Stories for September 2012

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Friday, September 28

Octavio Carlin's Party

Octavio Carlin Fall 2012 styles. Courtesy of Octavio Carlin.There’s a new Octavio Carlin boutique at 309 N. Kings Rd.and a lively soiree celebrated the debut of the new studio on Sept. 27.This atelier also could be called a loss for Los Angeles’....

Isabel Marant, Bottega Veneta to Melrose Place;Topshop

Isabel Marant, photo by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, via Isabel Marant website.Marni, Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhullier built boutiques on Melrose Place in West Hollywood, the Isabel Marant and Bottega Veneta fashion houses...

Thursday, September 27

Tease photo

Black Halo Eve Bows in West Hollywood

Emmy Week

The scene: L.A. Confidential and Black Halo kicked off Emmy week with a runway show and party on the rooftop of The London hotel in West Hollywood.

Changes in Central America Free-Trade Agreement to Happen Soon

A number of minor adjustments to the free-trade agreement between the United States and Central America will take effect on Oct. 13....

OptiTex Opens Hong Kong Office, Inks Deal in Italy

Petach Tikva, Israel–based CAD/CAM provider OptiTex opened a new corporate office in Hong Kong under the direction of Nick Wei, who was recently named regional sales director.The new office w...

ICSC Forecasts 3 Percent Increase for Xmas Holiday

One of America’s most influential retail organizations, the International Council of Shopping Centers, released its forecast for the upcoming Christmas holiday season on Sept. 25. Sal...

Wet Seal Board Fights Back in Proxy Battle

The brewing proxy battle at The Wet Seal Inc. heated up Sept. 25 when the Foothill Ranch, Calif.–based retailer released a letter to its shareholders begging them to reject the call of a New York–based...

Name Change and Growth for Lisa Kline’s E-commerce

Lisa Kline is rebranding her e-commerce venture with a new name—Vault —and new online home at www.vau.lt. ...

Moss Adams to Host Finance Webcast

Topics from alternative funding sources to factoring and production finance to revolving lines of credit and sources of junior capital will be discussed in an Oct. 10 webcast hosted by Moss...

Fiber & Fabric Resource Guide

Antex Knitting Mills/div. of Matchmaster Dyeing & Finishing Inc.

Can I Borrow a Pen? I'm Making a Dress.

Colour-In Dress (photo by Sander Marsman)Ever find the perfect dress but wish it came in a different color? Dutch designer Berber Soepboer's "Colour-In Dress" solves that problem. Created with graphic designer Michiel Schuuman, the...

Saint Laurent Revival at What Goes Around Comes Around

Saint Laurent is a hot topic on the runways in Paris and last night it was cause for celebration in L.A. What Goes Around Comes Around kicked off a vintage sales event to fête the relaunch of the brand. Guests sipped cocktails, ate...

New Textile Standard Released

The Textile Exchange recently introduced the Content Claim Standard (CCS), a new standard that incorporates a range of inputs within the supply chain....

California Cotton Tour Planned for October

The textile and apparel industry is invited to take a look at California’s cotton industry at the source during a free tour of cotton farms in the San Joaquin Valley on Oct. 19.The annual even...

U.S. to Lift Ban on Imports From Burma

U.S. apparel manufacturers may have a new country where they can make clothing....

B&H Co. Selects YuniquePLM

Gardena, Calif.–based vertical apparel maker B&H Co. selected YuniquePLM FS product lifecycle management software to help streamline production processes while the company grows its domestic an...

Wednesday, September 26

Moussy Implements Lectra PLM

Baroque, the Japanese fast-fashion retailer and owner of the Moussy and Sly brands, implemented Lectra Fashion PLM for the Moussy brand with plans to extend impleme...

Inspiration Under the Sea

Google maps has introduced its awesome new sea view option, which takes you to six amazing underwater places in Australia, the Philippines and Hawaii. The images were collected in partnership with The Catlin Seaview Survey, and it is...

Tuesday, September 25

Top Stories September 21-25

Top Stories Sep. 21–25 Copyright, international trade, e-commerce, lingerie and The Gap’s next move. Those were among our most-read stories from the last week....

Uniqlo Prefers Paramus

What’s cooler than L.A.? Paramus, N.J., apparently. At least, according to Uniqlo. The Japanese fast-fashion retailer continues its glacial rollout of U.S. retail with a store at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus on Friday.No disrespect to New Jersey—I am a...

Monday, September 24

Sue Wong Opens Spring in L.A.

