Stories for July 2019

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Wednesday, July 31

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Dogs…and People Take the Runway

On July 21, Julia Szkiba, a fashion instructor at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, organized the Pet Fashion Project Fashion Show & Fundraiser

Monday, July 29

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Dave East Travels to L.A. to Release Born Broke, Die Diamond

Dave East is a Harlem, N.Y., rapper whose life has revolved around basketball and the street, and he’s been a busy guy.

Friday, July 26

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An Intimate Gathering Sets the Mood for Catherine Gee Fall/Winter 2019 Unveiling

EVENTS

Known for her luxurious, yet laid-back Santa Barbara, Calif., approach to fashion, Catherine Gee showcased new designs in rich fabrics and colorful styles.

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Hurley Tries Island Life with Jamaica Collection

There’s a long love affair between Southern California’s surf industry and Jamaica and reggae music.

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HSBC Bank and AllBright Provide a Platform for Women-led Businesses on Pitch Day

EVENTS

As professional women's leadership club, AllBright, prepares to open its West Hollywood, Calif., location on Melrose, it joined forces with HSBC Bank to host a Pitch Day to provide opportunities for female entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate.

Thursday, July 25

New Lines

New Lines

New Lines

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Art Hearts Fashion Welcomes Emerging Designers and Established Brands to Miami Swim Week

Art Hearts Fashion Miami

With its Miami Swim Week hybrid of runway shows, art exhibitions and festive gala events, hosted July 11 through 16, Art Hearts Fashion introduced emerging brands and revealed new designs from venerable labels.

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An Intimate Trade-Show Setting Spells Success for Preface New York

Trade Shows

In its third edition, hosted at Studio Arte in New York City’s garment district July 17–18, Preface NYC created a relaxed atmosphere in which attendees and exhibitors could network, conduct business and learn.

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Hyden Yoo Brings Back Pioneering Brand Gotcha

Gotcha’s Fresh Look

Men’s clothier and streetwear designer Hyden Yoo hopes to write a comeback story for the pioneering action-sports brand Gotcha.

Copyright Case Decision May Change Legal Game

Legal

Copyright-infringement lawsuits have been big business in Los Angeles, which is the center of many creative industries including fashion, film and music. But a recent case tackling this topic in Southern California is making waves and might force prospective plaintiffs to be more diligent when filing for copyright protection.

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Figs Injects Fashion Into Medical Scrubs

Manufacturing

For years, the $10-billion medical-uniform business was dominated by a handful of companies making loose, boxy scrubs for personnel in the operating room or caring for the infirm. Fashion was an afterthought.

How are brands investing in crucial digital tools and traditional methods to reach customers?

Finance

During the struggle to secure a dwindling sense of brand loyalty among Millennial and Generation Z consumers, brands must devise a comprehensive strategy to tell their stories.

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Sustainable Apparel Coalition Makes New Executive Appointment

SAC’s New Hire

The board of San Francisco’s Sustainable Apparel Coalition has appointed Amina Razvi to the role of executive director.

Nike Reportedly Exploring Hurley Sale

Manufacturing

Surprise registered in the surf world July 25 when Reuters published a story that athleticwear giant Nike Inc. was exploring a sale of Hurley International, which it acquired for an undisclosed amount in 2002.

Amazon Sales Climb 20 percent to $63.4 Billion in 2nd Qtr

Retail

Amazon.com, Inc. released results for its second financial quarter, which ended June 30, and some said that the results were mixed for the Seattle-headquartered retail behemoth.

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Happy Socks to Westfield Century City

Call it a sock attack!

Tuesday, July 23

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With Headwear Label Recapitate, Rocker Todd Fink Flips Music for Fashion

After diving fully clothed into a hotel swimming pool, Todd Fink thought his hat looked a lot better. So began an obsession with making made-to-measure hats.

Friday, July 19

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Anne Fontaine Launches San Francisco Location

RETAIL

Luxury women's brand Anne Fontaine opened its San Francisco location recently, giving the label a foundation in the city.

Thursday, July 18

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Miami Swim Week 2019 Offers Fresh Takes on Swimwear—and Everything Else

Miami Swim Week

As designers, brands, buyers and influencers descended upon south Florida for Miami Swim Week, there was much competition for business on the trade-event circuit plus newcomers making it to the runway.

