New Line From Directives' Drobnick
Sheri Drobnick, a former merchandise manager with Directives West, has left the Los Angeles–based buying office to launch a new label aimed at “a woman who has a designer headset but no...
Warnaco Shutters Speedo Retail
New York–based The Warnaco Group Inc. announced plans to close all 44 remaining Speedo and Authentic Fitness retail stores as part of the company’s ongoing restructuring efforts. Some of the stores will become ...
Quiksilver Expands Footwear Offerings
Surf industry observers said it was just a matter of time before surfwear giant Quiksilver Inc. entered the men’s footwear market. Last month, the Huntington Beach, Calif.–based appare...
Hurley, Lunada Bay Dive Into Juniors
With a strong consumer demand for juniors swimwear in the action-sportswear market, indie label Hurley International Inc. is looking to get in on the action....
Hello (Dr.) Kitty
Pacoima-based uniform company Strategic Partners Inc. has struck a deal with the Sanrio Co. for a line of Hello Kitty medical uniforms. Tokyo-based Sanrio, which has U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, also announced licensi...
Joyce Azria Launches Solo Label
Every young bird must leave the nest....
Perry Ellis Rides the Action-Sports Wave
Perry Ellis International Inc. is ready to ride the action-sports wave. The New York–based apparel giant recently purchased indie surfwear maker Redsand Apparel for an undisclosed amo...
E-Shopping Soars
“Black Friday,” the traditional Holiday shopping kickoff, made the jump to cyberspace. Online consumer spending the day after Thanksgiving rose 28 percent over the previous Friday, and the numbe...
A&F Pulls Catalog
New Albany, Ohio–based chain retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co., which has drawn fire for its racy catalog from several consumer groups, has pulled the catalog from stores to make room for the new A...
Paxar Eyes Growth With Alkahn Acquisition
White Plains, N.Y.–based label supplier Paxar Corp. recently finalized the acquisition of Hong Kong–based Alkahn Labels Inc., a maker of woven labels, for $25 million....
Apparel Makers, Mills Deal With Rising Cotton Prices
Climbing cotton prices, which have nearly doubled in the last year, are leaving local apparel manufacturers and textile factories in a quandary about how to keep the lid on prices without gouging thei...
Bronstein Sings for Students
Kathy Bronstein did it her way. The former chief executive officer of Foothill Ranch, Calif.–based teen retailer The Wet Seal gave a rousing, funny and unexpectedly musical speech as the gue...
Op Taps Mitzi International
Irvine, Calif.–based Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Mitzi International Handbags & Accessories Lt...
Loft Living Becoming a Fashionable Move in Downtown L.A.
The Los Angeles Fashion District is taking on a look that it has never seen before. When two projects in the district open their doors, the 90-block section of downtown Los Angeles will contain a majo...
Less Than Hoped For
The State Compensation Insurance Fund, the biggest insurer in California, announced that it expected to cut workers’ compensation rates by about 2.9 percent next year. The amount of reduction is less t...
