Search Called Off for Boardriders CEO Missing at Sea
Swim/Surf
Rescue operations in the south of France were called off in the search for Pierre Agnes, the 54-year-old chief executive of Boardriders Inc., the parent company of Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes in Huntington Beach, Calif.
A Wave of High-End Streetwear Shops Skates into DTLA
Retail
Downtown Los Angeles has experienced an unprecedented revival over the past five years with big swatches of the district being transformed from blighted streets to neighborhoods buzzing with new restaurants, boutique hotels and now an onslaught of high-end streetwear stores.
Nayali Seeks Activewear Alternative
Manufacturing
It’s a boom time for women’s activewear, but while more designers are getting into the activewear game, a major group of women have been ignored, said Shilpa Rajpara, designer of the Nayali brand.
After Focusing on Cottage Biz, Haley Solar Branches Out With New Label
Sustainable Fashion
Los Angeles designer Haley Solar has been behind a sewing machine since she was 7 years old, a skill she continues to use today for the clothes she makes for her Junim Los Angeles boutique, located in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock neighborhood.
Pierre Agnes, CEO of Boardriders, Missing at Sea
Authorities send search helicopters and boats to find missing CEO off the coast of France.
Mario De La Torre Debuts Mad for Me
Mario De La Torre and Evette Smith of the fashion line Mario De La Torre, have produced colorful runway shows on the open air stages of Style Fashion Week in West Hollywood, Calif. But recently, they put together a production meant to be experienced as an interior.
Valerj Pobega Unveils L.A. Spleen
David Bowie has been a longtime muse for Valerj Pobega’s self-named art inspired line. But for her L.A. Spleen collection, she went farther back than Bowie’s Thin White Duke or Ziggy Stardust periods. She went positively Victorian.
True Religion's Void Tactics
During the zenith of True Religion’s popularity, you were a nobody if you did not have a True Religion logo somewhere on your body. Now True Religion is celebrating nobodies.
Gap’s Logo Remix
Back when buying music at brick-and-mortar record stores was a big thing, I diverted untold sums of money into a remix of this tune or that song. Well, it’s a new world and Gap is remixing fashion.
National Stores Discloses Data Breach
Technology
National Stores Inc., the parent company of more than 300 value stores, disclosed Jan. 22 that its computers had been the subject of a malware attack.
Improvisation Leads to Polymer
Manufacturing
Eric Basangan was short of room in his house in Long Beach, Calif., when relatives showed up to attend his daughter’s high-school graduation last year.
ISS: Serving Boutique Biz at Crowded Show
Printing Ideas
Designers Freddie Rojas and Tina Rani walked the recent Imprinted Sportswear Show at the Long Beach Convention Center to research machines that could tailor their printing services to boutique lines.
Anrealage's Fabric Puts on a Show
There are performance fabrics, but what about fabric that puts on a performance?
Skateboarding Is Not A Fashion!
Talk about mixed messages. Vans celebrated the release of the Versa Hoodie DX on Jan. 18. It also celebrated the new book Skateboarding is not a Fashion by SkateboardMuseum Berlin.
Wolk Morais Unveils Collection 6
Towering above the streets of Hollywood, the independent Wolk Morais label produced a runway show for its Collection 6 on the rooftop of the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel on Jan. 17.
NoMad Hotel to Open in Downtown L.A.
Downtown Los Angeles continues to a collection of giant construction projects. But on Jan. 21, one of those big productions will be unveiled. Boutique hotel NoMad will open in the ornate Bank of Italy building at 649 S. Olive St.
Stance to Open Shop in Remodeled Irvine Spectrum
Retail
The Irvine Company recently announced a $200-million remodel of the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, Calif.
Steady Traffic at Typically Small January Market
Trade Shows
The January LA Fashion Market ran Jan. 15–17 and is typically one of the smaller of the five LA Fashion Markets, which take place in downtown Los Angeles.
Banner Day: A T-Shirt Alternative
Alternative Tees
Plenty of first dates never turn into second dates, but Kate Ciepluch’s first date with Grahm Sisson in July 2014 was the start of much more than dinner and a movie.
Swim Collective and Active Collective Unveil New Home
New Swim/Active Location
After eight years of exhibiting in Huntington Beach, Calif., across the street from the Pacific Ocean, Swim Collective and its sibling show, the 4-year-old Active Collective, moved their digs to the Anaheim Convention Center, not far from Disneyland.
Ashton Michael Closes off Street for Mercy Collection
The Ashton Michael does runway shows guerrilla style; just add flower petals and motorcycles
Tech Company’s Show & Sell E-com
HelpJess recently unveiled its Show & Sell e-commerce. HelpJess' Simon La Barrie says the app will help people shop across the globe with the app's real time video chat.
What’s Next for Boardriders?
Swim/Surf
With the announcement of Boardriders Inc.’s purchase of Billabong International, the surf business’s two biggest rivals are now on the same team, which means people in the surf industry are asking whether the deal is going to be a wave that lifts all boats or if it is going to be a wipeout.