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ba&sh Moves to Malibu Country Mart

Paris-headquartered women’s brand ba&sh is on the move.

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Cabana Makes a Big Move at This Year’s Miami Swim Week

Trade Shows

Now celebrating its fifth year at Miami Swim Week, Cabana debuted in a new location during its 2019 run July 13–14.

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Riding the Wave of Experiential Retail, Skingraft Grows Up and Free Market Expands

Experiential Retail

The Skingraft brand was one of the pioneers of high-end fashion retail in downtown Los Angeles, but, after a decade of running the brand’s boutique, co-founders Chris and Jonny Cota closed their shop in March.

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SwimShow Launches New Features While Remaining a Trusted Resource

Trade Shows

This year’s SwimShow, which took place July 13–16 at the newly revamped Miami Beach Convention Center, demonstrated the show’s stature among legacy brands.

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Hammock Creates a Swim-Week Space for High-End and Emerging Brands

Trade Shows

Marking its second year at the 1 Hotel, Hammock’s decision to host its event at the eco-conscious space on Miami’s Collins Avenue may have had something to do with an industrywide shift toward sustainability.

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Destination: Miami Creates a Customized Experience for Fresh, International Brands

Trade Shows

Hosted at the Faena Bazaar during Miami Swim Week July 13–16, Destination: Miami made a colorful debut in a space that has welcomed pop-up museums, galleries and fashion retailers.

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Paraiso Offers Distinctive Brand Experiences in Prime Miami Beach Locations

Runway

Now celebrating its second year, Paraiso Miami Beach boasted more than 30 runway shows and a new pop-up-shopping experience, the Paraiso Bungalow, during its July 11–14 run.

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Nu Wave Unveils a New Approach to Miami Swim Week Runway Shows

Runway

Debuting July 11 and closing July 14, Nu Wave Swim served as SwimShow’s runway-event foray at Miami Swim Week.

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Mega Fashion Club Says Its Mega Wrap Will Live Large

Mega Active

The activewear market continues to grow on a foundation of well-known styles such as leggings, sweats, racer-back tops and track jackets.

Swim Week’s Swim the Globe Gains a Sustainable Component

Sustainability

During its third installment, Swim the Globe, which was held at the Sagamore South Beach July 11–14, hosted an eco-friendly component during Miami Swim Week.

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Gerber Technology Announces New Executive Appointments

Technology

Moving forward with a more customer-centric strategy as it continues to build its position as a leader in innovative integrated technologies and services, Tolland, Conn.’s Gerber Technology announced the promotion and hire of new executives.

Amazon Prime Day Breaks Company Records

Retail

Amazon said that it broke its records during the retail giant’s recent Prime Day 2019, which was held during a 48-hour period from July 15 to 16.

U.S. Unemployment Is Up, But Wages Are Up Too

Finance

The U.S. economy got some mixed news this week. First-time unemployment claims rose this week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. But median weekly earnings of full-time, salaried workers also increased, according to a statement from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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UK’s #FashionIsGREAT at Fred Segal

Los Angeles is the address to neighborhoods such as Koreatown, Little Tokyo and Little Ethiopia, but a bit of the United Kingdom moved into the Fred Segal flagship July 15.

Wednesday, July 17

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SuitKits to Outfit The L.A. Sparks

FASHION

When you think of the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team, you might think of purple-and-gold basketball jerseys, but Sierra E., founder of made-to-measure suiting brand SuitKits by Sierra E, saw an opportunity to put athletes in suits.

Tuesday, July 16

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Alexis Monsanto Shows Beautés des Champs

FASHION

Inspired by the French countryside, West Hollywood, Calif.-based designer Alexis Monsanto presented his Beautés des Champs collection.

Monday, July 15

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Odaingerous Boutique Reopens in Downtown Los Angeles

RETAIL

Odain Watson missed the free-form pace of bricks-and-mortar retail. On July 13, he reopened the Odaingerous boutique in downtown Los Angeles.

