Friday, February 23
Snow Trends
Warmer winter weather dampened sales of ski and snow equipment, pulling it down 3 percent to $1.46 billion for the August-through-December period of 2006 compared with the $1.5 billion reported last y...
PAD System Relocates
Montreal-based CAD provider PAD System Technologies has relocated its U.S. headquarters to suite A718 of the California Market Center in Los Angeles. The company was previou...
New Boss at Anchor Blue Revamps
Tom Sands has been president and chief executive of Anchor Blue Retail Group Inc. for about two weeks, but already he has plans to redesign many of the chain’s stores....
IMG Buys Art
New York–based management agency IMG has acquired Art + Commerce, a rival agency composed of photographers, stylists, creative directors, and hair and makeup artists. Under the deal, Art + Commerce wil...
Iconix Buys Another Brand
Iconix Brand Group Inc., the New York company that has been gobbling up brand names across the country, agreed to purchase the Danskin name for $70 million....
Zovo: Inside the Comfort Zone
In the age of technologically advanced nylon, Modal, viscose and rayon stretch fabrics, some customers want plain 100 percent cotton....
ID Theft
TJX Cos. Inc., which operates off-price chains TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less, reported that a hacker had gained access to the company’s system and stole account information from its customers for more than a...
MAGIC Has Lots of Competition in Las Vegas
Exhibitors reported a busy first day at the MAGIC Marketplace, which ran Feb. 13–16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Las Vegas Hilton. From the de...
Wal-Mart Labor
Bentonville, Ark.–based Wal-Mart Stores has been charged with labor abuses by the Washington, D.C., watchdog agency Worker Rights Consortium. The group charged one of the retailer’s suppliers in the Phi...
Tag-It Acquisition
Woodland Hills, Calif.–based trimmings supplier Tag-It Pacific Inc. has acquired NextTrim, a forecasting agency and Web site (
Taking Fashion to the Silver Screen
Audrey Hepburn once said: “If clothes make a man, then costumes make an actor.”...
Designing for a Cause and a Challenge
When pattern designer Marie Krizova was approached by the Western Shoe Association, based in Encino, Calif., to develop “glass” slippers to present at the organization’s first charity au...
Swimwear Co-Founder Dies
Nina Kessler, co-founder of the iconic swimwear brand Rose Marie Reid, died Feb. 10 in Westlake Village, Calif. She was 94....
Attendance Up at Milano Unica
Italian trade show Milano Unica saw a 7 percent increase in attendance over last year at its Feb. 13–16 run at Fieromilanocity in Milan....
Lectra Unveils a Host of New and Updated Products
BORDEAUX, France—Sixty layers of thick, dark-blue denim were spread out across a brand-new automated cutting machine, bright lights blazing down....
Shades of Greige: A Staple Less Ordinary
Los Angeles–based designer Micah Cohen is hoping the third time’s the charm. Cohen—who graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., in 2002 with a degree in film and later atten...
Local Economic Forecast Sees Apparel Jobs Shrinking
In the latest economic forecast by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., the apparel and textile industries in Los Angeles and Orange County will shed a few hun...
TukaTech Launches Consulting Service
Los Angeles–based TukaTech has launched an e-consulting and help section on its Web site....
Swimwear Designer Launches Eco-Friendly Line
Los Angeles–based swimwear and sportswear designer Jacquelyne Love will debut a new, eco-friendly collection for Fall 2007....
Fashions That Make Waves at the Malibu Country Mart
Once an isolated but idyllic ocean-front shopping center, the Malibu Country Mart has become one of the most coveted slices of retail real estate in Los Angeles County....
Friday, February 16
San Francisco Boom Means Retail Opportunities
San Francisco’s retail trade has had its share of hits in the past. But the market is rebounding, thanks to a new wave of growth in the technology sector as well as an influx of new retail concepts lur...
Hollywood Spotlight
Lingerie designer Bianca E. Cabada put the spotlight on new design talent when her company hosted “The Doorway Into Fashion” on Jan. 28 at the Music Box theater in Hollywood....
Plenty of Buzz at MAGIC, Satellite Shows
LAS VEGAS—
CEO Exits
One day after shareholders rejected a proposed sale to two private equity firms, Fabian Mansson, president and chief executive of Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc., resigned. Board member Howard Gross will be the interim chi...
