As Demonstrations Continue, Some L.A. Fashion District Businesses Address Damage
RETAIL
Following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis, protests have sprung up across the country in major cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. During the night of May 29 and early morning of May 30, businesses in downtown Los Angeles were looted as violence followed protests in several major American cities.
New Designs for Astronaut Suits in Space X Launch
MANUFACTURING
On May 30, there’s going to be a first for the endeavor of commercial space travel…and for space suits.
Businesses Navigate PPP Loans and Other Disaster Relief Sources
Finance
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Payment Protection Program distributed billions of dollars in loans in the past months to companies with less than 500 employees that were hurt by the COVID-19 economic shutdown. According to Tom Waldman, a shareholder in the law firm of Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, opportunities remain to get SBA loans.
Informa to Ramp Up Virtual Trade Show With NuOrder
Informa Fashion x NuOrder
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, trade shows have been postponing physical events, but that has presented opportunities for business in a virtual-trade-show setting.
L.A. Mayor Gives Green Light To Reopen Retail
Retail
After weeks of being required to shut down operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, boutiques and independent shops were given the green light on May 27 by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to reopen.
Consumers Buy Summer Clothes Despite Pandemic Freeze
Retail
Purchasing summer clothing is creating some bright spots in the economic gloom caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data released by The NPD Group on May 28.
For Love & Lemons Ramps Up Sustainability with New Collection
It recently introduced Sustainability is Beautiful, a summer collection is designed with 100 percent recycled materials.
Rogiani Designs Activewear Through Couture POV
FASHION
After working as an image maker for Lancôme where she collaborated with Isabella Rossellini, and serving as the inaugural designer for BCBGMAXAZRIA, Los Angeles-headquartered Elisabetta Rogiani focused on designing her self-named Elisabetta Rogiani collection of women’s clothing, which could range from leather pants to beaded skirts.
Cult Gaia Boosts Art By Telling Fans To Create
The Cult Gaia fashion house recently wrapped up social media campaign #CultGaiaLetsCreate.
L.A. Mayor Gives Green Light To Reopen Retail
RETAIL
After more than six weeks of being required to shut down operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, boutiques and independent shops were given the green light to reopen on May 27, announced Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Target Corp. Joins Instagram’s Checkout Shopping App
TECHNOLOGY
Facebook Inc. introduced a shopping feature for Instagram last week.
Rodeo Drive Podcast Will Spotlight Glam Past and What is Next for Luxe District
RETAIL
A new digital site for Rodeo Drive is going to go audio.
Mossimo Giannulli Pleads Guilty in College Bribery Scam
LEGAL
Designer Mossimo Giannulli and his actor wife, Lori Loughlin, best known for playing Aunt Becky on the sitcom “Full House,” which ran from 1987 to 1992, agreed to plead guilty for their involvement in the Operation Varsity Blues college-admissions bribery scandal that dominated national news in 2019.
Cotton Heritage Distributes Masks and Groceries To Hundreds
Cotton Heritage, a manufacturer of blank T-shirts and fleece located in Commerce, Calif., produced an event May 17 where it donated its masks, as well as groceries, to hundreds of people at its headquarters.
LAFD Fights Fire at Fabric Building
MANUFACTURING
The Los Angeles Fire Department fought a fire at a downtown Los Angeles building owned by textile wholesale Lavitex earlier this week.
Reynaldo Aquino Strives for Simplicity With Hoodie Scarves
FASHION
Reynaldo Aquino started his Fortis Orbis Atelier menswear brand by making outerwear; mostly jackets and vests, with the inspiration of dystopian worlds from science fiction.
JustFab’s Recipe To Serve Shelter-in-Place Styles
Los Angeles-headquartered direct-to-consumer brand JustFab has made a business out of reading consumers’ moods and serving styles that hopefully will reflect the season.
Centric Brands Files For Bankruptcy, Marquee Retakes BCBG License
MANUFACTURING
The latest company to be forced into bankruptcy due to the COVID-19 crisis is Centric Brands Inc., which owns labels such as Robert Graham, Hudson and Zac Posen. It also makes and sells products for more than 100 licensed brands such as Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica and Under Armour.
Levi’s Celebrates 501 Day With a Virtual Concert and Exclusive Collabs
MANUFACTURING
May 20 is 501 Day, or the 147th anniversary of a patent that started the denim world as we know it.
State Senate Committee Approves New Garment-Worker Wage-Theft Bill
LEGAL
Labor leaders received a boost on May 14 when SB 1399, the Garment Worker Protection Act, was approved by four out of five members of the California State Senate’s Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement. Now, SB 1399 moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee, no hearing on the bill has been scheduled.
