Buhler Yarns Acquired
Textiles
U.S. yarn spinner Buhler Quality Yarns has been acquired by Samil Spinning Co. Ltd. in an all-cash deal for an undisclosed amount.
Thomas Wylde’s Luxe Rock 'n' Roll Chic
Los Angeles luxury label Thomas Wylde drew a celebrity-filled crowd at its March 12 runway show at Style Fashion Week at the Pacific Design Center.
Sprawling LA Market Draws Wide Range of Buyers
LA Market
For many buyers and exhibitors, the March 13–16 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market was the last stop in a long trade-show season that included shows three weeks ago in Las Vegas and New York.
Denim Days Coming to the U.S.
Denim Days, the week-long denim festival in Amsterdam, will touch down in the U.S. this fall.
Jacobson’s FashionLink Showroom Moves to New Mart
FashionLink
Peter Jacobson is putting the finishing touches on his new FashionLink showroom on the 10th floor of The New Mart.
Swarovski Looks to Spring/Summer 2018 for ‘New Perspectives’ Trend Forecast
Swarovski
The macro-trend for the Spring/Summer 2018 season is “disruption.” That was the word from Austrian crystal maker Swarovski, which presented its Spring/Summer 2018 forecast—titled “New Perspectives”—on March 8 at the Tuck Hotel, a newly opened boutique hotel in downtown LA’s fashion district.
Jewelry Show IFJAG Returns in a New Venue
Trade Shows
IFJAG, the jewelry and accessories trade show, returned to Las Vegas one year after hosting its first show in Las Vegas in 2016.
Curve’s Central Location
Trade Shows
This season, for its Feb. 21–23 run, Curve Las Vegas moved from the corner of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center to a central location next to the athleisure exhibitors at Project Womens.
Capsule’s Independent Vibe
Trade Shows
This season, Capsule and Agenda shared space in a ballroom at The Venetian in Las Vegas. The two companies are under the Reed Expositions umbrella, but show organizers made sure to keep each space distinctive and independent with a separate look and music.
Upbeat at Offprice
Trade Shows
The aisles were crowded, the booths were bustling and the exhibitors were upbeat at the Offprice show, held Feb. 19–22 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.
Crowded Trade Show Schedule Cuts in to LA Textile Traffic
LA Textile
Many of the familiar faces walking the aisles at the Los Angeles International Textile Show were missing this season when the longstanding textile show went head-to-head with an apparel trade show in New York.
CottonlinksCA: Luxury Blanks Produced Close-to-Home
Manufacturing
Robby Khalek has been producing apparel—domestically and overseas—for well-known brands for nearly 20 years. Recently, he saw a void in the market for a well-made blank T-shirt and launched CottonlinksCA.
Invista’s Cordura Introduces Ultra-Strong Nylon-6.6 Staple Fiber
Textiles
Invista, the Wichita, Kan.–based maker of Lycra and Cordura fibers, has introduced a new high-strength Cordura, made with the company’s T420HT fiber technology.
A&E Launches Reflective Thread
Textiles
American & Efird, the Mount Holly, N.C.–based industrial sewing thread maker, has introduced Anefil Reflector reflective thread.
Lenzing Launched Tencel Brand Shop at ShopStyle
Textiles
Lenzing, the Austrian company that makes Tencel fibers, has partnered with fashion search engine ShopStyle to open The Tencel Denim Shop.
Change Is Good for Las Vegas Trade Shows
Change Is Good
Attendees returning to the Las Vegas apparel and textile trade shows found the landscape changed again.
Apparel Manufacturers, Textile Makers Take on Administration’s Hot-Button Issues
Import/Export
Julie Hughes, president of the U.S. Fashion Industry Association, and Augustine Tantillo, president and chief executive officer of the National Council of Textile Organizations, discussed their group members’ view on everything from a proposed border tax on goods coming from Mexico to the fate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership at a recent live webcast.
