Friday, January 29
Galia Lahav Haute Couture to Los Angeles
It’s a time for brides and eveningwear on Los Angeles’ La Brea Avenue. Israeli-fashion house Galia Lahav Haute Couture opened a flagship boutique at 169 N. La Brea Avenue.
Barbie, Just Like Us
Toy giant Mattel has unveiled a newly revamped Barbie collection designed to more accurately reflect the diversity of the children who play with the doll.
Thursday, January 28
Diane Merrick’s Influential Boutique Closes
Retail
After 45 years running a boutique selling cashmere, jeans, china and antiques to generations of Los Angelenos, Diane Merrick is closing her namesake boutique. On Jan. 28, she announced the closing sale for the Diane Merrick boutique at 7407 Beverly Blvd., near Los Angeles’ Fairfax District.
Letter to the Editor: Charney Responds to the Bankruptcy Court Decision
Manufacturing
Dov Charney Responds to the Bankruptcy Court Decision
Otis Fashion Students Help Design New Lane Bryant Collection
Retail
The fashion students at the Otis College of Art and Design had a special assignment last year: Put together a collection of plus-size work outfits that will be sold at Lane Bryant stores.
Quiksilver Announces Bankruptcy Exit
Manufacturing
Surf giant Quiksilver Inc. plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Feb. 8, it was announced on Jan. 28. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware confirmed the Huntington Beach, Calif.–headquartered company’s plans for reorganization. The bankruptcy was declared in September 2015.
Major Increase in Exhibitors at Premiére Vision
PV Preview
International textile show Première Vision New York hosted its 32nd show in New York, featuring fabrics, trim, leather, manufacturing resources and original artwork at a new venue—Midtown West’s Pier 94.
Hong Kong Fashion Week Fills the Runway With Diverse Styles
Swift Fashion
Popstar Taylor Swift introduced her new casual line at Hong Kong Fashion Week.
Hong Kong Designers to Show at New York Fashion Week
Fashion
Designers Polly Ho and Andy Wong are known for the painstakingly long process they use to naturally dye their silks in an old-fashioned style that can take days and weeks to produce.
Hong Kong Fashion Week Turns Focus Toward Asia
Trade Shows
The new Taylor Swift collection that has an all-American girl vibe didn’t debut in New York or Paris but launched its first looks in a fashion show at Hong Kong Fashion Week.
In Tough Times, Mark Zunino Opens Lavish Couture House
LA Atelier
It’s an era marked by retailers closing stores and scaling back, but Mark Zunino, a Beverly Hills, Calif., couturier, unveiled a 5,500-square-foot atelier with a staff of 40 people.
Olmstead Joins CMC’s Retail Relations
Retail
The California Market Center showroom building in the Los Angeles Fashion District reorganized its retail relations department in early January.
Sweat NSK: Choose Your Activewear
Sweat NSK
Los Angeles’ exclusive Brentwood neighborhood is the address to many fitness businesses, but there were no multi-line boutiques offering the best activewear styles, said Natalie Fritz, a partner and the “N” in Sweat NSK.
ISS: T-shirt Trade Show Growing
Talking T-shirts
The Imprinted Sportswear Show, which traditionally sprawls across a large convention center ballroom every year at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, was the biggest ISS trade show produced by Emerald Expositions ever since it acquired the show in 2001, said Jeff Brown, the show’s group show director.
Crooks & Castles – To the Dogs!
Over the years, Crooks & Castles has printed a Medusa’s head, a castle and the brand's name on it's labels. For Fall ’16, we’re going to see something new.
Tuesday, January 26
Just Don Pop-Up Store Coming to DTLA
Retail
Just Don opens pop-up store this weekend in the Los Angeles Fashion District.
Monday, January 25
Shearer’s In Bowie We Trust
Neely Shearer of Abbot Kinney Boulevard boutique In Heroes We Trust started the year by producing the In Bowie We Trust show. It commemorated the life and art of David Bowie, with more than 30 artists riffing off of the legend and looks of the musician and pop star.
Dov Charney Loses in American Apparel Takeover Bid
A U.S. bankruptcy judge rejects Dov Charney's bid to take over American Apparel.
Fashion’s Mini Michel
Fashion on Film
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin has unveiled the secret talent behind French fashion show sound engineer Michel Gaubert. It’s his assistant Petit Michel and he’s a total doll.
Friday, January 22
Zoolander 2's Beauty Spot
"Zoolander 2" features Kristen Wiig as beauty mogul Alexanya Atoz famous for a product called “Youth Milk.”
Thursday, January 21
Long Delayed Redondo Beach Pier Project Comes To Life
The long delayed renovation of Redondo Beach Pier might be actually on its way to becoming a reality.
