Kitson Opens Beverly Hills Shop
RETAIL
It looks like Kitson is ready to move beyond its neighborhood on Los Angeles' Robertson Boulevard
Monique Lhuillier to South Coast Plaza, Free Market to Runway Playa Vista
RETAIL
New high-end bricks-and-mortar retail is scheduled to open in Southern California this fall.
Ace Rivington Brand Introduces T-Shirt Collab Project With Adriano Goldschmied
MANUFACTURING
After more than six years in business, the Santa Barbara, Calif.-headquartered Ace Rivington label announced its first brand collaboration.
Lucky Brand Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
MANUFACTURING
Lucky Brand Dungarees, LLC, one of Los Angeles’ leading denim companies, filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 3 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware, the 30-year-old apparel company announced.
Buttercloth Aims To Keep Cool With Icy Cotton
MANUFACTURING
There's a lot of ways to stay cool during a heatwave. Danh Tran of the Buttercloth brand recommends putting on one of his brand's Icy Cotton shirts.
California Companies Receive CFDA-Vogue Fashion Fund Lifelines
FASHION
Fashion companies looking for lifelines from the COVID-19 economic freeze found assistance with grants from A Common Thread CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund for COVID-19 Relief.
ThirdLove Seeks To Build Diversity in Executive Ranks With The TL Effect
EVENTS
ThirdLove recently announced The TL Effect. The program is aimed to support new, consumer-focused companies run by women of color.
Taryn Cossette’s Baroque, Cowgirl Styles
FASHION
With inspirations from vintage Western wear and the baroque fashions of 18th century European aristocracy, designer Ariel Taryn set a template for her brand Taryn Cossette, which started business in October 2019.
Intimates Line Eats Lingerie Makes Its Debut
FASHION
Sales of lingerie have not taken as much of a hit as other categories in the apparel industry since the COVID-19 shutdown began in March, said Gemma May, creative director and designer for Eats Lingerie, a new Los Angeles brand of intimate pieces.
Hi-Tec Venture Series’ Hoodie With Built-in Mask
MANUFACTURING
The hoodie has served as part of uniform for youth in the past decade, a billboard for brand slogans and art, and, with the new Hi-Tec Venture Series of performance apparel, the hoodie is fashion that features a built-in mask.
LAPD Continues Investigations of Looting and Other Crimes During Recent Unrest
RETAIL
Following the unrest that spread across downtown Los Angeles and high-end retail streets around other city neighborhoods at the end of May and earlier this month, the Los Angeles Police Department and its law enforcement partners on June 29 gave updates on investigations and prosecutions of crimes committed during rioting.
Pantone Colors for the Shelter-in-Place Set
MANUFACTURING
The COVID-19 pandemic has had such a far-reaching impact that it even changed the way that Pantone delivers its statements on colors to use in fashion.
DTLA Independent Boutiques Start To Reopen
RETAIL
Retail has been slowly opening after the COVID-19 shutdown. A wave of reopening includes downtown Los Angeles fashion boutiques which were looted a month ago.
State Senate Bill Seeks To End Garment-Industry Standard of Piece-Rate Pay
LEGAL
On June 25, SB 1399: Garment Worker Protection Act passed the California Senate in a 25 -11 vote.
Serious Buyers Head to L.A. Market, Order Comfort and Easy Clothing
TRADE SHOWS
With trade-show calendars stunted and events canceled during the second quarter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, apparel-business owners had time to strategize before L.A. Market Week, which ran June 14–18 in the Los Angeles Fashion District.
H&M Must Rehire Worker Who Pressed for Store Improvements
LEGAL
A judge for the National Labor Relations Board ruled June 22 that retailer Hennes & Mauritz had violated labor laws when it fired a worker, Nick Gallant, from an H&M store in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Emeryville, Calif.
Vans Throws Virtual 2020 Grad Night
Since the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled crowd gatherings including high school graduations, the Costa Mesa, Calif. - brand decided to get into the virtual grad night business.
Levi’s Jen Sey Produces Documentary 'Athlete A'
EVENTS
Jen Sey, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Levi Strauss & Co., achieved prominence through her work with the San Francisco-headquartered denim giant. She also recently added the distinction of documentary producer to her resume.
Designer Maya Reynolds’s Next Project: Designing Uniforms for Aeon Botanika
FASHION
Rock stars such as Steven Tyler and Lenny Kravitz have worn the dramatic styles of downtown Los Angeles brand Clade.
Odain Watson Makes Fashion That Tells a Story
FASHION
The Odaingerous brand started in 2014 with a group of highly detailed motorcycle jackets that featured studs, spikes and bold colors.
Fashion Week San Diego Announces Diversity Fund
FASHION
During the last month, organizations and companies all over the United States have sought out meaningful ways to support creatives in the Black community and other underrepresented groups. Recently, Fashion Week San Diego announced its own initiative to support these fashion creatives.
Amazon Produces Fashion-Focused Big Style Sale
RETAIL
Amazon postponed its highly anticipated annual Prime Day summer event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to media reports. However, the retail giant produced its Big Style Sale during the week of June 22. Its focus is fashion.
Saks Fifth Avenue to Use NuOrder Tech
TECHNOLOGY
Luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue recently announced that it will employ technology produced by NuOrder, a Los Angeles-headquartered business-to-business e-commerce platform.
Canvas Malibu Talks on Race and Retail
RETAIL
The George Floyd protests have opened a wide-ranging public discussion, and the conversation has reached into retail and fashion.
