A Sweet Anniversary in Making Luxurious T-shirts as Kinetix Turns 16
Manufacturing
Looking back on his 16 years in business, Blayne Siegel, president and founder of Kinetix Casual Luxury, is grateful for his long journey to veteran status in the space of creating luxurious T-shirts and other relaxed styles.
LA Textile Emerges as International Destination for Sourcing Through Virtual Event
Trade Shows
Building on its momentum from a successful October show, LA Textile was hosted Feb. 24–26 on CMC Uploaded, the California Market Center’s digital platform. This edition of LA Textile was a testament to the virtual production’s growth in only five short months. According to the CMC’s senior manager of events, Matthew Mathiasen, attendance figures for the show doubled from the October edition.
West Coast Trend Show Generates Solid Business at On-site L.A. Show
Trade Shows
After almost a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person trade-show format is coming back to life. Last month, in-person trade shows were produced in Orlando, Fla., and at the Dallas Market Center in Dallas. Over Presidents Day weekend, an in-person trade show took place near the Los Angeles International Airport as COVID-19 cases had dipped in Los Angeles County, an area where numbers of COVID-19 cases had been high for much of the past year.
Kevan Hall Directs His First Fashion Film, ‘Together Again’
Fashion on Film
In lieu of a New York Fashion Week presentation, Kevan Hall told the story of an optimistic future surrounding his latest collection as he directed a film titled “Together Again,” which premiered Feb. 16 on the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Runway360 platform.
Culprit Underwear Approaches Sustainability With a Touch of Humor
Manufacturing
Using sustainable fabrics for jeans, T-shirts and underwear is usually serious business, but the Los Angeles–headquartered brand Culprit Underwear has developed a niche using humorous graphics to sell its ecologically sound, made–in–Los Angeles products.
CMC Uploaded Offers L.A. Market Week Preview
Trade Shows
For the fifth run of CMC Uploaded, the virtual trade show produced by the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles, new seminar speakers and new exhibitors were on the roster for an L.A. Market Week Preview.
Liberty Fairs, LA Men’s Market Find Strength in Numbers
Trade Shows
After seven years of running solo in-person trade shows in downtown Los Angeles, the LA Men’s Market and Liberty Fairs tried out their first partnership by co-producing the virtual trade show Liberty Fairs x LA Men’s Market, which will wrap up March 9 after a month of doing business.
FashionGo Week to Become Biannual Digital Trade Show
Trade Shows
After a second run of FashionGo Week, which ran Feb. 8–12 on the FashionGo business-to-business wholesale online-market platform, the digital trade show anticipates becoming a regular feature on the trade-show calendar.
Onitsuka Tiger, Other New Brick-and-Mortar Stores Opening in L.A.
RETAIL
Los Angeles retail is seeing a few new store openings. Among them is Onitsuka Tiger, which recently wrapped up a digital fashion show at Milan Fashion Week on Feb. 27.
Fred Segal, Retail Innovator, 87
Remembering Fred Segal
Fred Segal was considered the founder of the specialty-retail approach that ushered in an influential Los Angeles and California sense of cool. He died Feb. 25 in Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
On-Demand Printer and Drop-shipper Printful to Open Larger L.A. Facility
ON-DEMAND PRINTING, DROP SHIPPING
On-demand-printing and drop-shipping-fulfillment business Printful is scheduled to open a 93,000-square-foot facility in the Los Angeles area this fall, said Dairis Zarins, Printful’s director of operations.
NRF Forecasts Robust Retail Rally by Mid-2021
RETAIL
U.S. retail sales are forecast to make a big rally this year. Sales are expected to grow between 6.5 percent to 8.2 percent to more than $4.33 trillion, according to the National Retail Federation.
Fred Segal to Open Boutiques in New Las Vegas Casino
RETAIL
Resorts World Las Vegas will be the first new casino resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip in more than a decade. It was recently announced that Fred Segal was selected to develop and run boutiques at the casino.
SoundCommerce Closes $15 Million Series A Financing
E-COMMERCE
Continuing its growth within the consumer-retail industry, the data-platform provider SoundCommerce announced $15 million in Series A financing, aligning with its expansion through hiring, platform capabilities and customer engagement.
Novoloop Announces Groundbreaking Progress in Plastic-Waste Upcycling
SUSTAINABILITY
Formerly known as BioCellection, Menlo Park, Calif.’s Novoloop announced Feb. 23 an extraordinary advancement in sustainable manufacturing with the launch of XIRC.
NTWRK Platform and The Hundreds’ Family Style Festival to Support LA Restaurants With Virtual Show
EVENTS
In 2019, The Hundreds streetwear brand produced the inaugural Family Style Food Festival to showcase the tastes and cuisines of independent Los Angeles-area restaurants. Fast forward to a Los Angeles struggling under pandemic restrictions. The Family Style Food Festival will go on, but it will be a virtual festival that will be produced under the moniker of Family Style To Go.
Joor to Make Payment Features More User-Friendly on Its Platform
e-FINANCE
Joor, a digital-wholesale platform that serves as the technology partner for the Liberty Fashion & Lifestyle Fairs trade show, recently announced that its platform was going to become more user-friendly for financial transactions.
Honey, an E-Retail Company, Gets Into LA Galaxy’s Jersey Game
PARTNERSHIPS
Los Angeles-based e-retail company Honey announced a multi-year agreement to place its logo on the right sleeve of LA Galaxy’s home and away jerseys, which will take the field at the team's home, Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, Calif., when the MLS season starts on April 17.
Social-Media Star Laura Lee Unveils Fashion Line
INFLUENCER FASHION
Social-media influencers have captured the imaginations of many consumers by acting as the ambassadors for brands and fashion lines on Instagram and YouTube. A handful of these influencers also are taking the leap into designing their own fashions.
#ArtBlk by Dungeon Forward Features Collaborations With Black Artists
FASHION
Headwear brand Dungeon Forward introduced its #ArtBlk limited capsule collection that features work by Black artists Chuck Styles, XPayne, Melissa A. Mitchell and Nathan Delinois. The collection was launched as an introduction to the brand's new low-top variant of The Sunika Kuraun style.