Elyse Walker's New Boutique
Elyse Walker is on the move. She recently announced that she will open a second of her self named Elyse Walker boutique. It will be located in the Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach, Calif.
Altamont Goes 90s
The Sub Pop music label drove the 1990s indie rock scene. At Agenda trade show in Long Beach, Calif., the Altamont clothing line introduced a capsule clothing line Altamont x Sub Pop. Check it out.
American Apparel and Charney Testify in Bankruptcy Court
Manufacturing
American Apparel founder Dov Charney, current Chief Executive Office Paula Schneider and others vying for a stake in the future of the Los Angeles–based apparel manufacturer and retailer recently appeared before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon in Wilmington, Del.
Crew Knitwear Hires Former Kellwood Exec as CEO
Manufacturing
Los Angeles–based Crew Knitwear, maker of the Bobeau and H.I.P. brands, has hired Tricia Franklin as chief executive officer.
L.A.–Based Brentwood Associates Buys Boston Proper
Retail
Boston Proper, the multichannel retailer owned by Chico’s FAS Inc., has been acquired by Los Angeles–based private-equity investment Brentwood Associates for an undisclosed amount.
Robin’s Jean Boutique Opens at Beverly Center
Robin’s Jean Boutique
High-end denim brand Robin’s Jean is on the move.
Surf Expo: Biggest Show, Trade Show Director Says
40 Years of Swim/Surf
It was the 40th anniversary of the Surf Expo trade show, and during its most recent run, Jan. 14–16 in Orlando, Fla., the sprawling trade show for swim, surfwear and beach culture reported an increase in vendors.
Can Discount Prices Get Retailers Into Trouble?
Legal
California shoppers are filing a flurry of class-action lawsuits against big-name department stores over markdowns allegedly made on “false” original prices.
Active Collective Returns for Second Solo Show
Focus on Activewear
Active Collective, the activewear and athleisure show that bowed last year in Huntington Beach, Calif., returned for its second solo show with 90 exhibitors showing their collections Jan. 15–16 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort.
Focused Buyers Turn Out
LA Market
January market in Los Angeles is typically a low-key affair with retailers looking to fill in depleted inventories after the holiday season or buyers looking to review lines in a more-relaxed setting before the crush of the Las Vegas trade shows in February.
Tuesday, January 19
Element's Ray Barbee Collection
Ray Barbee is an action sports renaissance man. Maybe that's why the Element recently devoted a capsule collection honoring everything that is Ray Barbee.
Monday, January 18
Fashion District Favorite Takes A Bow at New Mart
Express Presto café took a bow at the lobby of the New Mart on Jan. 18. Its sister café, L'Express Presto, has been serving treats and coffee drinks at the California Market Center for more than 25-years.
Friday, January 15
Holiday Sales Not as Robust as Expected
Retail
The results are in. Holiday sales are up 3 percent over last year.
Thursday, January 14
Zhivago At Cooper Design Space's Room
Aussie brand Zhivago will take a January LA Fashion Market bow at the Room showroom at Cooper Design Space. The LA Fashion Market begins Jan. 17. Take a look.
Showroom Profile: The NTWRK Agency
Showroom Profile
The NTWRK Agency is on the move. In December, the showroom started a massive remodel of its space in the “B” wing of the California Market Center. It also embarked on an expansion. A wall of the adjacent showroom, B-405, was knocked down and The NTWRK added additional real estate.
AAFA Names Helfenbein as New President and CEO
Manufacturing
The American Apparel & Footwear Association, the trade group in Washington, D.C., comprising 530 apparel and footwear members representing 1,000 brands, has selected apparel and footwear veteran Rick Helfenbein to become the new president and chief executive of the organization.
New Retailer Heading for Abbot Kinney
Retail
The contemporary line Stone Cold Fox has plans to open its first store in Venice.
Patagonia - Say Goodbye to Neoprene
Patagonia's new wetsuit line - first exhibited at Agenda trade show last week - aims to be a wet suit with a big difference. It's not made with neoprene.
Space Couture
Virgin Galactic teamed up with Y-3, the Adidas/Yohji Yamamoto collaboration, to create flight suits for Virgin's commercial spaceships.
Showroom Profile: Now Showroom LA
New Lines
Couture, contemporary and ready-to-wear styles from designers around the world fill the new Now Showroom LA, opened recently by Natasha Greizen, a Los Angeles jewelry designer and entrepreneur.
Showroom Profile: Mystree
New Lines
On Jan. 1, Jerry and Judy Wexler moved into their new showroom on the sixth floor of The New Mart. At 1,200 square feet, the new space is more than 400 square feet larger than their previous location on the second floor of the California Market Center.