Roberts Tapped to Chair NCTO
TEXTILES
It was recently announced that David Roberts, chief executive officer of Cap Yarns, a specialty yarn manufacturer headquartered in Clover, S.C., was elected to be chairman of the National Council of Textile Organizations, a Washington, D.C.– headquartered trade association, which represents domestic textile manufacturers.
Amazon Responsible for 3rd-Party Goods Sold on Its Site, Court Says
RETAIL
There was a recent ruling on the contentious issue of whether e-retailers are liable for goods sold on their platforms.
#BringBackRetail Initiative Started by Anaheim, Calif., Company
RETAIL
On June 17, Direct Edge Media Inc. announced its own aid program for its friends and partners in the action-sports world that are beginning to emerge from COVID-19 shutdowns.
International T-shirt Day on June 21
EVENTS
International T-Shirt Day will be celebrated on June 21, as the 13th observance of the versatile and ubiquitous wardrobe staple.
Influential Retailer Lisa Kline Back in Game With Shoplisakline.com
RETAIL
It’s been almost a decade since Lisa Kline, one of the giants of Los Angeles boutique retail, closed her influential bricks-and-mortar Lisa Kline stores, which did business on Robertson Boulevard, as well as in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Malibu, Calif.
Nathalie Seaver To Close Los Angeles Boutique and Focus on Digital Channel
RETAIL
Nathalie Seaver has been selling her Paris-inspired, but made-in-Los Angeles, styles on Los Angeles’ West Third Street for 22 years.
Business—and Some Lines of Customers—Return To Fairfax Avenue
RETAIL
Commerce came to a halt on Fairfax Avenue, one of Los Angeles’ popular retail streets, on May 30. Looters took advantage of the opportunity to commit crimes during peaceful George Floyd protests. They broke into the thoroughfare’s high-end streetwear shops and sneaker emporiums to steal products and vandalize the stores.
What’s Checking: Retailing During the Pandemic
What’s Checking
Upon the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, the crisis forced retailers around the state to change the way they did business. Retailers who emphasized bricks-and-mortar operations had to become digital retailers if they weren’t already.
Amid Unrest and Uncertainty, California Retail Still Looks to Reopen
Retail
The killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers set off weeks of protests across America and the world. With cities still in flux due to the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers and fashion brands that were set to reopen suffered a setback.
RAW: natural born artists Starts National Arts Drive
EVENTS
One of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic is live performances, art shows and the creatives who make their livings by performing or creating a piece of fine art.
Vans Celebrates LGBTQ+ Community with Love Letters to Skateboarding
MANUFACTURING
The LGBTQ+ community is celebrated during Pride Month in June. Vans' YouTube series "Love Letters to Skateboarding" will air segments on LGBTQ+ skateboarders and their lives.
Elyse Kroll Brings From Fashion With Love to L.A.
Fashion biz veterans probably remember Elyse Kroll.
Inherent Clothier Aims To Stake A Claim For Suiting
FASHION
In a fashion world increasingly governed by casual clothing, Taylor Draper found inspiration in the suiting styles best represented by Cary Grant, the 20th-century Hollywood icon who mixed an effortless cool with tailored suits.
Reformation, Dolls Kill and Other Fashion Companies Apologize for Insensitivity
FASHION
Public discussion during the protests over racial disparity and murders of African American citizens in the United States has been raw and emotional, which has created upheaval at prominent retailers and brands that serve a Millennial and Generation Z audience.
Muralist Brightens Up Little Tokyo Retail Street After Looting
Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood was hit by looters who took advantage of peaceful George Floyd protests last week. Artist Kent Yoshimura painted murals over plywood on boarded-up shops.
IMC To Reopen Trade Show Buildings To Public
TRADE SHOWS
International Market Centers, an operator of prominent showroom buildings for the furniture, gift, home décor, rug and apparel businesses, announced that it reopened its exhibition spaces AmericasMart Atlanta and Atlanta Decorative Arts Center on June 8.
Retailers Announce Sales Results During Pandemic
RETAIL
Some of the fiscal toll from the COVID-19 pandemic was detailed in earnings reports from prominent retailers last week.
CFDA Announces Plans to Make Fashion More Inclusive
FASHION
On June 2, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced that would work to make fashion a more inclusive business.
Remembering Mindy Lubell, Veteran Showroom Owner
OBITUARY
Mindy Lubell, a veteran Los Angeles showroom owner, passed away at her home in Los Angeles May 14 after a bout with cancer.
Pol’ Atteu Beverly Hills Plans to Clean Up Following Looting Damage
RETAIL
Pol’ Atteu Beverly Hills was one of the scores of boutiques that were looted in Beverly Hills, Calif.’s luxury Golden Triangle retail district last week.
Select Tommy Bahama Stores Announce June 7 Reopening
Some retailers have announced reopening of bricks-and-mortar operations after a few months of remaining closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Tommy Bahama announced that it would open select stores on June 7.
Eva Franco Seeks to Create Style for Pandemic Fashion
FASHION
When the economic freeze from the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Eva Franco brand had to figure out what to do with the estimated 4,000-square feet of high-end fabrics in its warehouse and offices in downtown Los Angeles.
Fashion Companies Show Support for Recent Protests
FASHION
Many fashion brands and retailers have made shows of support to groups such as Black Lives Matter and have encouraged a national conversation on race and police brutality recently.
Vans Custom Culture Competition Goes Digital
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people live, and it also changed the way that Vans brand has run its Custom Culture High School competition.
Los Angeles Retailers Clean Up As Looting and Vandalism Continue
RETAIL
Shopkeepers cleaned up vandalized stores May 31 after a weekend of rioting and looting on high-end retail streets in downtown Los Angeles, the city’s Fairfax District, Hollywood neighborhood and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Calif.
