century City shopping ce...
Peru Gets Green Light on Trade Pact
Peru and the United States signed a freetrade agreement April 12 in Washington, D.C., which will allow Peru’s goods into the United States without being subject to duties or quotas....
FGI Announces Winners, Adds L.A. to Trend Report
Fashion Group International announced the winners of the 2006 FGI-LA Foundation Scholarship April 10 at its Fall 2006/07 Runway Report and Trend panel at The New Mart in downtown Los...
NBA Puts On Its Adidas
The National Basketball Association has struck an 11-year merchandising deal with Adidas, making the German apparel and footwear maker the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, the NBA Development League and the Women’s ...
Tukatech Launches Online Upgrades
Los Angeles–based Tukatech is now offering online upgrades for its CAD software....
People Like Frank: Emil Rutenberg's New Contemporary Collection
Emil Rutenberg, founder of his eponymous women’s line, has given his company a facelift. The 23-year-old Los Angeles–based label known for well-constructed bridge-market jackets in novelty fabr...
Updated Penguin Looks West
Original Penguin, the 1950s golfwear brand revived by Perry Ellis International Inc. in 2003, is swinging into California this year to open boutiques....
Easter Might Cure March '06 Blues
While families across the world celebrate Easter April 16, retailers hope the holiday will spur spending that will make up for the modest performances experienced throughout the market in March....
Paul, Again
Paul Frank Sunich can still use his name after a judge in the U.S. District Court in Orange County declined to issue a restraining order filed by Sunich’s former employer, Paul Frank Industries. The Costa Mesa...
Changing With the Global Economy
The apparel industry is a fluid business where nothing ever remains the same. The factoring business is in step with those adjustments, whether it is giving advice on how to finance imported goods or meeting ...
Material World Holds Steady at Miami Show
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.—Miami has always been one of the principal stepping stones to doing business with Latin America, a fact not lost on the organizers of Material World, the textile, technology ...
G-Star Ups Denim Ante in California
Amsterdam-based G-Star Raw eventually plans to sell its premium denim in about 50 American stores bearing its name, and company representative Stuart Millar said California is proving to be a...
Jamison Buys Long Beach Office Buildings
California Market Center owner Jamison Properties of Los Angeles has closed escrow on two Long Beach, Calif.–area office properties....
Orthodox Clothing
Menswear line Orthodox Clothing takes the tension between classic and new looks and wrangles a style that mixes new and old....
Avant Garde but Affordable
A year ago, Lara Dean-Fernandez and Eduardo Fernandez opened their first boutique, The Assembly, as a vendor of avant-garde fashion in downtown San Diego. But the owners soon found that their boutique...
Buckley Joins True Religion
True Religion is on a roll....
LF Fashion Show Rings In the '80s
The future could be bright, well accessorized and very 1980s, according to the fashion forecast at the LF boutique on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles....
Friday, April 7
PE Lands Dockers Outerwear
Miami-based Perry Ellis International Inc. has struck a deal with San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. to manufacture and distribute Levi’s Dockers brand men’s cloth outerwear in the United States ...
Playboy Parties at 50
Playboy Enterprises Inc. threw a Sunset Beach–themed party for retailers and California Market Center executives April 4 at the $50 million Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles....
All In the Jeans
Consumers in the United States purchase an estimated 450 million pairs of jeans every year, according to a recent report by Dublin, Ireland–based Research and Markets. The report, which calls jeans...
Fall Majors Market Gains Momentum
The reviews of the April 3–5 run of the Los Angeles Majors Market at the California Market Center were mixed, but many exhibitors said the relatively new Fall market could gr...
Fields Enlists Hilton for Million-Dollar Buzz
The Barbara Fields Buying Office’s “Million-Dollar Item Retailer’s Seminar” is a perennial feature of the Los Angeles Majors Market. This season, the April 3 event drew r...
Mossimo, Mudd to Join Iconix
New York–based Iconix Brand Group, owner of Candie’s, Bongo, Joe Boxer, Rampage and Badgley Mischka brands, announced plans to se...
GMAC Sold
Detroit-based General Motors Corp. has sold a majority stake in its General Motors Acceptance Corp. division, which operates several financial subsidiaries, including GMAC Commercial Finance, through ...
Cohen Out at St. John
Richard Cohen, chief executive officer of St. John Knits, has resigned from his position at the Irvine-based company after 18 months. Philip B. Miller, a St. John board member and former Saks Fifth Avenue executive, ...
Pay by Phone Preferred
Consumers would find it easy and “cool” to pay for their purchases with their cell phone, according to a recent study conducted by Royal Philips Electronics and Visa International. The s...
CMC Security Stops Showroom Burglary
An attempted burglary at about 9 a.m. on April 5 was foiled at the L’Atelier showroom on the fifth floor of the California Market Center, according to a CMC representative....
Dirtbag Clothing in Deal With Gift Chain
San Quentin, Calif.–based Dirtbag Clothing Inc., maker of rock Tshirts and clothing, has reached an agreement with Spencer Gifts LLC, an Egg Harbor Township, N.J.–based gift s...
MJW Takes On Investor for Santee Court
Santa Monica, Calif.–based MJW Investments has taken on an equity partner to help it build the second phase of its Santee Court residential/commercial project, which will eve...
DC Shoes Opens N.Y. Flagship
The DC Shoes brand earned 10 percent of revenue for parent company Quiksilver Inc. last year, according to the Huntington Beach, Calif.–based activewear giant’s recently released 2005 ...
Blue Holdings Launches European Venture
Blue Holdings Inc., the publicly-traded denim manufacturer that produces the Antik, Taverniti So Jeans and Yanuk brands, recently announced a joint venture that wil...
Kitson Enters the Men's Biz
For Fraser Ross, retail is becoming a family affair....
Directives West's Nod to Moderate
The looks on the runway echoed the Fall 2006 key trends—but were reinterpreted for the moderate market—at the Direct...
Looks Like Paris
Parlux Fragrances Inc., the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.–based maker of fragrances under brands such as Perry Ellis, Guess?, XOXO, Ocean Pacific, Fred Hayman Beverly Hills and Paris Hilton, has struck an exclusive wor...
