Showroom Profile: Allen Allen
New Lines
Open. Fresh. Light. That’s how Kari Carpino describes the new showroom for Los Angeles–based casual contemporary line Allen Allen, which, Carpino said, is a good match with the Allen Allen personality.
Showroom Profile: W5 Concepts
New Lines
For Karyn Kim, the questions all designers should ask themselves can be boiled down to a few Ws.
Spring Forecast
Directives West
The trend presentation, held on Oct. 6, opening day of Los Angeles Majors Market at the California Market Center in Los Angeles, covered three key trends of the season: “Simply California,” “Effortlessly Feminine” and “Global Bazaar.”
Fashion’s Mentor Moment at the White House
Fashioning the Future
First Lady Michelle Obama and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour hosted the first White House Fashion Education Workshop on Oct. 8 in Washington D.C.
Gap’s Murphy Resigns
Executive Moves
Glenn Murphy, Gap Inc.’s chief executive officer and chairman, announced his resignation from the company on Oct. 8.
NRF Forecasts 4.1 Percent Increase in Christmas Sales
Holiday 2014
Expect a good Holiday season, according to a National Retail Federation forecast.
Rachel Zoe at South Coast Plaza
Rachel Zoe styled looks for high profile women such as Nicole Richie, Britney Spears and Kate Beckinsale before launching her own media vehicles such as Bravo program The Rachel Zoe Project. On Oct. 9, Zoe will be at South Coast Plaza in Orange County to helm the Live the Look Fall trend presentation runway show.
Alternative X Art of Elysium
Alternative gained notice for designing sustainable clothing at its Los Angeles studio. Recently, Alternative designed some soft tees to raise funds for Art of Elysium
Wet Seal’s Veteran CFO Resigns
Executive Moves
Steven H. Benrubi, the long-serving chief financial officer of The Wet Seal Inc., resigned from the struggling juniors retailer.
Deep Pockets Required
Denim Design
The supersize of the iPhone 6 (and iPhone 5 Plus, not to mention the Galaxy Note) has created a fashion problem.
Spring '15
Femme Sport
Sportswear takes a femme turn with floral prints, tennis skirts, matching sets and plenty of crop tops. Game on.—N. Jayne Seward
Los Angeles Fashion Week Calendar: Spring 2015 Collections
UPDATED
Los Angeles Fashion Week runway shows get underway on Oct. 8. Events and details are still being finalized. We will add events to the online calendar as they are announced.
Opening a RBIS Design Center in LA’s Arts District
Avery Dennison
Apparel designers, retailers and manufacturers looking for branding inspiration have a new resource in the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles with the opening of Avery Dennison Corp.’s Retail Branding and Information Solutions (RBIS) Customer Design and Innovation Center.
eBay and PayPal to be Separate Companies
Retail
It was announced on Sept. 30, that eBay Inc., the pioneering e-commerce market headquartered in San Jose, Calif., that had revenues of $4.4 billion in its second quarter of 2014, intends to spin off its PayPal division, which handles one in every $6 spent online, according to a PayPal statement.
Making Eco Fashion Stylish and Profitable
Amour Vert
San Francisco–based Amour Vert’s creative director, Linda Balti was invited to become a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America
L.A. Company to Make CBGB Live Again
CBGB
The styles inspired by the scene at the CBGB nightclub in mid-1970s New York, one of the world’s first punk clubs, made a big impact on global fashion, but the club closed in 2006. Los Angeles–based branding and licensing company Epic Rights plans to make CBGB a notable fashion name in the current era.
Western Wear Shop Boot Barn Files IPO
Retail
Boot Barn Holdings, a western apparel and footwear retailer headquartered in Irvine, Calif., wants to go public.
Specialty Boutiques, Major Retailers Try New Mix of Specialty and E-Commerce
Ecommerce
For 15 years, Erica Dee Thomas believed that success for her series ofboutiques, came from being community fixtures, places where fashion people could gather. Now she believes the path to success goes through her clients’ doorsteps.
Drawing a Mix of Established Brands, New Designers
LA Textile Show
Traffic steadily picked up at the Sept. 29–Oct. 1 run of the Los Angeles International Textile Show at the California Market Center in Los Angeles, where exhibitors said they met with both well-known brands as well as new designers.
