Monday, July 31
Two New Contemporary Stores Opening in DTLA
Retail
The area near Broadway and Ninth street is heating up with contemporary stores.
Snake Oil Provision’s Long Beach Reopening
After trying different sites in Long Beach, Calif., Ben Neuhaus and Miranda Malloy think they have found the right spot for Snake Oil Provisions. It’s in the historic Lafayette building in Long Beach’s East Village Arts District.
Friday, July 28
West Coast Longshore Workers Approve Contract Extension to 2022
Import/Export
Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union approved a three-year extension to their five-year contract with the Pacific Maritime Association, which means their contract won’t expire until July 1, 2022.
RVCA Returns to Ron Robinson
Fifteen years ago, Ron Robinson was one of the first boutiques to take a chance on RVCA. On July 27, RVCA made a return to Ron Robinson with its limited collaboration line RVCA + Moblow.
Thursday, July 27
Spanning the Supply Chain from Fiber to Fabric and Print to Production
Texworld USA
Uncertainty about international trade was a major concern at Texworld USA, the textile sourcing trade show, which took place July 17–19 at the Javits Center in New York.
Offering Everything from European Fabrics to Local Manufacturing
Premiere Vision New York
“Fashion is perpetually new,” said Guglielmo Olearo, international exhibitions director of the Première Vision New York textile show, which took place July 18–19 at Pier 94 in Manhattan.
Swim Week Brings Trade Show Trifecta to Miami Beach: Cruise 2018 debuts at SwimShow, Cabana and Hammock
Miami Swim Week
One week a year in Miami Beach you can find more bikinis at the convention center than on the actual beaches. That was the case July 20–24, when Swim Week returned to South Florida. And this year—amid rainstorms, sweltering humidity and blazing sun (sometimes all within the same hour)—buyers, models, bloggers, socialites, editors and celebrities got an eyeful of what will be all the rage come Cruise 2018.
The Effect of Rising Interest Rates on the Apparel Business
Finance
For nearly a decade, interest rates have remained near zero, meaning it was very inexpensive for businesses to borrow money. But those sunny days may be over. Twice this year, the Federal Reserve has raised the prime rate, and it is expected to do so again later this year.
Intermezzo Unveils Consumer-Friendly Vintage Show
Trade Shows
Trade-show giant UBM is getting in on the consumer-facing show action this August when its Intermezzo Collections unveils its Vintage@Intermezzo. The New York show, set to bow during the Aug. 6–8 run of Intermezzo, will be UBM’s first market open to consumers.
Alternative Apparel & An Inconvenient Sequel
Alternative Apparel is stating its case in the climate change crisis.
Wednesday, July 26
Cruise 2018 on the Runways
Runway
Miami Beach once again became the epicenter of swim fashion when the swim trade shows—Miami SwimShow, Hammock and Cabana—opened their doors while runway producers Swim Miami, Funkshion and Art Hearts Fashion hosted more than 50 catwalk shows showcasing Cruise 2018 collections.
Blast Cult’s Merch Lifts Off
Fashion’s festival styles have been featuring band T-shirts for years. Here’s a new angle; how about T-shirts from musical instrument makers?
Bankruptcy Court Judge Denies Lubov Azria’s Latest Move to Receive $7 Million in Compensation
Manufacturing
In the latest saga in the bankruptcy case of BCBG Max Azria Group, a federal judge has denied Lubov Azria’s attempt to receive nearly $7 million in lost wages and a payout known as a golden parachute.
Tuesday, July 25
REI to Open Big Store in Burbank
Retail
REI is taking over a former Sports Authority store that has been closed since Sports Authority went bankrupt last year.
Monday, July 24
Lalopalooza at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in DTLA
Style Inspiration
The recent “Lalopalooza" featured live music, a fashion show, culinary and art workshops for the entire family in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lalo Guerrero, famed Mexican American musician, composer and comic known as the “Father on Chicano Music.”
Angel Biotek On Abbot Kinney
Venice’s Abbot Kinney Boulevard has changed greatly over the past decade, causing many to complain that the street doesn’t have any more room for new brands or even the secret sauce that made it special in the first place. Venice area designer Angel Biotek hopes to prove those people wrong.
Friday, July 21
Balmain to Melrose Place
French fashion house Balmain opened its first West Coast flagship on Melrose Place in West Hollywood, Calif. this month.
Thursday, July 20
Trade Protectionism and E-Commerce Are Top Concerns for Chief U.S. Fashion Industry Executives
Retail
With a new president in the White House, U.S. fashion manufacturers and retailers said their biggest concerns this year are about new trade barriers going up that would restrict apparel imports.