Fashion Bookstore in the CMC Hosts Biannual Sale
Retail
The Fashion Bookstore<, located in the lobby of the California Market Center, will host its biannual sale Feb. 27–March 1 during the Los Angeles International Textile Show.
Verdad Fall/Winter 2017 on the Runway in New York
Verdad
Last season, Los Angeles designer Louis Verdad showed his new Verdad label in an installation setting during New York Fashion Week. For his Fall/Winter 2017 collection, the designer returned to the runway, showing on Feb. 12 at Pier 59 Studios in Chelsea.
Z Supply's First Icons of Culture Collections Includes Ocean Pacific and Gotcha
Icons of Culture
For the launch of Z Supply’s new Icons of Culture brand, Greg Garrett went back to his roots.
You Can’t Spell Apparel Without an App
Google recently announced new fashion/tech partnership with Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M that really focuses on the “app” in apparel.
Rebecca Minkoff Hosts ‘See Now, Buy Now’ Show at The Grove
See Now, Buy Now
A well-dressed crowd of fashion influencers and fans turned out to see the Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2017 runway show at The Grove lifestyle center in Los Angeles.
Startup World Cup Lands a Shark
Daymond John, the FUBU co-founder and one of the “sharks” on TV’s “Shark Tank,” will deliver the keynote address at the Startup World Cup 2017, set for March 24 in San Francisco.
Coco Cooper: Taking a New Look at Size and Fit in Premium Denim
Coco Cooper
Jillian Nelson’s career as a model and fit model—in Hong Kong, at the Columbus, Ohio–headquartered Limited Inc., and in New York—has made her a fit expert.
C-Print’s FabFad Wants to Bring Tech to Print Buying
Textiles
The discussion of technology and textiles tends to focus on new fiber developments or automation within a fabric mill. Los Angeles–based printer and full-package production house C-Print has introduced FabFad, a new way to bring tech into the textile-buying process.
FIDM Costume Exhibition Includes Oscar-Nominated Designs
Oscar-Nominated Costumes
To celebrate the opening of the 25th annual “Art of Motion Picture Costume Design” exhibition at the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, the Los Angeles design college hosted a grand-opening party on Feb. 4 at its downtown Los Angeles campus.
January Retail Sales Soar for Some, Plummet for Others
Retail
Zumiez Inc., the Lynwood, Wash.–based action-sports apparel and equipment retailer, continued its winning streak with strong retail sales last month. In contrast, Kearney, Neb.–based chain The Buckle Inc. continued to struggle in January. The company reported a 17.2 percent decrease in net sales to $43.9 million in January and a same-store-sales decrease of 17.6 percent.
Ron Robinson’s Valentine’s Day Treat
Los Angeles retail boutique Ron Robinson will host a pair of sweet events for the launch of Sugar + Ron Robinson, a retro T-shirt collection that blends “pop-rock colors” and “cotton candy fabrics.”
Vera Bradley Dives into Swim with Mainstream
Vera Bradley
Vera Bradley—the lifestyle brand known for its allover-print handbags, totes and luggage—will launch a swimwear collection with Mainstream Swimwear Inc.
Online Sales are Driving Retail Investment, Survey Says
Retail
Online sales were expected to capture 11.6 percent —or $394 billion—of all U.S. retail sales in 2016, according to a projection by Forrester research firm, but instead “digital touchpoints” commanded an estimated 49 percent of U.S. sales.
Texollini’s Latest $2 Million Investment Includes New Knitting, Dyeing and Finishing Machines
Textiles
There are five reasons for a textile mill to invest in new technology, according to Amit Bracha, president and chief operating officer with the Long Beach, Calif.–based vertical textile mill Texollini.
Surf Industry—and More—Turn Out for Surf Expo
Trade Shows
Exhibitors were “stoked” and buyers were busy at the Jan. 26–28 run of Surf Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Fit and Fair
Athleta, the fitness apparel division of San Francisco–based Gap Inc. is adding fair trade-certified styles to its collection of activewear.