Rener Gracie Makes Hoodie/Backpack
You may have trained in jiu jitsu and picked up a few bruises at Gracie Jiu Jitsu University. But Rener Gracie of Gracie U is flexing his design creativity with Hoodie Hero.
Boardriders Acquires Billabong
Two big surfwear companies will be riding the waves together.
Candice Cuoco Talks Project Runway All Stars
After placing fourth in season 14 of Project Runway in 2011, Candice Cuoco went for another round of the designer reality show. She appears in Project Runway All Stars. She talks about what she did different for the All Stars run.
Disruption by Brandblack x Commonwealth Touches Down
Jan. 3 was the night that Disruption by Brandblack x Commonwealth touched down at Commonwealth's boutique in Los Angeles' Arts District.
Holiday Retail Sales End on a High Note
Retail
Good news about December’s business rolled in as retailers reported sales for the last month of 2017 as well as earnings from their holiday sales, which also included November.
First-Time Designer Makes a Splash with Paradise Ranch Designs
Swim/Surf
Kristyn Goddard, the designer and owner of Paradise Ranch Designs, dreamed of buying swimwear that could be as alluring as a Hollywood starlet’s portrait from the 1940s and 1950s yet not reveal too much of a woman’s body.
B.Swim Charts a New Course
Swim/Surf
When Sunsets Inc. wanted to take its B.Swim brand in a different direction, it hired Stephanie Graves to set the course for the label.
Lost Finds Territory for New Stores
Swim/Surf
Lost, a surf brand that’s about 25 years old, initially defined itself as a company that makes world-class surfboards bearing the logo …Lost. But over the last few decades, the brand has evolved beyond surfboards to surfwear with plans for retail expansion.
Agenda Founder Leaving Trade Show
Trade Shows
Agenda founder Aaron Levant is leaving the trade show to work on other projects.
Jazz Is Not Dead, Says Indie T-shirt Line
Jazz Is Not Dead. It shouldn't even be thought of as the soundtrack for music snobs, said Nick Hill.
DTLA Pioneer Sixhundred LA Changes It Up
After almost eight years of pioneering retail in downtown Los Angeles, the Sixhundred LA boutique is changing directions.
Outdoor Voices Opens Shops in San Francisco and LA
Retail
Austin, TX.–headquartered Outdoor Voices has been in a California mood lately.
Holiday Rings in Good Sales
Shopping Spree
Shoppers this season did their research before hitting the malls and retail streets such as Rodeo Drive, in Beverly Hills. The result was that holiday sales were the best since 2011.
Acne Studios to Melrose
Retail
Swedish label Acne Studios made headlines in 2013 for placing a risky bet on downtown Los Angeles when it opened a 5,000-square-foot emporium on the corner of Ninth Street and Broadway in the Fashion District.
French Label Ba & Sh Coming to Beverly Hills
Retail
Last fall, Paris-headquartered womenswear brand Ba & Sh opened a handful of boutiques on the East Coast. Now it is getting ready to unveil a new store in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Getty Heir Takes Retail to Rodeo Drive
Getty Store to Beverly Hills
August Getty first launched his collection of red-carpet gowns and women’s eveningwear with his Spring/Summer 2015 collection.
Lynette Tyner's Return
Back in Los Angeles, Lynette Tyner conceded that she missed designing clothes. So she put together a capsule collection inspired by the streetwear of her former home city and L.A.
Year in Review: The Retail News of 2017
Retail
The retail realm has seen a dramatic change this year, with more than 6,000 outposts shutting their doors and shopping malls blowing up their footprints to redesign their centers in an effort to appeal to millennial shoppers.
Raised in Los Angeles Takes Root in Downtown
Raised in Los Angeles
Raised in Los Angeles hopes to build a lifestyle brand starting with a unique logo and an array of T-shirts, hoodies, caps and sweatpants with a different vibe.
Shopping Center Developer Caruso Names a New CFO
Retail
Peter Wilhelm, the recently named chief financial officer of Caruso, has seen his career go from the realm of sports to the world of shopping centers.
MadaLuxe Vault Says It Offers New Kind Of Luxe
Off-Price Luxury
There are two retail sectors outperforming every other category in retail: luxury and off-price.
Turkey’s Calik Denim Shows New Angle on Jeans
Events
Calik Denim has supplied fabric to famous blue-jeans labels such as Joe’s Jeans, Frame, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and McGuire Denim, but on Dec. 6 the Turkish-based label made its own statement with a gallery show called “Denim Loves Art,” which opened for one night in downtown Los Angeles.
Jen Awad’s Rock ‘N’ Roll
Jen Awad showed her eponymous, rock ‘n’ roll style fashion line at past Los Angeles Fashion Weeks and various trade shows. But what we haven’t seen is Jen picking up the microphone or playing a badass guitar riff….until Dec.19.
Holiday at Handcrafted LA
Handcrafted LA produced the Holiday edition of its Meet the Makers party on Dec. 15. If you didn't make it, check this out.
Lola Rose Thompson + Gorman Takes A Bow
Aussie fashion brand Gorman opened its first U.S. shop in West Hollywood in July. And just before the year ended, Gorman unveiled a collaboration collection with Los Angeles-based artists Lola Rose Thompson.