Leaping ahead of the earliest scheduled events for the upcoming Los Angeles Fashion Week, Sue Wong, L.A.’s reigning queen of detailed gowns and cocktail dresses, de...

Frederick's of Hollywood Launching New Luxury Line

Lingerie just keeps getting fancier.Take Frederick's of Hollywood, the Los Angeles institution that has been around for more than 50 years. It started out as a more risque brand of lingerie and eventually morphed into...

Friday, September 21

Plumbers,Towing Services; Give Us Your Logos

Welcome to Teeology.Sure, the world is filled with great artists, but some of the best graphics could be found on any Main Street, that’s the view Jennifer Lopez’s online T-shirt company Teeology.The Los Angeles-based Teeology launched Aug. 1, and it is where the celebrity...

Nice Pants

Curious about the history of pants, but short on time?Myriapod Productions wrote the book on pants--or rather, they animated it. The New York–based film company put together this nifty animated short, which gives you a brief history of the word pants—from Saint Pantaleon to pantalone...

Thursday, September 20

Los Angeles Fashion Week Calendar

Los Angeles Fashion Week plans are underway, with several multi-day events and group shows already sc...

Audrey’s Night Out

Audrey magazine hosted its Audrey's Night Out on Sept. 15 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., with a designer roster that included Shpetim Zero, Brian Lichten...

Hermosa by Christina E.: Loungewear With an Intimate History

Christina Erteszek may have launched Hermosa by Christina E. loungewear a little more than a year ago, but she’s no newcomer to the women’s apparel trade....

Connected: Braving the Heat for Fashion and Music

The crowd that turned out for the Connected Fashion Festival on Sept. 15 in downtown Los Angeles was a dedicated one—bra...

Barriers Being Raised to Curtail Apparel Exports to Brazil and Argentina

A trade war that will affect U.S. apparel sales is brewing in South America. American Apparel, one of the rare U.S. companies that has had its own company-operated store in Brazil, stocks only “...

INDUSTRY VOICES-How to Buy Prints Without Buying a Lawsuit

It is no secret that there are several print suppliers who have made the filing of lawsuits and claiming copyright infringement their business model. As publicly available court records show, just thr...

E-retailer Bonobos Pioneers ’Showrooming’

One of the challenges of fashion e-commerce is consumers’ need to test the fit and feel of a garment. For many, that challenge is addressed with free returns. For vertical e-commerce company B...

Honeydew Creates Exclusive Line for Madewell, Nordstrom

Chatsworth, Calif.–based lingerie brand Honeydew Intimates has struck a three-year deal to create an exclusive collection of bralettes and panties for Madewell, the nearly 50...

Lingerie Resource Guide

Chiari’s “Let’s Get Intimate” is a collection of concept books for the designer created by a designer. Let’s Get Intimate is an illustrative work of designs books produced to ignite a spa...

U.S.-Panama Free-Trade Agreement Delayed

Trade negotiators had been hoping to have the free-trade pact between the United States and Panama up and running by Oct. 1....

Gap Plans for Rebound With New Creative Director, New Line

With a new creative director and a new capsule collection for men, the beleaguered Gap brand hopes to shut the door on a period of creative doldrums and sales that were not up to the...

Port Negotiations Deadline Extended

The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have agreed to extend contract negotiations an additional 90 days beyond the previous...

South Coast Plaza Celebrates 45th at the Hotel Bel-Air

For the 45th-anniversary fête of South Coast Plaza, owners and management of the luxury center in Costa Mesa, Calif., traveled 50 miles north to the Hotel Bel-Air, a historic boutique hote...

Wednesday, September 19

UGG Australia To South Coast Plaza

UGG Australia store at South Coast Plaza. Photo Courtesy of UGG Australia.Years ago, UGG Australia was best known as the ubiquitous and furry footwear seen on It Girls in warm weather climes such as Southern California. On Sept. 18, it opened...

Gap Taps Menswear Designers for Exclusive Collection

Meet the designersThe Gap people have been very busy lately. They just announced hiring a new creative director, Rebekka Bay. Now the San Francisco retailer is joining forces with some of America's top menswear...

Cerre Kicks Off Semi-Annual Sale

Last night Cerre held a champagne reception in its Melrose Avenue boutique to fête its private sale which will run through the 23rd. The evening, which was hosted by Decade's Cameron Silver, kicks off the beginning of its...