Li & Fung Gets Tommy
Supply-chain managers Li & Fung Ltd., based in Hong Kong, announced the company plans to buy the global sourcing operations of designer Tommy Hilfiger for $247.8 million. The purchase will be financed by Li & Fung...
Latest Trade Numbers Show China Wins Again
Apparel and textile imports to the United States inched up slightly more than 4 percent in 2006, with imports of Chinese-made goods gaining considerable ground again, according to the U.S. Department ...
Copious Collaborations at Etnies
Etnies, the skate-inspired company in Lake Forest, Calif., that makes shoes and apparel, will add five new art-inspired collaborations to its Fall 2007 lineup....
Guess Developing New Retail Store Concept
Coming off record profits and revenues for 2006, Guess? Inc. is planning to launch a chain of stores called G by Guess that will be stocked with affordable clothing geared to a young...
Iconix Licensing
Iconix Brand Group Inc., the New York company that owns several brand names, announced it has new licensing agreements for its Badgley Mischka, London Fog and Joe Boxer brands. Licensees for Badgley Mischka will be p...
A Change in Market Week Adds to Lingerie Americas' Success
NEW YORK—The air gets just a bit sexier when the largest lingerie trade show in North America, Lingerie Americas, rolls into town with the latest trends in fine, intimate apparel....
Finance Guy Goes
Charles Kleman—Chico’s executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer—said he plans to leave the retail company as soon as a new CFO is found. Kleman has been employed by the company since 1988....
To Russia With Love
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, is thinking of expanding its retail operations to Russia as consumers there bump up their spending. Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., has been mo...
New York Fashion Week: Morphine Generation
Erik Hart is never at a loss for inspiration, and his
New York Fashion Week: Grey Ant
Never one to follow a trend, designer Grant Krajecki makes his own fashion statements. This season, he merged the style of the Kelly Bundy character from the television series “Married With Chi...
New York Fashion Week: Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent
Cynthia Vincent showed her
Denim Line Aims to Stamp Out Hunger in Africa
The people at Los Angeles–based IT Jeans have been pretty busy lately....
L.A. Garment Contractor Ordered to Pay Back Wages
After an extensive federal investigation, Reuben’s Garment Cutting and Marking paid 57 employees some $66,000 in back wages for overtime work that was not justly compensated....
Friday, February 9
Iconix Lays Off Op Staff, Closes Irvine Office
The empty Ocean Pacific booth at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in San Diego last month proved to be an indication of things to come for the iconic surf...
Girls Gone Wild Debuts Apparel Homage to quot;Spring Break Culturequot;
Joe Francis, the founder of the Girls Gone Wild racy video collection (which entices young women to flash some skin in exchange for a branded T-shirt) will delve further into appa...
New L.A. Showrooms at Dallas FIG
Los Angeles–based showrooms L’Atelier, Joanne Fiske Showroom and Jennifer Lazarus Sales have signed leases for permanent space at the Fashion Indust...
Milliken's Latest Targets Hunters
Spartanburg, S.C.–based textile mill Milliken launched a new smart-fabric technology designed for hunting apparel and big-game hunters....
Neuville Out, Wyatt in at Gap
Gap Inc. announced that Charlotte Neuville, head designer for the brand, is leaving the San Francisco–based retail giant. A search is on for her replacement....
Seaweed Forms the Basis for New Italian Activewear Line
Italian lingerie and daywear label Adea has launched a new collection made with a seaweed-based fiber that Adea says helps the wearer “regenerate the skin.”...
Scent of Ed Hardy
Los Angeles–based streetwear label Ed Hardy will introduce a fragrance line under the Ed Hardy name by the end of 2007, thanks to a recent licensing deal between Ed Hardy licensee Nervous Tattoo Inc. and Fort ...
PacSun to Close 74 demos
Pacific Sunwear announced on Feb. 6 that it will close 74 of its 225 urban-themed demo stores. Sally Frame Kasaks, the teen retailer’s interim chief executive, also noted plans to debut a new...
Frankie B. Names New Head of Marketing
Eric Zucker, formerly of Beyond Blue, the international distributor of brands such as Joe’s Jeans, Mossimo and Smashbox Cosmetics, has joined premi...
