Offprice Marks Milestones
Trade Shows
During its Aug. 10–13 run at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, the Offprice show marked its 50th show and 25th year of providing a forum for off-price apparel, which is generally sold for 20 percent to 70 percent off retail.
Magic Men’s Mixes Diverse Looks
Trade Shows
With 600 booths, MAGIC Mens offered a wide range of men’s styles ranging from tuxedos to work boots as well as socks bearing graphics of superheroes during its Aug. 12–14 run at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Gap Inc.’s 2nd Qtr Comps Down -4
Retail
Retail giant Gap Inc. announced results for its second fiscal quarter 2019 on Aug. 22. Its net sales were $4 billion, but its comparable same-store sales declined 4 percent, said Art Peck, president and chief executive officer of Gap Inc.
Vuori Gets Big Investment from Norwest Venture Partners
Manufacturing
Encinitas, Calif.–headquartered athleticwear brand Vuori recently announced a $45-million investment from Norwest Venture Partners, said Joe Kudla, Vuori’s founder and chief executive officer.
GOAT Makes Bergdorf Goodman Partnership
Retail
The high-end Los Angeles-headquartered sneaker-resale market GOAT announced Aug. 21 a partnership with one of New York’s s most luxe department stores—Bergdorf Goodman.
18th Amendment Plans to Open California Showrooms/Unveil RTW Line
“If you can envision a table where you have Jean-Michel Basquiat, Gianni Agnelli and Lucky Luciano smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, that’s us in a nutshell,” he said.
Everlane To Open Abbot Kinney Shop
Formerly pureplay digital retailer Everlane is scheduled to open its third permanent shop Aug. 22.
KAOHS Heads to L.A. With Beached
SWIM/SURF
Founded in 2013 in Orange County, Calif., and is currently manufactured in Los Angeles, KAOHS finally produced a runway show in Southern California. The show for Beached was produced on Aug. 15.
Atelier & Repairs Celebrates Year 1 of Shop With A Message
RETAIL
Atelier & Repairs brand wanted to make a statement beyond commerce.
Bldwn Opens Melrose Place Flagship
RETAIL
Denim brand Bldwn manufactures its jeans and runs creative office in Los Angeles. On Aug. 12, it increased its retail presence in the Los Angeles area by opening its first flagship store.
Authentic Brands Group Gets a $875 Million Investment
MANUFACTURING
The Authentic Brands Group acquired the Costa Mesa, Calif., Volcom label and media property Sports Illustrated respectively in April and May of this year.
Macy’s Misses Forecasts During Week of Department Store Woes
Retail
Macy’s Inc. earnings disappointed Aug. 14, when the retail giant missed Wall Street forecasts and lowered its earnings-per-share guidance for fiscal 2019.
What’s Checking in Long Beach: Boutiquing for the Boom
Retail
Approximately 25 miles south of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Calif., has been experiencing an uptick in construction that will remake the town, which is the seventh largest city in the state.
Steve Madden Acquires BB Dakota
Manufacturing
After a 14-year run as an independent young-contemporary label, BB Dakota, headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., announced Aug. 13 that it was acquired by the footwear-and-accessories company Steve Madden.
Established Las Vegas Trade Shows on the Move, While a Newcomer Offers Alternative
Making Vegas Moves
After traveling to Las Vegas for the August 2019 trade shows, exhibitors, buyers and apparel-industry insiders discussed trends, while event producers announced major news regarding moving to new locations in 2020.
Surf Chiefs Challenged to be More Eco-Conscious at Waterman’s
Surfing Into Sustainability
Supporting environmentalism is the main goal of Waterman’s, which is the annual fund-raiser produced by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association.
Richer Poorer Talks Style at American Rag
Ramping up before its first full collection, the Richer Poorer label produced a styling panel at American Rag in Los Angeles.
Avocado Unveils Partnership with Sensil Premium Performance Nylon
Avocado held a party for a partnership with Sensil Premium Performance nylon. I
Barneys to Close 6 California Stores
Retail
Store closings for the luxe retailer Barneys New York have hit California. After much media and fashion-world anticipation, Barneys declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Aug. 6.
K. Frank Finds New Home in Montecito
Retail
Retailers across the world are looking for the next big thing to drive more revenue. For Kevin and Katie Frank, a new business strategy did not lie in the digital sphere, nor did it require flipping their merchandising direction. Rather, they changed addresses for their contemporary store, K. Frank.
Buy-Now-Pay-Later Companies Plan to Shake Up E-Commerce
Technology
A new method of paying for goods on digital commerce is entering the U.S. market, resembling a fresh approach to layaway through digital methods.
LF to Close Physical Stores
Retail
Los Angeles–headquartered LF Stores announced that it will become a pure-play, digital-only retailer.
Ambiance San Francisco Finds New Retail Avenue in Veteran Stores
Retail
In 1983, Ambiance San Francisco opened with vintage-inspired fashions that attracted locals and tourists to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, a neighborhood still celebrated as the center of the hippie culture’s “Summer of Love” in 1967. Upon acquiring the store from founder Gloria Garret in 1996, retailers Donna and Kieran O’Leary found great success with Ambiance’s location at 1458 Haight St.
