INDUSTRY ISSUES
The Desktop Revolution: How xTool is Democratizing Industrial-Grade Apparel Printing
| May 1, 2026
In the traditional apparel manufacturing landscape, the bridge between a creative concept and a finished garment has long been guarded by high entry barriers, complex industrial workflows, and prohibitive costs. However, a seismic shift is occurring. xTool, which has rapidly ascended to become the world’s second-largest DTF (Direct-to-Film) brand by GMV, is dismantling these barriers.
NPD Accessorizes
Market-research firm NPD Group is launching a new Accessories Market Tracking Service to track changes in the market for manufacturers, retailers and financial analysts....
T-Shirt Makers Sound Off With New Concepts
Challenged by a spike in competition, T-shirt designers are putting their creativity to work and are coming up with some new and old concepts to stir up sales and the political pot....
Former Trovata Principals Launch New Label
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Container Bill Heads to Senate Floor
A controversial state bill to charge a $30 fee for every 20-foot container coming through three of California’s biggest ports could be headed for a vote on the state Senate floor the week of June 4....
L.A. Designer Checks In With Hotel Uniforms
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Students Mount Campaign For Sweatshop-Free Apparel
In a flashback to the sweatshop protests of the 1980s and 1990s, students once again are hoisting picket signs and staging campus sit-ins to demand administrators get tough with stringent anti-sweatsh...
New Zip Systems More Durable
Atlanta-based trimmings supplier YKK USA Inc. introduced two new zip products at the recent Material World show in Miami....
State Sweep Closes 30 Garment Factories
In one of the largest garment-factory sweeps in the last two years, labor inspectors visited 37 garment factories across Southern California and closed 30 of them for wage and labor violations....
David Loren Expands Private-Label Business
Former Max Studio and BCBG executive David Loren has launched a private-label business to augment his branded business sold through the Beverly Hills–based David Loren Collec...
How to Reduce the Cost of Shipping Insurance
With fuel costs and shipping rates on the rise, apparel manufacturers are taking a look at various methods to bolster their profits....
Oakley Adds Distribution Space in Inland Empire
Apparel and eyewear brand Oakley Inc. is expanding its warehouse space in the Inland Empire, having signed a lease for close to 300,000 square feet in the Crossroads Business Park in...
Rusty Licensee Wins Restraining Order
C&C Companies, the Irvine, Calif.–based company that has the license to make Rusty apparel in the United States, has been tussling with the San Diego surf brand since last Decembe...
More Than Surfing Is What's Up at Surf Summit
From the stacks of surfboards in the lobby and the waiters handing out cold beer during check-in to the tequila shots downed by winners and presenters during the Image Awards, everything about the S...
Labor Talks to Get Underway Early
In an attempt to ensure smooth sailing at West Coast ports, the shipping lines and the dockworkers’ union have agreed to sit down in early 2008 to start negotiating a new contract before the old one ex...
Four More Free-Trade Agreements on the Horizon
Free-trade agreements with Panama, Peru, Colombia and South Korea are getting closer to reality after Congress worked out a bipartisan trade policy between Democrats and Republicans....