Friday, July 12

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Farm Rio Launches L.A. Presence With Pop-up Shop at Westfield Century City

RETAIL

Expanding to the West Coast of the United States for the first time, Brazilian brand Farm Rio launched a summer pop-up shop at Westfield Century City.

Thursday, July 11

E-commerce Brands Find Value in a Jump to Bricks-and-Mortar Locations

Retail

The move into bricks-and-mortar is becoming a sign of growth for smaller e-commerce brands such as Santa Barbara, Cal­if.–headquartered Catherine Gee, a womenswear brand that on July 1 launched a boutique shop located next to The Mill on the city’s burgeoning East Haley Street.

L.A. Fashion District Fire Destroys Three Storefronts

Retail

An all-encompassing blaze that broke out at 4:20 a.m. on July 11 destroyed two stores that occupied three spaces on Wall Street in the Los Angeles Fashion District.

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Alkhemist Grows L.A. Apparel Industry and Cultivates Cannabis at its Center

Denim

With his sights set on the future of using hemp in a variety of goods, James Jeans founder James Chung unveiled one of the first fully licensed and legal cannabis-cultivation facilities in Los Angeles, which he is opening with college friend Conrad Yun.

Obituary: Stan Tendler, founder of Kennington men’s shirts

Manufacturing

Stan Tendler, the founder of the men’s shirting brand Kennington Ltd. and a charter member of the MAGIC trade show, died of esophageal cancer at his Los Angeles home on July 1 at the age of 88, said his son, Lance Tendler.

Reformation Takes On New Majority Partner

Retail

Los Angeles–based sustainable women’s brand Reformation said an investment from new partner Permira will help fuel international growth.

Influential West Hollywood Shop LASC to Close

Retail

After a nearly four-decade run, LASC announced it will be closing its 4,000-square-foot bricks-and-mortar operation on the 8500 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif.

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Fast Retailing Treating Denim Jeans in Southern California With Water-Saving Techniques

Water-Wise Denim

Fast Retailing, the Japanese parent company of Uniqlo, recently launched its Southern California denim innovation center to announce it is very close to eliminating the use of water from its denim-treatment process.

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Talon Develops New Style of Zippers

Textiles

The Talon zipper has been around for more than 100 years, used in military uniforms, leather jackets, denim pants, dresses, shirts and skirts.

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Happy Socks Treads Into the Swimwear World

Happy Swim

More than a decade ago, a Swedish advertising executive and an illustrator banded together in Stockholm to start Happy Socks with the goal to make the world a happier place with some crazy-looking socks with colorful prints.

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A Touch of Italy in Monique Lhuillier Collection

Italian Spring

For Spring 2020, Los Angeles designer Monique Lhuillier traveled to northern Italy and Lake Como for a setting that influenced this season’s collection.

Levi Strauss & Co. Sees Revenues Rise in Second Quarter

Denim

Levi Strauss & Co. reported that second-quarter revenues were up across all brands, regions and key product categories with sales rising 5 percent to $1.3 billion.

ITL Commits to Social Responsibility Through Partnership With Surfer Shaun Tomson

Manufacturing

London-headquartered Intelligent Label Solutions and world-champion surfer Shaun Tomson have embarked on a common mission of goodwill. Through a new initiative, they hope to increase the quality of education and support communities around the world.

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Fashion Is Art, Fashion Evokes Friendship, Curators Said

Pop-up gallery POSTgay" Sleepover gave a little more support for the statement that fashion is art.

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Macy’s Hails The Great Outdoors

You might say that Macy’s new Story is section is blooming.

Wednesday, July 10

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Please Do Not Enter’s Showcase of Philippine Arts at Pulo Project

Please Do Not Enter curated Pulo Project, a a show of arts and fashions from the Southeast Asian nation in May. On July 9, they unveiled a second edition of the Filipino arts show

Monday, July 8

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Thorn & Co. Makes A Debut

Meet Combatant Gentlemen's new looks for the big & tall.

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Hammitt Opens First-Ever Retail Store in South Coast Plaza

Retail

Handbag brand Hammitt decides to open its first store ever.