Showroom Profile: Succarra
New Lines
The Succarra showroom is in New York, Dallas and Atlanta, but until six months ago it did not have a home in Los Angeles. That changed with the opening of the newest Succarra location at the Cooper Design Space.
New Lines: Los Angeles Fashion Market Summer 2016
New Lines
New Lines: Los Angeles Fashion Market Summer 2016
T-Shirts: Life Clothing Co.
Life Clothing Co.
After a gig selling lingerie, Bobby Banafsheian shifted fashion gears. He started T-shirt and basics line Life Clothing Co. Since its 2009 debut, some of his styles have sold at Urban Outfitters, Topshop, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.
T-Shirts: Linda Carmello Sibio
Linda Carmello Sibio
Linda Carmello Sibio got into the T-shirt business through teaching art to homeless and mentally ill people. “What I’m trying to do is make mental-health issues palatable to the public,” said Sibio, a fine artist based in the high-desert town of Twentynine Palms, Calif. “How can I get this message across and make it playful? By making the T-shirts.”
Obituary: Sales Representative Mitch Stedman, 90
Manufacturing
Longtime sales representative Mitch Stedman died on Dec. 30 at the age of 90. A familiar figure in the California Market Center (previously called the CaliforniaMart) and a fixture in the California apparel industry, Stedman and his late wife, Susan Barry, are remembered as consummate professionals who loved the apparel industry.
Finance One’s Shanghai Office Assists Local Importers, Provides Networking Services
Finance
Finance One opened its first international branch last fall in Shanghai after a five-year process to secure new business partners in China and ensure that the Los Angeles–based factor has done its due diligence regarding international laws and regulations for overseas trade and financing.
Manufacturer Starts Rent-a-Desk Program in L.A. Fashion District
Manufacturing
A block or two from Santee Alley in downtown Los Angeles, Michael Harb believes that he can build an incubator and a post-college program for beginning manufacturers.
Swim Collective Dives into Summer at Huntington Beach Show
Dive Into Summer
Southern California got a break in the El Niño rainstorms just in time for the Jan. 8–9 run of Swim Collective at the Hyatt Huntington Beach, a seaside resort in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Retailers Face a Challenging Year in 2016 as U.S. Economy Chugs Along
Finance
Financial gurus and pundits agree that 2016 will probably be an economic twin of 2015. There will be slow but steady growth and unemployment will remain low.
Agenda Attendance Up
Attendance Up
Attendance increased 6 percent at streetwear and action sports–focused trade show Agenda, held Jan. 7–8 at the sprawling Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif.
Shoes for Sea Turtles
Philanthropic footwear company TOMS is teaming up with Oceana in support of the Washington D.C. organization’s mission to protect sea turtles and other marine life.
Wednesday, January 13
Los Feliz Store Closing Its Doors
Retail
Una Mae's Los Angeles has a going-out-of-business sale with 35 percent off.
Monday, January 11
Nicolas Felizola Takes L.A. Bow
The gowns and red carpet looks of the Nicolas Felizola Collection have graced the runways of Miami Fashion Week and the Latin Grammys in the past, designer Nicolas Felizola held the first Los Angeles area viewing of his styles Jan. 9 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Take a look.
Bid to Return Charney to American Apparel Made More Attractive
Manufacturing
At the last minute, two investment companies that bid in late December to buy American Apparel out of bankruptcy and return founder Dov Charney to the company have sweetened the deal to make it more enticing.
Friday, January 8
Speedo USA Dives Into Innovation and Technology
Manufacturing
Speedo USA has gone through a lot of changes lately.
For Love & Lemons: Contemporary Swimwear With Lingerie-like Details
Swim New Resource
Sexy, low-cut dresses have been a specialty of Los Angeles–based brand For Love & Lemons, said Laura Hall, one of the designers for the brand, which has been sold at high-end specialty stores such as American Rag Cie, Elyse Walker and Planet Blue.
Giejo: Sustainable Fashion With an Edge
Swim New Resource
Gabby Sabharwal took her fashion marketing and public-relations experience and applied it to launch a swim brand, Giejo which mixes runway inspiration with street style to create pieces that can be worn on and off the beach.
Hackwith: Swimwear That Embraces All Shapes
New Swim Resource
When Lisa Hackwith launched her swimwear company, Hackwith Design Co., in 2013, she had a mission to produce quality, sustainable, locally made clothing.