Tuesday, September 18

ColorZen Hires Cotton Expert for Education Outreach

ColorZen LLC has hired cotton specialist Nick Hahn to oversee education efforts about ColorZen’s cotton-treatment process, which results in less water, energy and dye usage than traditional me...

Rachel Zoe Partners With Jockey

Rachel Zoe, on the right, with modelIt seems that Los Angeles fashion stylist Rachel Zoe is everywhere you turn: on TV, on bookshelves and in stores.Now she's working with Jockey International to launch Rachel Zoe's...

Monday, September 17

Consumer Confidence Hits Five-Year High

Never since the depths of the 2008 recession have Californians been so buoyant about the economy and its future....

Gap Hires New Creative Director

Gap Inc. named Rebekka Bay as creative director and executive vice president for Gap global design, overseeing all Gap product—including men’s, women’s, accessories, Gap Body and 1969—sold onli...

Friday, September 14

Sue Wong Kicks Off Spring in 3D

Sue Wong will host a fashion show on Sept 21 at The Congo Room at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles as part of the 3D Film Festival, being held Sept. 20-22 at LA Live. The designer will present her Spring ’13 collection, titled “Spring...

Indigenous Brands Remembers Ambassador Chris Stevens

Ambassador Christopher Stevens, photo via AFP: Mahmud Turkia.The world is still reelingfrom the murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who was killed in an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11. His cousin Matthew...

American Apparel to Be in Japan Fashion Week

Denim jacket and turtleneck by American ApparelAmerican Apparel has been selling its clothes in Japan for nearly seven years now.So it thought it was about time to strut its stuff in the fashion world there.The...

Bearpaw Steps South, Grace Carter's Bad Weather Style

BearpawHeadquartered near Sacramento, Calif. the Bearpaw brand announced it would base its shipping in Southern California.Last month it partnered with logistics company 3PL Global, LLC to handle Bearpaw’s shipping at 3PL Global’s warehouse in Carson,....

Connected: Block Party With Shopping and Music

Technically speaking, Summer is not quite over. There’s still a week left of the season--plenty of time for a block party. And if there's shopping and music, too—all the better. The Connected Festival kicks off tomorrow as a huge sample sale—meets—music...

Thursday, September 13

California Collections

West Coast designers continued to shine at New York Fashion Week. Designers and brands showing included Skaist Taylor, the new c...

Education Required for Entry-level Retail Jobs, Analysts Say

The Friedman Group, a Culver City, Calif.–based retail consulting and training group with 10 offices around the world, recently introduced an online sales education course called Gold Star Selling—...

Fashion’s Night Out: Scene in L.A.

Now in its fourth season, Fashion's Night Out is celebrated across the world as a fashion and shopping party for designers, retailers and consumers. The Sept. 6 party in Los Angeles spread across the ...

Rodeo Walk of Style Event Draws Famous Crowd

Who: Rodeo Drive Committee and the city of Beverly Hills...

La Jolla Group Taps Exec for International Expansion

La Jolla Group named Ian Calvesbert international general manager, a new position at the Irvine, Calif.–based apparel licensing and action-sports company....

With 1960s Sizzle, Macy’s Fights AIDS

Just 24 hours after Fashion’s Night Out, another rollicking fashion party was produced in Los Angeles....

Surf Expo: Mood, Attendance Up

The Sept. 6–8 run of Surf Expo in Orlando, Fla., drew more than 6,000 buyers, who turned out to view more than 2,400 lines....

Holiday Sales Forecast: 3.3 Percent Increase

In one of the first forecasts for the 2012 Holiday shopping season, Chicago-based ShopperTrak predicted that national retail sales will increase 3.3 percent compared with last year, said Bill...

Can Wet Seal Resurface? Retailer Faces Bid Over Board Control, Discrimination and Declining Sales

It is a season of discontent for The Wet Seal Inc.—and a proxy fight for control of the board of the Foothill Ranch, Calif.–based specialty retailer is just the latest in the company’s...

Port Negotiations Resume, but Shippers Prepare for Sept. 30 Strike Deadline

Shades of the 2002 West Coast port strike loom over contract negotiations between East and Gulf Coast ports and longshore workers as talks resume Sept. 17 after a nearly one-month acrimonious rupture....

Tavik: Call iPhone 5

Tavik's branded iPhone 5 cases. Photo courtesy of Tavik.One of the biggest steps for a clothing line is to roll out a lifestyle collection. Think fragrance, footwear, eyewear, the possibilities for extending the brand seem endless.Enter Tavik. The...