And All That Jazz
Los Angeles–based licensor and brand-management company Cherokee Inc. inked a licensing agreement with MJ Fashions LLC for women’s specialty-size and misses dresses under the All That Jazz brand. Cherok...
New York Fashion Week: Linda Loudermilk
Los Angeles–based designer Linda Loudermilk showed her Fall 2007 collection Feb. 1 at the Altman Building in New York. Her show, which was sponsored by automaker Lexus, focused on eco-fr...
Busy Schedule, Crowded City in Las Vegas
As the fashion industry prepares for a week of schmoozing, shopping and trend spotting at the Feb. 13–16 run of the MAGIC Marketplace, many retailers and market watchers will be looking for the single...
New York Fashion Week: Chaiken
San Francisco–based designer Julie Chaiken and her partner, Jeff Mahshie, showed their Fall 2007 collection of Chaiken Feb. 6 at The Salon in Bryant Park during Merc...
Jamison Buys Pair of LAX-Area Buildings
California Market Center owner Jamison Properties of Los Angeles has added another acquisition to its portfolio with the purchase of the Grand Avenue Plaza, an 82,0...
Golf and Urban Fashion in Las Vegas
The first NBA All-Star golf tournament and fashion show will take place Feb. 16 at the Revere at Anthem golf club in Henderson, Nev., in conjunction with Las Vegas ...
Aristocracy: Luxurious Edginess
Luxury and edginess don’t necessarily fall in the same category, but Aristocracy might have achieved the balance. The Los Angeles–based line was relaunched this Spring by partners ...
'Green' Is Focus of Global Eco
The debut Global ECO show, featuring sustainable fabrics and apparel in addition to other green products, will take place Feb. 12–15 in the Grand Ballroom at The Venetian hotel in Las...
Fashion Execs in the Spotlight on Reality TV
Reality-television producers scouting for new stars are increasingly coming up with fashion executives....
Service Adjustment: Lip Service Shifts Gears
Type in the words “Lip Service clothing” into the search engine Google and you get 15,500 results. There are currently 686 classic Lip Service items for sale on eBay. And on the popular onli...
Patagonia Expands Recycled-Fabric Program
Ventura, Calif.–based outdoor-apparel maker Patagonia Inc. has expanded its Common Threads Recycling Program to include Polartec products and cotton T-shirts....
The Power of Brand, the Glory of Hype
Up-and-coming streetwear brand The Hundreds opened a boutique in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District on Feb. 1, and this store might turn the 400 north block of this thoroughfare into a Rodeo Drive ...
Sole Tech Names New Eco Chief
Roian Atwood, a key executive who previously was in charge of American Apparel’s environmental initiatives, has left the company and accepted a similar position with Lake Fo...
Coggin Retires From Saks
James A. Coggin, president and chief administrative officer of Saks Inc., will retire in May, according to the company. Coggin has held many executive positions with the New York–based retailer. He got his start in 19...
Unifi's Launches Recycled Performance Fibers
The latest offering from Unifi Inc. is both eco-friendly and performance-minded....
Vessel: Luxury Knitwear With a Vintage Touch
Ty Bowers made his mark on the apparel industry at companies known for vintage styling and nostalgic graphics. Bowers worked at BC Ethic in the early ’90s, which was known for its ’50...
Rail Projects Aim to Speed Up Supply Chain
The escalating port traffic in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., has created a domino effect on ground transportation in and out of the region, putting the pressure on not only importers and distrib...
The Butta Collection: From Africa to L.A.
As a medical doctor, Bill Releford was concerned when years ago he saw television images of starving children in Africa, but after several trips to the continent, he decided the best way to help was not to ca...
Designer Sells Joe's Jeans
For several years now, Innovo Group Inc. has been making Joe’s Jeans, its top denim label, under a licensing agreement....
IRS Deals a Blow to Product-Placement Industry
The days of the celebrity gift bag may be numbered....
TrendMill Is a Good Workout
Handily designed, with a youthful, multitasking audience in mind, TrendMill is a site with striking gray-and-orange navigation, clean graphics and images, and wild fashion content....
