Andrew Asch

High-End Resaler To Be Continued to Robertson

High-end resale boutique To Be Continued opened a location on Los Angeles’ Robertson Boulevard earlier this month.

In West Hollywood, Small Business Saturday will Co-Star Elisabeth Rohm

After Black Friday, a lot of towns across the country will participate in Small Business Saturday, a day devoted to local, independent businesses.

DTLA Brands Cultivated at Workaholic Pop-Up

Workaholic looks like a drab office space, but it's intended to be the backdrop for new brands from downtown Los Angeles

LVMH Acquires Tiffany & Co.

In what is being called the biggest deal in the history of the luxury goods market, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE acquired Tiffany & Co. for $16.2 billion, it was announced Nov. 25.

Carhartt, Golden Age to Los Angeles’ La Brea Ave.

Los Angeles’ La Brea Avenue has long been a fashion hub, most recently with shops for high streetwear styles.

SIA Acquires Two Consumer Shows

Trade Shows

Snowsports Industry America, a nonprofit trade association, recently announced that it was going to get into the consumer-show game.

Strong Consumer Spending To Support Solid Holiday Season, Forecasters Said

‘Tis the Season

Apparel-industry forecasters are looking ahead during the final quarter of 2019, as they foresee a strong Holiday-shopping season with reports estimating higher numbers over last year.

The Webster Heads to Beverly Center in 2020

Retail

Luxe, multi-brand retailer The Webster is scheduled to open an 11,000-square-foot flagship at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, it was announced Nov. 20.

Sol Angeles Launches Support California Culture Party

After about a decade in business making clothes with a casual California style, the Sol Angeles label is going to a deeper dive into the state’s culture.

Macy’s Reports Declines For 3rd Quarter

Retail

Macy’s Inc. reported a same-store sales decline for its third quarter and lowered its annual sales and EPS guidance for its 2019 fiscal year. The results were released on Nov. 21.

Port of L.A. Working with Danish Port to Strengthen Sustainability

Manufacturing

The Port of Los Angeles, ranked as the No. 1 container port in the United States, announced that it has entered into a five-year memorandum of understanding with the Copenhagen Malmö Port AB, which manages ports in Denmark and Sweden, to collaborate on sustainability and environmental issues.

Gap Inc. 3rd-Quarter Sales Drop 4 Percent

Retail

A couple of weeks after the resignation of Art Peck, the former Gap Inc. chief executive officer, the San Francisco–headquartered specialty retailer announced that same-store sales for its 2019 third quarter declined 4 percent, said Robert J. Fisher, Gap Inc.’s interim president and chief executive officer.

All Good Feels Mixes Street, Active & Contemporary Looks

Manufacturing

Vintage-style concert T-shirts seem to exist in a completely different fashion category than activewear, which is designed to outfit high-intensity workouts. But the Los Angeles–headquartered brand All Good Feels made both activewear and concert-style tees for its debut collection.

Levi Strauss & Co Strengthens Chemical Screening

More-sustainable LS&Co.

Levi Strauss & Co. has worked for more than 18 years to cut harmful chemicals from its manufacturing process. The San Francisco–headquartered denim manufacturer recently announced that it would work to guarantee higher levels of chemical testing and screening in its supply chain by using a new certification system.

Fred Segal Unveils Pop-Up for Influential Japanese Retailer Beams

Influential Japanese retailer Beams has opened shops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, for the first time, Beams put together a major display in the Los Angeles area.

Vans Says Take The Day Off & Do Something Creative

Nov. 21 is scheduled to be the first Annual Vans Checkerboard Day.

Rick Owens' Book Signing Turns Into Homecoming Party

It was the last stop of Rick Owens’ book tour for Legaspi.

Tukatech Founder Sareen Introduces Tukatalks

Technology

Ram Sareen, founder and chairman of the Los Angeles–based fashion-technology company Tukatech, announced Nov. 14 that he will host a web show and podcast called “Tukatalks,” which will be devoted to shop talk and discussions covering best business practices from fashion-industry executives.

Forum, a Retail-As-A-Service Shop, Opens on Melrose

A D2C Forum

Forum, a tech-enabled bricks-and-mortar boutique, officially opened Nov. 15 across the street from the Melrose Place designer district in West Hollywood, Calif.

Z Supply Homepage Opts Not To Do Sales on Black Friday

Retail

Bucking business as usual on Black Friday, Z Supply, LLC, an Irvine, Calif.–headquartered fashion house, will not do business at its direct-to-consumer channel, www.zsupplyclothing.com, for a 24-hour period on Nov. 29.

Former Oakland City Councilmember Wan to Lead Port of Oakland

Import/Export

It was announced Nov. 14 that Danny Wan, a former Oakland, Calif., city councilman was named executive director of the Port of Oakland. He had been serving as the port’s interim executive director for the past year.

New Everlane Store. New Windsor Store

Black Friday is a couple of weeks away and some retailers have opened new shops before the big shopping day.

United For Respect Aims To Organize Retail Workers

Retail

Fast-fashion stores often get criticized by environmentalists, but in the past two months H&M and Forever 21 have been the targets of protests from labor groups. Last month, H&M employees held a demonstration outside of a store in Pasadena, Calif.

NPD Group Forecast Profitable, But Bumpy Holiday Season

Retail

Sales for the upcoming holiday season will increase 2.7 percent over the 2018 holiday season, according to a recently released survey from market researchers The NPD Group, but the pace of the holiday season is going to feel like a roller-coaster ride. Expect big peaks and valleys in the 28 days of the official holiday sales season, which officially starts the night of Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas.