DVF Through the Google Glass

Diane Von Furstenberg released a nifty fashion week video on YouTube—shot using Google Glasses, the buzzy interactive wearable computer people are talking about. The glasses are essentially a mini computer aimed right at your eye, allowing you to read text, look...

Cargo Container Volumes Will Be Up at U.S. Ports

September will be a busy month for U.S. ports bringing in goods for the all-important Holiday shopping season....

Wednesday, September 12

"Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel" Presented at LACMA

Diana Vreeland has been called the “empress of fashion.” And attendees at the Costume Council of LACMA’s Monday night screening of the soon-to-be-released documentary film “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel,” now have a deeper understanding why.The crowd, which...

The Newest Style: Martin Luther King Jr.

Zion Rootswear's MLK T-shirts.For anyone who has walked through a reggae concert, the name Zion Rootswear is familiar. For years, the Florida-based company has designed and wholesaled Bob Marley T-shirts.The company recently announced a partnership...

Tuesday, September 11

Levi’s Taps Swim, Action-Sports Exec for Dockers

There’s a new chief of the Dockers division at Levi Strauss & Co. The San Francisco–based apparel giant named Seth Ellison as president of its Dockers brand, succeeding Anne Rohosy, who ha...

Monday, September 10

Fashion Design Copyright Bill Reintroduced

The effort to extend copyright protection to fashion designs was renewed on Sept. 10, when Sen. Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) reintroduced legislation that has drawn heated debate within the industry over whether fashion c...

Macy's Glamorama & Afterparty

The finale to the sizzling Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama. Robin Thicke, pictured at the mike stand, led the rousing finale. Photo by Volker Corell.It’s the beginning of the dirty 30s for the event Macy’s Passport PresentsGlamorama, which held a 30th anniversary party...

FNO-LA: Sue Wong at Westfield Topanga

A look from Sue Wong's Fashion's Night Out show.Westfield Topanga was the stage for glamourous evening dresses at Fashion’s Night Out on Sept. 6. Celebrated designer Sue Wong showed her Fall '12 evening gown and cocktail dress collection, Autumn...

Man in the Hot Pink Suit

Mark in his hot pink suitYou come across the most interesting, or different, people when you venture around town for Fashion's Night Out.I was at the Guess store on Rodeo Drive last Thursday for Fashion's Night Out...

Top Stories--Catch Up on Your Reading

Here's a list of the top-read stories from the past week on ApparelNews.net ranging from breaking news to new lines and pioneering retailers. If you missed any, now's your chance to catch up on...

Friday, September 7

Wet Seal Proxy Fight Brewing

The Wet Seal Inc. may be headed toward a proxy fight....

FNO-LA: Fred Segal Melrose

Now in its fourth season Fashion’s Night Out is celebrated across the world as a fashion and shopping party for designers, retailers and consumers. Last night’s party in Los Angeles spread across the city (and, indeed, across the region and the state) with fashion shows and parties,...

Tokidoki X Ju-Ju-Be

Tokidoki x Ju-Ju-Be bagThe Tokidoki brand was embraced by the young-at-heart. Now it’s really going to the babies.The Los Angeles-based brand famous for its colorful cartoon characters and its ironic take on pop culture recently launcheda...

Great Britain Invades the California Market Center

The British are coming! The British are coming!If you walked through the lobby recently at the California Market Center, you might have noticed there is a slight difference in decor.For tonight's party following...

FNO-LA: Robertson and West Hollywood

Designer Coco Michel and Elena Colombo in front of Chanel boutique for Fashion's Night Out. Elena wore vintage Halston. Coco wore Viktor Rolf, Ralph Lauren Collection and Chanel accessories.Robertson Boulevard produced an electric Fashion’s Night Out festivities on Sept. 6,...

Fashion Prevails at Runway Show at Beverly HillsPorsche Dealership

The scene from Gallery L.A.'s fashion show at the Porsche dealershipIt might have been Fashion's Night Out but it almost felt like Los Angeles Fashion Week at a wall-to-wall event organized by Gallery L.A. and held at the Beverly Hills Porsche dealership on Wilshire Boulevard on Thursday night.The crowd came dressed to impress with cocktail attire that looked extremely sophisticated. Revelers spilled out from the dealership and into the front parking area. Valet parking was full and guests were sent searching for parking at nearby restaurants.Vodka flowed at the bar and hors d'ouevres took on a Japanese feeling with the help of restaurant owner Nobu Matsuhisa.Los Angeles designers Dina Bar-El and Anthony Franco served up a runway filled with sophistication.Bar-El created colorful evening gowns that dazzled in bright hues such as yellow and orange.