ChicCartel Launches ‘Shop Locally’ Site
Technology
The slogan “grown locally/buy locally” resonates for fashion, said the cofounders of e-commerce platform ChicCartel, a new market that promises to connect savvy fashion consumers with independent designers from their city and region.
Vivian Maier on La Brea
Street Photography
Art collectors and photographers to fashion and movie industry people, among others were on hand for the opening-night party celebrating the photography works of Vivian Maier at the K P Projects Gallery on La Brea in Hollywood.
Shopify’s Frenzy App Powers Sale at Capsule and Liberty Fairs in NY
Technology
Trade shows and runway shows have been looking to produce extra revenue streams for their vendors.
French Tanneries Make Their West Coast Debut at the CMC
French Leather in LA
The California Market Center played host to a small coterie of French tanneries when six companies showcased their upscale leathers for apparel, accessories and home décor July 13–14 in a suite on the CMC’s eighth floo
Solo Active Collective Draws Diverse Retailers, Prepares for Move to Anaheim, Calif
Trade Shows
The Active Collective trade show, focusing on activewear and athleisure apparel, returned to Huntington Beach, Calif., for its July 18–19 run, which is slated to be the show’s last at the tony Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa.
How the Apparel Industry Is Coping With Higher Minimum Wages
Manufacturing
The introductory video on the Tianello website talks about how the Los Angeles clothing maker’s collection of Tencel and silk tops lovingly passes through 100 hands before ending up in someone’s closet.
Agenda Juggles Trade and Consumer Days
Trade Shows
After 14 years of being a trade-only show, Agenda unveiled a consumer day at the recent run of its Long Beach, Calif., event.
Agenda Festival Bows
Streetwear Festival
A stylish crowd turned out for the debut of Agenda Festival, the one-day consumer event organized by the Agenda streetwear trade show.
Wednesday, July 19
The CMC Balloons With Fun
Events
For a couple of days, the lobby at the California Market Center looked like a big party.
1 Man’s Ring Around the Collar, 1 Woman’s Art
Fashion designers argue that clothing is art. Lun*na Menoh gives the argument surreal support with her show A Ring Around the Collar, currently at Art Exchange Gallery near downtown Long Beach.
Tuesday, July 18
Waraire Boswell's Refined from the Raw Challenge
Waraire Boswell has been cutting up Los Angeles’ custom clothing scene for some time. The NBA-sized clothier made a splash at the ESPY awards show July 12 when D’Angelo Russel l of the Brooklyn Nets came to the ESPYS in Los Angeles wearing a suit Boswell made as part of a challenge.
Fashionistas x Music Lovers at Rebel Rebel
Los Angeles’s Hammer museum and Southern California radio station KCRW are hosting a series of free eclectic concerts and DJ sets on Thursday evenings in July at the museum in L.A.’s Westwood neighborhood.
Erewhon Market Coming to Building Near LA Fashion District
Retail
Erewhon Market is expected to open in the next few years in a hot spot in DTLA.
Nordstrom Rack Set Opening Date for DTLA
Retail
The unveiling of the Nordstrom Rack at Fig@7th will be this fall.
Monday, July 17
HollyRod’s DesignCare Gala
The non-profit HollyRod foundation is devoted to giving care to those living with autism and Parkinson’s Disease. On July 15, the foundation spread the word on its mission in a stylish way.
Henry Cherner, AIMS360 Managing Partner, 66
Technology
Henry Cherner, a Los Angeles pioneer in software programs for the fashion industry and an apparel industry veteran, passed away suddenly from a heart attack on Sunday. He was 66.
Friday, July 14
Otis Students Take on Frozen Style
Disney Design Challenge
Otis College of Art and Design and Disney took inspiration of the animated film “Frozen,” for a reality show-style challenge that was documented in the “Disney Design Challenge” web series on DisneyStyle.
Thursday, July 13
Gunn Coming to Ideation 2017 LA
Events
Gerber Technology is preparing for its Ideation 2017 conference, set for Nov. 1–3 at the Sheraton Universal Studios in Universal City, Calif.
One-Piece Swimsuits a Popular Trend at Swim Collective
Swim Collective
Trim models swiveled from front to back to show off the newest bikinis and one-piece suits created by swimwear designers. Serious buyers on the hunt for the latest in poolside fashions crowded into booths as an explosion of colorful prints and solid colors ran across the ballroom that housed the latest Swim Collective in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Vuori’s Performance Clothes Are made with Versatility and Comfort
Vuori
Football, lacrosse, yoga. Joe Kudla was game for almost any sport and fitness regimen.
Edgemine Goes Premium with Evidnt Los Angeles
Edgemine
After more than 20 years in fashion, the Edgemine company launched its first denim line intended for a women’s premium-denim market.