Up for Some ‘Light Laundry’?
Jeanologia, the Spanish developer and distributor of laser-finishing equipment for jeans and other apparel, and Lenzing, the maker of Tencel, have joined forces to showcase the benefits of “laser laundry technology” on Tencel fabrics and garments.
Fete for Female Filmmakers
Glamour magazine and Girlgaze recently hosted an intimate lunch celebrating “Films Powered by Women” at the Sundance Film Festival, where directors, editors and actors had an opportunity to meet, mingle and toast the work of female filmmakers.
Bills Khakis Fully Acquired by NEJ
Manufacturing
American-made menswear brand Bills Khakis has been acquired by NEJ Inc., a Connecticut company that supplies excess inventory to specialty stores and offprice retailers.
PVH Strikes Deal With Peerless for Tommy Hilfiger Tailored Menswear
Manufacturing
New York–based PVH Inc. has struck a licensing deal with Peerless Clothing International Inc., which will begin producing tailored menswear under the Tommy Hilfiger label in 2018.
ASICS Names Two Execs
Manufacturing
ASICS America Corp., the U.S. operations of Japanese footwear and athletic apparel brand ASICS, has named two new executives to the team, based in Irvine, Calif.
Obituary: Lunada Bay Chief Susan Crank
Swim/Surf
Lunada Bay Chief Executive Officer and President Susan Crank died on Jan. 23 after battling cancer.
Automating the Sewing Room
A former software developer from Seattle has come up with a process that could usher in the robotic age of apparel manufacturing.
Spotlight on Mid-Century Textile Design
Textile Exhibition
The Fashion & Textile Museum in London has a new exhibition on Josef Frank, the Swedish architect and textile artist who worked with Svenskt Tenn.
Leslie’s Picks for Fall Shoe Trends
Leslie Gallin, president of footwear at UBM—the trade show giant that produces MAGIC, Project and FN Platform—offers her take on the footwear trends on the horizon for Fall 2017.
Swim Collective and Active Collective Kick off the Year in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Active Collective
Visitors to the Jan. 13–14 run of the Swim Collective and Active Collective trade shows at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif., got a break from the rains that had been soaking California since the beginning of the year.
Mixed Reaction to LA’s Quiet Market
LA Fashion Market
The parking was easy, the lunch lines were short and the halls were fairly quiet at the recent run of Los Angeles Fashion Market, which kicked off for some showrooms on Sunday, Jan. 15, with the rest opening the following day on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
OC.Mix Retains Intimate Feeling, Draws More Retailers
Trade Shows
The Jan. 10–11 run of the OC.Mix trade show drew a mix of returning exhibitors and newcomers to the small, regional trade show held in the Irvine, Calif., headquarters of Z Supply.
Hyosung Strikes Deal With Best Pacific Textiles
Textiles
South Korea–based Hyosung, maker of Creora spandex, has partnered with knit mill Best Pacific Textiles to create a series of smart fabrics.
Unifi Expands Repreve Production to Vietnam, Distribution in Asia
Textiles
Vietnam is the next stop for Repreve, according to Greensboro, N.C.–based Unifi Inc., which produces the fiber made from recycled materials including plastic bottles.
Lenzing Opens New Tencel Facility in the U.S.
Textiles
Lenzing is expanding its U.S. operations for production of Tencel fibers in Mobile, Ala. The new facility will have a capacity of 90,000 tons of fiber and represents an investment of nearly $300 million.
Ralph Lauren Issues New Sourcing Policy for Wood-based Fabrics
Textiles
The Ralph Lauren Corp. has a new sustainable sourcing policy for its use of wood-based fabrics such as viscose and rayon.
Lolli Swim Collab With Target
A new capsule collection by California swim line Lolli Swim just bowed at Target.com.