FNO-LA: West Hollywood After Party

Models Ayumi Shiotani, left and ZuLaa at City of West Hollywood's FNO After Party.Fashion’s Night Out came to an end at West Hollywood with an appropriate finale; cocktails at a stylish hotel.The City of West Hollywood presented a...

All Quiet on Rodeo Drive for Fashion's Night Out

Rodeo Drive at 6:30 p.m. on Fashion's Night OutRodeo Drive looked practically deserted for Fashion's Night Out. It paled in comparision to the previous two years when the luxury shopping...

Thursday, September 6

Tease photo

Halston Carves Out Designer Niche in Los Angeles

DTLA

From his corporate aerie, Ben Malka, the newest chairman and chief executive of Halston, has a sweeping vista of skyscrapers clustered around the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

California Skate Line Among Winners of American Express/Facebook Competition

David Hendrickson, owner of Hendrick Boards, a maker of eco-friendly skateboard decks and apparel in Anaheim, Calif., will receive $25,000 and training in brand building and...

Fred Segal Sells Half of Its Santa Monica Compound

Since 1961, Fred Segal has pioneered high-end boutique retail in Southern California, but the retailer’s self-named Fred Segal Inc. is closing a chapter in its colorful history. In a low-prof...

Retail Focus Resource Guide

Amour Vert (650) 847-1707 sales@amourvert.com Products and Services: Amour Vert is the eco-conscious women’s contemporary line based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our mission is to provide chic, sus...

ecVision’s Latest Features Enhanced Shipment Solutions

Iselin, N.J.–based ecVision, which provides cloud-based supply-chain collaboration platforms for brands and retailers, introduces new functionality in the Global Logistics Module of its ecVision Suite.

Checkpoint Systems Introduces New EAS Antennas

For its latest range of electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas, Thorofare, N.J.–based Checkpoint Systems turned to apparel retailers for advice.

Days of Wine and Backless Dresses at LuLu’s

Based in Chico, Calif., LuLu’s (www.lulus.com) debuted in 1996, during the early days of e-commerce.As e-commerce picked up steam and its market started skyrocketing, LuLu’s co-founder Colleen ...

Shades of Grey by Micah Cohen

West Coast menswear brand Shades of Grey by Micah Cohen helped kick off New York Fashion Week on Sept. 5 with an installation presentation at Drive-In Studios in the city...

Studio City: L.A.’s Boutique Neighborhood With Foot Traffic

Car travel is required in Los Angeles’ sprawling San Fernando Valley, but Studio City remains an intriguing exception to the rule. Various stretche...

Cherokee Inc. Acquires Two New Brands

Cherokee Inc., the Los Angeles company known for its brand management of apparel labels, has acquired Liz Lange Maternity and Completely Me....

Sue Wong Featured at Denver Charity Event

Los Angeles designer Sue Wong has shown in many places. But Denver has escaped her. No more.One of the doyenne's of the L.A. fashion world is the guest honoree at a couture runway show at a hangar party in Denver to...

Taste Bikini Flavors

Bikini Flavors' Eye Candy collection. Photo by Kari Stenholm Photography.Growing up in South Florida, Colleen Ferris Thompson lived in bikinis.It was great for comfort in that broiling Florida sun, but there was a lot...

Fashion Bug Selling Off $500 Million Inventory

Three limited-liability companies—SB Capital Group LLC, Tiger Capital Group LLC and Great American Group LLC—have formed a joint venture to sell of...

Quiksilver Launches Outdoor Fitness Line for Roxy

Now the Roxy girl will have a new clothing option for her active lifestyle....

Billabong Received 2nd Bid

There’s another suitor to buy beleaguered surf giant Billabong International Ltd.

Wednesday, September 5

Boutiques Gamble on Olive Street in Downtown LA

Downtown Los Angeles’ boutique scene has been growing, but on Aug. 30, it took a great leap forward when designer co-op IX II II opened at a gritty corner a few blocks away from the California Market Center

Tuesday, September 4

Garment Contractor Final Touch to Pay Back Wages

A fabric dyeing and finishing company that works with the Los Angeles apparel industry has agreed to pay nearly $104,000 in back wages owed to dozens of employees.

Madison Store Now in Teen Form

When it comes to clothes, what's good for mom is good for her teen daughter.Madison, the high-end specialty store that sells designer labels and contemporary clothes at several locations in Los Angeles, including from...