Copy: Atypical Streetwear
Designer Murphy Martines quietly obsessed over the concept of a line of sophisticated streetwear for years while he worked designing surf-inspired duds for a Southern California apparel giant...
JCPenney Expands in Inland Empire
JCPenney has signed a lease to occupy a 104,000-square-foot store at Rancho del Chino, a $90 million shopping center under development in Chino, Calif....
Cupron Joins the Army
Greensboro, N.C.–based textile maker Cupron Inc. struck a deal with the United States Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores for its patented copper-impregnated anti-bacterial socks....
Mexican Apparel Plants Are Diversifying for Self-Preservation
TIJUANA, Mexico—In an industrial park tucked away to the south of this border town, Prolink International Inc. has been making fleece jackets and T-shirts for years for such ...
Donatella Takes Plaque, Debuts New Rodeo Look
Can a plaque embedded in cement cause a sense of occasion? The Rodeo Drive Committee hopes so. The organization of Rodeo boutique owners and managers, invested with the task of creating even more e...
Talking Textiles and Trade With CITA's New Head
In late December, Matt Priest was appointed to a U.S. Department of Commerce job that makes him one of the government’s point men on textiles and apparel. In his new job as deputy assistant secretary f...
FBI to Receive Training Grant
Los Angeles–based Fashion Business Inc. was awarded a $198,000 grant to be used for the education and training of industry and non-industry workers in various aspects of apparel manufacturing ...
Cold and Gift Cards Spark January '07 Surprise
Traditionally, January is a sleepy month when retailers concentrate on cleaning out inventory for the crucial Spring season. However, January, 2007 broke the rules....
Single Launches Single Girls at MAGIC
Little girls who dress up in their mother’s pearls and high heels can now complete the outfit with a dress by Single Girls when women’s contemporary line Single launches its n...
Kate Daniels Calls All Men
Is there gold in owning menswear boutiques? Eva Cox is going to find out. On Feb. 14, the owner of the Kate Daniels women’s boutique in Seal Beach, Calif., will open her first men’s boutique on Long Be...
Boxing Legends Fashion Show at The Exclusive
Boxing greats Joe Frazier, Tommy Hearns, Ray Mancini, Ken Norton and others will exchange their boxing trunks for tailored shirts and ties at “Fashion Knock- Outs,” a b...
Indigenous Introduces Natural Performance Collection
Santa Rosa, Calif.–based activewear maker Indigenous introduced a new line of performance mid-layer apparel made from a blend of natural fibers....
New York Fashion Week: BCBG Max Azria
Los Angeles–based contemporary brand BCBG Max Azria helped kick off during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York on Feb. 2 with a show in Bryant Park. Hemlines bounced from short in babydoll a...
Friday, February 2
Cyber Skivvies
Lingerie retailers head to the Web...
Barbara Shifts to a U.S.-Based Subsidiary
The French lingerie company Barbara is ready to make a major presence in the U.S. market. In order to build a closer face-to-face relationship with its American customers, Barbara recently sh...
Condessa: Lingerie for Fashionable New Moms
According to Condessa Inc. lingerie founder and President Cynthia Cuprill, new mothers breast-feed for an average of three to six months. That was too long for Cuprill to trade in her pretty ...
Undrest
BRAZILIAN BOOTIES: After Maria Paz Navales went to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, her outlook on the bum was forever changed. Navales modeled her intimate-apparel line, Undrest, after the...
Real Food for Virtual Shoppers
Orlando, Fla.–based Internet shopping portal CheapBuy Shopping Channels opened a new food court, where online shoppers at one of CheapBuy’s 1,000 stores can order food online for delivery at home. The site, which launched in January, ...
Barneys, Kors Promise to Blossom at The Grove
The Grove developer Rick Caruso has branched out to the hospitality and the housing business, but in the next few months, he will get back to basics....
Kellwood Names e-Commerce Chief
St. Louis–based Kellwood Co. has named Tom Pastorello as director of e-commerce. Pastorello will manage e-commerce activities for all of Kellwood...
Fabrics Score Over Denim at West Coast Exclusive
Menswear companies unveiled their Fall lines at the West Coast Exclusive show Jan. 28–29 in Los Angeles, and there were few surprises as denim appeared to be taking on a smaller role. Vendors ...