LA Event to Pay Homage to the Ebony Fashion Fair
Events
In a nod to the Ebony Fashion Fair, the Fashion Legacy Association for Industry Recognition—or FLAIR Inc.—will host a two-day event in July honoring supermodel Pat Cleveland as well as actors Richard Roundtree (“Being Mary Jane” and “Shaft”) and Judy Pace (“Cotton Comes to Harlem”).
Intertek Adds New Testing Services for Activewear, Leathergoods
Technology
Intertek, the Chicago-based quality-assurance provider, has expanded its textile testing services to meet the needs of the makers of activewear and leather goods.
Gerber’s Sam Simpson Retiring After 47 Years With Company
Technology
After 47 years with Gerber Technology, Sam Simpson announced plans to retire, but the longtime technology executive will continue to serve as a consultant to the Tolland, Conn., company as well as acting as a special adviser to Gerber Chief Executive Officer Mohit Uberoi.
Cargo Container Traffic Could Hit Record Numbers This Summer
Import/Export
Protectionist talk may be in the air, but imports are still arriving at our doors.
Back-to-School Spending Forecast to Increase
Retail
Retailers might give the 2017 Back-to-School season an “A.”
Arts District; L.A.’s Next Big Retail Area?
Arts District
Every major city has an “anti-downtown,” said Sam Brownell, principal and partner of property developers Blatteis & Schnur Inc.
Wednesday, July 12
Get Your Greylin On
Mark your calendars, Greylin fans. The contemporary label is hosting its annual sample sale.
Tuesday, July 11
Accessories With a Philanthropic Spirit
Philanthropic accessories and apparel maker Simbi is heading to Evereve, the 70-store retail chain located across the country.
Trina Turk Adds Her Design Flair to the Poolside Cabanas at W Los Angeles
Resort Fashion
LA designer Trina Turk puts her touch on the cabanas surrounding the pool at the W Los Angeles.
Hundreds Get Final Pink Slips at BCBG Max Azria
Manufacturing
As operations wind down at the bankrupt BCBG Max Azria Group, nearly 500 layoff notices have gone out to employees of the contemporary brand founded in Los Angeles nearly 30 years ago.
Monday, July 10
Cargo Container Traffic Could Hit Record Numbers This Summer
Protectionist talk may be in the air, but imports are still arriving at our doors. With the U.S. economy in its eighth year of recovery, cargo container volumes at the nation’s ports are expected to be at an all-time high as retailers head into the Back-to-School season.
Witchsy’s 1st!
Since pen touched paper and paint touched canvas, artists have groused about censorship. Artistic online community/ e-boutique Witchsy aims to take the muzzle off of artists, all while selling T-shirts, hats, fashions, jewelry, pins, prints and you-name-it. They celebrated it with a first year party shindig.
Friday, July 7
Vans Unveils New HQ
Vans Moves In
Footwear and apparel titan Vans recently unveiled a new headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Late-Night Crowd Closes Louis Vuitton Pop-up in DTLA
Retail
A pop-up shop for a highly anticipated Louis Vuitton X Supreme capsule collection has shuttered after Los Angeles Police dispersed a large crowd in front of the pop-up shop at 4:30 a.m. on July 7.
Thursday, July 6
The Team Behind Puma’s Minion-Inspired Style
Meet the team behind Puma x Minions, the recent collab between venerable athletic shoe Puma and the cute, yellow creatures from the “Despicable Me” film series.
Luxe Knits With a Creative Edge
Designer Nathalie Saphier recently showcased the Spring/Summer '17 collection of her Replica knits line at a trunk show at Belljar in L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood.
Sun, Sand, Surf and Sports
Street Style: Venice
Los Angeles’ Venice Beach is world famous for its crowds of sun lovers and fitness buffs.
Siloett Gets a Made-for-TV Makeover
Swim/Surf
With decades of swim business experience and a label on the rocks, the Handy family found an avenue to rebrand and rebuild on reality TV.
Swim Designers Forecast Cruise ’18 Trends
Designer View Point
From travel lust to Wonder Woman–inspired power suits, beachwear is being influenced by all manner of pop culture. This season, we caught up with designers from Bondi Beach to Lima, Peru, and the shores of SoCal to find out the latest trends for Cruise ’18.
Z Supply: Classic Styles in Figure-Flattering Fits
Swim/Surf
Z Supply LLC, the Irvine, Calif., maker of Z Supply fashion basics, is diving into its first swim collection for Spring 2018. Combining sleek, figure-flattering looks in a nylon/spandex fabric, the launch collection will include 10 bikinis and one-piece styles.
Horizon Swim: A Swimwear Label With a Personal Touch
Swim/Surf
By day, Jessi Taylor is an executive assistant at a Los Angeles advertising company. By night she is a swimwear designer who makes her own patterns and sews her own swimsuits—one by one—for her line called Horizon Swim.