Friday, July 5

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F.A.K.E. Uses Museum Space to Reveal Beauty in Vegan Art and Fashion

EVENTS

To promote vegan fashion, Arsayo co-founder Jonathan Ohayon, followed up his May F.A.K.E. pop-up events by opening the F.A.K.E. Museum exhibition on Melrose Avenue to showcase cruelty-free apparel, art and beauty options.

Wednesday, July 3

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Fourth of July With Stüssy, CPFM and DSMLA

FASHION

A Fourth of July celebration with Stüssy, Cactus Plant Flea Market and Dover Street Market Los Angeles means the launch of a new collection with a fresh approach to American patriotism.

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Textile Trends

Textile Trends

Textile Trends

Swimwear Textiles

Textiles

Swim Textiles

Catch a Trendy Wave

Fashion

Summer practically never ends in Southern California, where the young and restless are always ready to don a swimsuit to lounge by the swimming pool, hit the beach or party in the desert at a music festival.

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Spring/Summer ’20 Swimwear Takes on an Array of Looks

2020 Swimwear Trends

Swimwear for Spring/Summer 2020 takes its cue from such ready-to-wear trends as graphic minimalism, statement sleeves, the resurgence of crafty crochet and macramé as well as a more covered-up approach.

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The Book of Judith: Going Goth With New Swim Collection

Swim/Surf

Brightly colored bikinis and summery swimwear are not for every woman, said Los Angeles designer Candice Cuoco, who was a “Project Runway” finalist and has a label with a reputation for making made-to-measure leather jackets and corsets.

Sidway Swim: Looking to the Glamour of the 1990s for Inspiration

Swim/Surf

The path to creating Sidway Swim had a lot of twists and turns that took designer Sarah Sidway Godshaw on a long learning experience.

Cult Gaia: Diving Into a New Swimwear Line

Swim/Surf

Los Angeles–headquartered Cult Gaia started business in 2012 making bags and floral crowns, later branching out to larger pieces such as dresses. Now founder Jasmin Larian wants to take a big leap forward by launching swimwear.

U.S. Economy Expands, but Tariffs Wait in the Wings

Finance

With the United States entering into a historic economic expansion period, tariffs and the threat of more tariffs on Chinese imports could be the bump in the road to financial good times.

Retailers Often Misfire When Trying to Reach Consumers

Retail

Retailers and brands must become more nimble in the digital world, be better editors of merchandise and become more sincere on social issues to be relevant to consumers.

Orta’s Sustainability Formula Blends Biology, Design and Technology

Textiles

Istanbul textile manufacturer Orta Anadolu is on a mission toward greater sustainable denim manufacturing, inviting industry leaders to hear about how the company is contributing to a more ecologically sound denim supply chain.

Hyosung Introduces Creora ActiFit Spandex With a Focus on Fashion and Function

Textiles

Addressing the demand for textiles that meet the needs of endurance-sports enthusiasts, Seoul, South Korea–headquartered Hyosung recently introduced its latest offering in high-performance fabric.

Calik Denim Increases Accessibility Through New Mobile Application

Textiles

Easing the customer experience through fresh technology, Instanbul’s Calik Denim introduced a new mobile application that allows users to remain current with the latest industry trends and match them with the company’s products.

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On the Eve of Its 20th Anniversary, L*Space Remains at the Forefront of Swimwear

L*Space Nears 20 Years

Growing up in eastern Ohio, L*Space founder and Creative Director Monica Wise realized the change of seasons wasn’t an enjoyable shift when the region went from sticky summer days into long wintry nights. Developing a fascination with swimwear during family trips to Florida, Wise was happiest when visiting the Sunshine State.

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Gump's to Reopen in San Francisco

Retail

After filing for bankruptcy in December, the new owners of Gump's will open a store in San Francisco once a new location has been found.

Monday, July 1

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Levi’s Goes For 1st TV Collab Collection: Levi’s x Stranger Things

Netflix’s Cult Hit "Stranger Things" starts its third season on July 4. On July 1, Levi's released its first collaboration capsule based on a TV show—Levi's x Stranger Things.

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Costumes from Hitmaking R&B Pointer Sisters Go On Display at Hollywood Museum

The Pointer Sisters have been scoring hits such as I’m So Excited” and “Fire,” since the 1970s.