After Blazing His Own Path With Big Tech Clients, Matthew Moses Launches Mansfield Outpost
L.A. Made
A big part of the clothing business is making apparel for different professions, such as scrubs for doctors, suits for lawyers and coveralls for mechanics. Matthew Moses has built a business out of making sportswear for different employee groups who work for technology giants such as Google.
Honey Birdette is Bullish on U.S. Retail
Next month, the Australian lingerie brand is scheduled to open its third U.S. boutique,
Beverly Hills Stays Open Late With Help from Mr. Brainwash
Beverly Hills boutiques and eateries partied for the sake of staying open late on Aug. 1. Street artist Mr. Brainwash helped with the festivities by unveiling a statue on Rodeo Drive.
Hollywood & Highland Retail Center Sold
After a 15-year run of managing the Hollywood & Highland retail center by tourist landmark the TCL Chinese Theatre, the CIM Group announced that it has sold the mall, which features an architectural theme of early-20th-century film-industry glamour.
Vans US Open of Surfing Banks To Championship Round
EVENTS
Two-time champion Kanoa Igarashi will find out if he can do a threepeat for this season.
Rodarte x Made Introduced With a Roller-Disco Bash
EVENTS
Here’s one brand’s recipe for fun; roller disco, 1980s music and a few tunes from Susanna Hoffs.
Administration’s New Tariff Brings Mixed Reaction
Retail
The United States trade war with China heated up this week when the Trump administration said that the U.S. would place a 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese imports.
Epson Finds Universe of New Uses in POS Technologies and the Cloud
Technology
The pace for updating business software is unrelenting. Unless retailers employ a chief information officer, it’s impossible to keep up, according to Mauricio Chacon, group product manager, business systems group, Epson America, Inc., headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.
July L.A. Market Serves Buyers Filling In and Looking Toward 2020
L.A. Market Week
The July 28–31 market in Los Angeles attracted buyers placing orders for everything from Immediates to Fall 2019 fill-in pieces as well as those springing ahead to next year.
Amazon Launches Fashion Subscription Service Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe
Retail
Amazon.com jumped into the subscription-retail game when it introduced Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe on July 26.
Vans Names New Exec
Manufacturing
The Costa Mesa, Calif.–headquartered Vans brand named Michel Bilodeau as vice president and general manager for Vans’ Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.
Mitchell Evan Brand Looks at New Directions With Women’s Styles
Mitchell Evan Women’s
When men’s high-end basics line Mitchell Evan planned to release a women’s collection, the Los Angeles–headquartered brand’s executives did not want to take a one-silhouette-fits-all approach, said creative director Jarret Levin.
Dogs…and People Take the Runway
On July 21, Julia Szkiba, a fashion instructor at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, organized the Pet Fashion Project Fashion Show & Fundraiser
Dave East Travels to L.A. to Release Born Broke, Die Diamond
Dave East is a Harlem, N.Y., rapper whose life has revolved around basketball and the street, and he’s been a busy guy.
Hurley Tries Island Life with Jamaica Collection
There’s a long love affair between Southern California’s surf industry and Jamaica and reggae music.
Hyden Yoo Brings Back Pioneering Brand Gotcha
Gotcha’s Fresh Look
Men’s clothier and streetwear designer Hyden Yoo hopes to write a comeback story for the pioneering action-sports brand Gotcha.
Copyright Case Decision May Change Legal Game
Legal
Copyright-infringement lawsuits have been big business in Los Angeles, which is the center of many creative industries including fashion, film and music. But a recent case tackling this topic in Southern California is making waves and might force prospective plaintiffs to be more diligent when filing for copyright protection.
Figs Injects Fashion Into Medical Scrubs
Manufacturing
For years, the $10-billion medical-uniform business was dominated by a handful of companies making loose, boxy scrubs for personnel in the operating room or caring for the infirm. Fashion was an afterthought.
Nike Reportedly Exploring Hurley Sale
Manufacturing
Surprise registered in the surf world July 25 when Reuters published a story that athleticwear giant Nike Inc. was exploring a sale of Hurley International, which it acquired for an undisclosed amount in 2002.
Amazon Sales Climb 20 percent to $63.4 Billion in 2nd Qtr
Retail
Amazon.com, Inc. released results for its second financial quarter, which ended June 30, and some said that the results were mixed for the Seattle-headquartered retail behemoth.
With Headwear Label Recapitate, Rocker Todd Fink Flips Music for Fashion
After diving fully clothed into a hotel swimming pool, Todd Fink thought his hat looked a lot better. So began an obsession with making made-to-measure hats.
Riding the Wave of Experiential Retail, Skingraft Grows Up and Free Market Expands
Experiential Retail
The Skingraft brand was one of the pioneers of high-end fashion retail in downtown Los Angeles, but, after a decade of running the brand’s boutique, co-founders Chris and Jonny Cota closed their shop in March.
Mega Fashion Club Says Its Mega Wrap Will Live Large
Mega Active
The activewear market continues to grow on a foundation of well-known styles such as leggings, sweats, racer-back tops and track jackets.
Amazon Prime Day Breaks Company Records
Retail
Amazon said that it broke its records during the retail giant’s recent Prime Day 2019, which was held during a 48-hour period from July 15 to 16.