Drupe: Around the World With an International Staff:
Swim/Surf
When Mireya de Andrés told her parents she was quitting her banking job in Geneva, Switzerland, to start a fashion line, they thought she was crazy. Fashion seemed to be on the flip side of the finance world.
Swimming in a New Direction
Tori Praver
Tori Praver modeled for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition in far-flung locales such as the Canary Islands off of Spain, her home island of Maui, and Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean. This year she is going to be modeling for her own brand.
Old Bull Lee: After Walk Shorts, Try Surf
Swim/Surf
Rent a Manhattan Beach address, and it might only be a matter of time before you are in the surf business.
Raj & Sports Illustrated Team for Swim Brand
Manufacturing
For more than 50 years, the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue has been making headlines with its pictorials of supermodels posing in fashion’s most stylish swimwear in exotic locales.
Home Shopping Network is Being Acquired by QVC
Retail
Two big television shopping cable networks will now be one.
June Sales Sunny for Some Retailers
Retail
Some retailers saw June gloom. Some experienced a positively sunny June.
Action Sports Vet Smith Joins Boardriders
Manufacturing
Nate Smith was named president of the Americas region for Boardriders Inc., the Huntington Beach, Calif., parent company of Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes.
Vuori Pops at Malibu Country Mart
The Vuori brand makes performance apparel for yoga, CrossFit and other activities. It recently opened a pop-up at Malibu Country Mart.
Lectra Introduces Fashion PLM 4.0 at Industry 4.0 Event
Technology
French equipment and software maker Lectra recently introduced its latest product lifecycle management software at an industry event at the Paris-based company’s technology center in Bordeaux.
AAFOA Looking to Drive Innovation for Functional Fabrics
Textiles
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America—which is based at MIT and has nearly 100 members from a diverse group of manufacturers, startups and institutes of higher learning—is leading a $317 million private-public effort to drive innovation in textile and fiber manufacturing.
Hyosung and Sofileta Partner for New Creora Fresh Collection
Textiles
French textile mill Sofileta is working with South Korean fiber company Hyosung on a new collection featuring Hyosung’s Creora Fresh fiber.
Patagonia’s Bikinis and Board Shorts Hit the Fair Trade Trail
Swim/Surf
Patagonia, the California outdoor-apparel company known as one of the first U.S. clothing companies to embrace the environment, is taking bikini and boardshorts production to a new level.
Dock & Bay Dives Into Active With Eco-Friendly Collection
Dock & Bay
Lightweight, microfiber towel maker Dock & Bay has a new collection with a sustainable story behind it.
Everlane and Margaret O’Leary to Headline Dress for Success Gala in S.F.
Events
To celebrate 12 years helping Bay Area women enter and succeed in the workforce, Dress for Success San Francisco has enlisted San Francisco brands Everlane and Margaret O’Leary for the nonprofit organization’s annual gala fashion show.
Candiani, Albiate 1830 and Matias Showcase Italian Denim Innovation in L.A.
Candiani
Albiate 1830, the denim division of Bergamo, Italy–based Italian mill Gruppo Albini, and Italian denim mill Candiani joined forces to create FineFusions, a collection that showcases “top Italian heritage, cutting-edge thinking and a virtuous spirit.”
Latitude 10 Finds ‘In Between’ Niche
Latitude 10
There is a time in a woman’s life where she wants to wear juniors styles and trends but she is looking for silhouettes and clothes that an adult woman would wear, said Leslie Gardner, a career designer.
Aussie Brand Gorman Opens in West Hollywood
Retail
After 18 years selling contemporary women’s fashion in Australia and New Zealand, the Gorman brand opened its first U.S. store in West Hollywood, Calif., recently.
Solid Economic Growth Pushes Online Sales With Traditional Stores Revamping Their Fleet
Finance
Retail sales are inching forward this year with a strong nudge by online purchases fueled by millennials who prefer shopping on their smartphones and computers.
Wednesday, July 5
Cross Colours X MeUndies
Pioneering brand Cross Colours is going way beyond basics. On July 6, it will launch an underwear line with MeUndies.
True Religion Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Manufacturing
True Religion, once a high-flying premium denim brand so popular its blue jeans were constantly being knocked off by counterfeiters, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 5 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
Streetwear: The Movie
Bobby Hundreds leads a tour through the rise, fall and subsequent rise of streetwear in new documentary Built To Fail
Monday, July 3
Fashion Business Inc. Shutters After Nearly 20 Years
Manufacturing
After helping start-up and growing apparel companies for nearly two decades, Fashion Business Inc. will shutter operations at the end of August.
Shoemaker Donald Pliner Is Back
Retail
Event coming up to buy shoes on sale by Right Bank Shoe Co. of Beverly Hills.