Thursday, January 7
Gala Opening for Mark Zunino Atelier
It was Mark Zunino's dream to give Los Angeles a grand, full service atelier for red carpet gowns and eveningwear. On Jan. 7, he unveiled his dream with a gala event at the Mark Zunino Atelier at 181 N. Robertson Blvd.
Billabong USA President Stepping Down
Manufacturing
The president of Billabong USA, Ed Leasure, is leaving the company at the end of January.
Agenda & Merchant Factors Talk Scholarships
Last year Merchant Factors endowed a scholarship for Agenda trade show. Agenda and Merchant Factors extended its scholarship program for Agenda’s upcoming trade show in Miami, Fla. It was announced recently that the winners of the program were the Valley High women’s streetwear label and Oscar x Frank.
Macy’s Reports Soft Holiday, Announces Closing Irvine and Sacramento Stores
Retail
Department-store giant Macy’s Inc. reported a soft holiday sales season.
Alternative Proposal Submitted to Buy American Apparel
Manufacturing
In the continuing American Apparel saga, two investment funds guided by Dov Charney submitted a proposal shortly before New Year’s Day to buy the Los Angeles apparel manufacturer out of bankruptcy.
It’s Not Easy Being (Neon) Green
In the wake of Pantone’s announcement of its color of the year (two, actually—“Rose Quartz and “Serenity”), print-on-demand site Spoonflower released its own 2016 Color to Avoid.
Schoeler Adds West Coast Sales Manager
Textiles
Swiss textile maker Schoeller Textil added a new member to its U.S. team with the addition of Fawn Knadler as West Coast sales manager.
Prosperity Textile Shifts to Better Cotton
Textiles
Chinese denim mill Prosperity Textile will begin using Better Cotton for all its lightweight cotton denim fabrics beginning with the Spring/Summer 2017 season.
Global Merino Showcasing Wool Blends With Creora Eco-Soft
Textiles
At the January 2016 edition of the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City, Global Merino Inc. is showing new fabrics made from blends of Merino wool and Creora Eco-Soft, a spandex engineered to maintain a soft hand and good drape when mixed with heat-sensitive fibers, including natural fibers such as cotton, wool and silk as well as cellulosics such as rayon, Modal and Tencel.
Concept Combines Retail, Restaurant and Made-in-America Manufacturing
Shore: Brand
Shore is a mixed-use restaurant and retail compound, where both businesses share an interest in sustainability and the active lifestyle.
CMC Rebrands and Expands Shape Show to Become ALT
Trade Shows
Shape, the activewear and athleisure show launched last year by the California Market Center, is changing its name and expanding its focus in 2016.
CIT Group Appoints New President of CIT Commercial Services
Finance
CIT Group Inc., a provider of commercial lending and leasing services, announced that Marc Heller will be the new president of CIT Commercial Services, a major factor in the apparel industry.
Citizens of Humanity Allegedly a Victim of Embezzlement
Legal
Four men have been arrested on charges they embezzled $8 million from a commercial laundry house owned by Citizens of Humanity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Show Draws Shoe Manufacturers Eager to See New Products
SoCal Materials
For the third season, the SoCal Materials Show has united suppliers from around the world in a two-day trade exhibit in Los Angeles.
Is Culver City Ready for High-End Boutiques?
Retail
When the luxe mixed-use development Platform makes a formal debut in April, it hopes to shake up the area around the bustling restaurant and art-gallery neighborhood of downtown Culver City, Calif.
Building a Domestic Shoe Business From the Insole Out
Calleen Cordero
"It takes 36 pairs of hands to make one shoe,” says designer Calleen Cordero, who makes shoes and accessories by hand in her North Hollywood, Calif., factory.
Art Basel: Arts & Culture
Street Style
The art world and Miami street style converged in December during the annual Art Basel modern and contemporary art festival in Miami Beach.
Kitson Closing Sale Ends Soon
Retail
Bankrupt Kitson retail chain nears the end of its big blow-out liquidation.
Wednesday, January 6
Lingerie Road Fit
True&Co. is taking bra fittings on the road with the kickoff of the True&Co.’ National Try-on Truck Tour.
Tuesday, January 5
SF Sample Sale Alert
The holidays may be over but the sample sales continue. San Francisco-based and SF-made plus-size resource IGIGI is having one right now.
Sue Wong’s Lavish New Year’s Eve
2016 looked more like the 1920s at designer Sue Wong’s lavish New Year’s Eve Party in Los Angeles.
Monday, January 4
Paul Smith Photo Day
They say L.A. is a place where no one gets out of their cars. It means that there are few public spaces where people actually gather and mingle in the metropolis. The bright pink Paul Smith boutique in West Hollywood has presented an alternative. There's an occasional street scene in the parking lot where people take selfies.