ULA Aims to Flex Fashion in Activewear & Denim

Manufacturing

After working for more than a decade as a personal trainer, Eric Cooper thought it was time to make a statement about the way men dress in the gym.

Before Making Bespoke Suiting For Celebs, Richfresh Founder Bounced Back From Homelessness

Richfresh Redemption

There has been an uptick in interest in bespoke suiting over the past decade, and one of the players in this game calls himself “Fresh.”

Shop & Dine 2019

Trade Shows

Trade shows can mean high pressure for retailers as the research and buying decisions they make can spell success for a season or mean a mad dash to replace a line that isn’t performing well. But even those on fast-paced buying trips need to take some time to eat and relax.

Holidays Start in Beverly Hills with BOLD

Coming up on Nov. 14, Beverly Hills’ third annual BOLD Holidays program will produce a fireworks show and holiday music concerts to start the Holiday Season.

Volcom To Outfit U.S. Snowboard Team

After 20 years or so of making outerwear and snowboarding clothes, Volcom has reached a summit.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Dresses Take Bow at Zunino Atelier's AIDS Event

EVENTS

Mark Zunino Atelier Produced a One-Off event for Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation on Nov. 7. The event was a success and bittersweet. Mark Zunino recalled making dresses for Taylor and her courageous work for AIDS research.

Peck Exits Gap

Retail

After an almost 15-year run at Gap Inc., which included four years as its president and chief executive officer, Art Peck is leaving the giant specialty retailer. The San Francisco–based company’s board of directors announced Nov. 7 that Peck will step down from his leadership position and from the company’s board.

Guess? Announces New CFO

Manufacturing

Katie Anderson was recently named chief financial officer for denim and contemporary lifestyle brand Guess?, Inc., which is headquartered in Los Angeles. She replaces Sandeep Reddy, who will serve Guess until Dec. 1. Anderson will assume the brand’s CFO responsibilities on Dec. 2, said Carlos Alberini, Guess’s chief executive officer.

A Wave of Fantasy at FCI Student Show

School Colors

At the Oct. 10 FCI Fashion School student show, there was a wide exploration of fantasy-inspired looks. The event took place at the Phylm Studios event space near downtown Los Angeles and showcased styles of 11 students from the private fashion school, which teaches accelerated courses in fashion design and merchandising.

Contemporary Brand Christina Dienst Forges Its Own Sustainable Path

Manufacturing

To mark the official start of her self-named Christina Dienst label, the designer produced a pop-up shop in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District last month.

Surf Rides Into Uncharted Waters After a String of Consolidations

Surf Report

When it was announced on Oct. 29 that Nike Inc. had sold the influential Hurley International brand, it was the latest deal that had many surf watchers questioning the direction of the surf industry.

Crocker Exits Bldwn

Manufacturing

It was announced on Nov. 1 that Johnathan Crocker has left the Bldwn label, said Tommy James, the executive vice president and chief financial officer of the denim and lifestyle brand, which maintains its headquarters in Los Angeles. Crocker’s two-year contract expired on Oct. 31, James said.

Boardriders Contains Cyberattack

Technology

Boardriders Inc. confirmed that its computer systems were attacked recently. The Huntington Beach, Calif.–based action-sports juggernaut did not identify the nature of the tech attack or when it happened. In a statement, the company described the attack as one that was quickly contained.

L.A. County Sees Uptick in Vacancy

Retail

Vacancy for commercial properties hit 5.7 percent in Los Angeles County during the 2019 3rd quarter, according to a report released on Oct. 28 by commercial-real-estate services and investment firm CBRE.

Scrubs Brand Figs Sued by Competitor

Manufacturing

Figs started business in 2013 and made a splash by injecting fashion and contemporary styles into scrubs for medical personnel. Since its launch, it has grown into a company with 100 staffers and recently moved into a 27,000-square-foot headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif.

On Nov. 9, It Will Be Christmas at The Citadel

RETAIL

Halloween was just one week ago. Los Angeles temperatures are balmy enough to be beach weather; about somewhere in the 80s Fahrenheit. But if you’ll be swinging by Citadel Outlets, it might feel like Christmas.

ComplexCon At 4: Big Showcase & Party for Sneakers, Skate, Streetwear and Hip-Hop

EVENTS

The fourth annual Complexcon ran Nov. 2 -3 at Long Beach Convention Center. It was a retail pop-up market and fan convention for streetwear, high-end sneakers, skateboarding and hip-hop. It also was a space to spread the word on product launches.

And Just Before Vans Checkerboard Day, It's Vans Global Ambassador Charity Auction

Looking for something to do on Nov. 21?

ABG Is Barneys' New Owner

Retail

On Oct. 31, Authentic Brands Group was in grasping distance of acquiring influential yet troubled retailer Barneys New York Inc. In a hearing at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Cecilia G. Morris approved ABG’s $271.4 million bid to take over Barneys, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August.

W-A-S-H Makes a Statement While Flexing Its Creative Muscles

Manufacturing

The lifestyle brand We Are Simply Human mixes cut-and-sew T-shirts and a punk, agitprop-style of graphics. It made a debut into the wholesale business at the LA Men’s Market, which ran Oct. 15–16 at the California Market Center.

In a Time of Few Mall Developments, New Mall Debuts, Another Major Mall Remodels

Remaking the Mall

A new retail center has opened in Long Beach, Calif., as another mall is scheduled to wrap up the first phase of a $20 million remodel in Santa Barbara, Calif.