L.A. New U.S. Home for German Outerwear Line
Los Angeles is physically and ideologically thousands of miles away from the Wellensteyn core customer—and yet, as the 60-yearold German company prepares to introduce its line of cold-weather ...
New Show: Fo Sho Fo Show
Add another trade show to the Las Vegas lineup....
Despite Competition, Project N.Y. Still Going Strong.
NEW YORK—The Jan. 22–24 run of contemporary menswear show Project Global Trade Show in New York bowed with a new location, a new winter-themed look and inten...
New CEO for TJX
Framingham, Mass.–based TJX Companies, operators of 826 T.J. Maxx and 751 Marshalls stores, named long-standing company board member Carol Meyrowitz chief executive officer. Meyrowitz will continue to serve as president of TJ...
Fashion District Revamps
Visitors to the Los Angeles Fashion District may soon notice additional construction in the 90-block area in downtown, when workers begin upgrading sidewalks and other common areas t...
Mellow Market for ASR and Agenda
SAN DIEGO—Buyers were roaming the aisles, but many exhibitors at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo and Agenda trade show, held concurrently Jan. 25–27 in San Diego, repor...
Gucci Building in Beverly Hills Sold for $40m
Gucci has a new landlord on Rodeo Drive. The 13,500-square-foot building the Italian fashion house occupies at 347 N. Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills has been s...
Premium-Denim Show Blue Turns 1
NEW YORK—Premium-denim trade show Blue celebrated its first anniversary Jan. 21–23 with a new location and an exhibitor lineup that included returning denim ...
Visual Marketing Hits the Small Time
The big visual LCD displays usually found at sporting events and in front of large shopping centers are starting to crop up in downsized mode at smaller retail venues....
VF, Eagle Creek Deal Done
Greensboro, N.C.–based VF Outdoor Inc., a subsidiary of VF Corp., completed its acquisition of Eagle Creek Inc., maker of travel gear, including accessories, luggage, daypacks and other products. Terms...
Textile Company Sues Forever 21 Over Pattern Design
A Los Angeles textile company has sued fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 Inc. for allegedly copying a fabric design....
New Apparel for the iPod
Long Beach, Calif.–based Malachi and Company Inc. has released the second generation of its SyncWear MP3-compatible fitness shirts for men and women....
Frank Dandy Superwear Flies Into the U.S.
Brian Johnson hopes to introduce funky Swedish style into the United States as the distributor for the Swedish brand Frank Dandy....
CFF Poker Tournament Raises $82K; Stop Staring! Designer Wins Top Prize
The California Fashion Foundation raised $82,000 for scholarship programs and charitable organizations at its second annual “Hold Em” Poker Tournament....
Hanky Panky Adds Bras
Hanky Panky is synonymous with its signature stretch-lace thong, designed with equal parts playful attitude, sexiness and comfort. After 30 years in the intimate-apparel business, the company...
Fortune Denim: Asian Fusion, California Style
After a soft Spring 2007 launch, designer Karen Noseff is pulling out the stops for her Fall 2007 collection of Fortune Denim. “I feel like this is my true launch. It’s a full ...
Shirley of Hollywood CFO Jon Schlobohm Retires
After over 46 years working at National Corset, Chief Financial Officer Jon Schlobohm has passed the torch on to the third generation of Schlobohms, with the announcement of his reti...
Michael Stars Launches Dresses
T-shirt maker Michael Stars has offered T-shirt–style dresses for seasons, but the Spring/Summer 2007 season marks the first time the brand approached the category with a full collection. Feat...
Liz's Hired Gunn
New York–based manufacturing giant Liz Claiborne Inc. hired “Project Runway” star and Parsons School of Design’s Tim Gunn as chief creative officer, a new position for the company. He will report to Liz Claiborne...
Consumers Step Up Spending, Says Commerce Department
If retailers noticed an increase in consumer spending in December, the notion was confirmed on Feb. 1 by the U.S. Commerce Department....
Planet Funk: One Step Ahead With Premium Fashion
Planet Funk is on the move. The Los Angeles–based premium contemporary boutique chain is tentatively scheduled to open its 19th store at the exclusive Westfield San Francisco Centre o...