April Retail Sales Drop 16.4 Percent Due to COVID-19 Shutdowns
RETAIL
Retail sales in the United States for April dropped 16.4 percent compared to March. April sales declined 21.6 percent in a year-over-year comparison, according to numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
South Coast Plaza Unveils Curbside Shopping Program
RETAIL
California retailers got the green light to offer curbside service last week, where shoppers can park in front of a store and pick up goods. South Coast Plaza recently unveiled a curbside-shopping operation for its 2.8 million-square-foot center in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Fashion Superstar Virgil Abloh Helps with A Hip-Hop Merch Project
FASHION
Need to add some oomph to a music-merchandise project? Just add a fashion superstar who is associated with a music-merchandise project.
Ace Rivington Steps Between Big Brands and Indie Denim Styles
A New World
Amid a new apparel landscape, Ace Rivington remains steadfast in its mission to deliver expertly crafted, made–in–Los Angeles denim, as it moves closer to launching new product that is just on the horizon for Fall.
Post-COVID-19 Market Will Have Place For Indie Retail, Experts Say
Indie Retail Reign
The COVID-19 crisis is forecasted to make major changes in the retail business, and, when the dust from the crisis settles, some of the entrepreneurs best positioned to start over and make a connection with consumers will be independent retailers, according to a handful of industry watchers.
California’s Face Mask Biz Becomes More Sophisticated
Safety and Style
A generation of California manufacturers and designers completed a crash course on making nonmedical face masks in the past two months, and they are currently striving to go beyond the basics.
Fashion Week San Diego Goes Virtual
FASHION
Fashion Week San Diego announced that it is getting back into the runway game. It will start webcasting runway shows on May 15.
S.F. Retailer Sues Insurer For Denying COVID-19 Claim
LEGAL
San Francisco children's boutique Mudpie recently filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of California’s retail stores, alleging that small businesses have been wrongfully denied insurance coverage for losses resulting from following rules and closing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
John Varvatos Files for Bankruptcy
RETAIL
The COVID-19 crisis has pushed prominent apparel-industry names such as Neiman Marcus and J. Crew Group, Inc. into bankruptcy and, recently, another big brand fell victim to the crush of the coronavirus. The John Varvatos menswear brand filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in District of Delaware.
Ace Rivington Wades Back Into Retail With Front Porch Fittings
RETAIL
Like other California retailers, the flagship for the Ace Rivington brand in Santa Barbara, Calif., took a small step to reopening for business May 11.
Neiman Marcus Declares Chapter 11, Gap Plans Store Reopenings
RETAIL
As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, more prominent retailers continue to be hit by the pandemic’s economic freeze. As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, more prominent retailers continue to be hit by the pandemic’s economic freeze.
Betsey Johnson Forecasts Post-COVID-19 Fashion
On a tour promoting her book, Betsey. A Memoir, Betsey Johnson made a forecast on post-COVID-19 fashions.
Rodeo Drive Wants To Give The World A Pandemic Break
Pandemic culture has pushed everything online; meetings, shopping, there’s even been digital happy hours. To keep the world digitally engaged with Rodeo Drive, the luxe Beverly Hills, Calif.- shopping district, a new digital site Rodeo Drive Recommends was unveiled.
Maggie Barry’s COVID Couture
FASHION
Pundits have been trying to figure what a Post-COVID-19 world will look like, and Los Angeles designer Maggie Barry has spent the past six weeks figuring out how the crisis will change fashion.
Catching Up With Sub_Urban Riot’s Mom Of The Year
MANUFACTURING
Mother’s Day will be celebrated Sunday and downtown Los Angeles brand Sub_Urban Riot will be selling sweatshirts with the holiday-friendly slogan "Mom of the Year."
L.A. County Retailers Weigh Whether or Not To Reopen
RETAIL
Retailers are navigating between seemingly conflicting messages from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on when they can reopen.
Functional Fabric Fair and Other Trade Shows Postponed, Ramp Up Virtual Events
TRADE SHOWS
Functional Fabric Fair recently announced that it would it postpone the third edition of its New York City event, which was scheduled to run July 20-21, according to a show statement.
J.Crew Group Declares Chapter 11
RETAIL
Fashion brands and retailers have closed stores, furloughed staff and made SOS calls during the past six weeks, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 4, J. Crew Group, Inc. became the first United States-based retailer to file for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the effects of the coronavirus on retailers.
Jack Martinez To Unveil New Eyewear Line
MANUFACTURING
When Jack Martinez designed eyewear for The Black Flys label in the 1990s, he provided inspiration and UV protection to the action sports scene. He recently gave a preview of his newest eyewear project.
Supply-Chain Executives Forecast How Technology Amid the Pandemic Can Transform Businesses
Import/Export
The COVID-19 pandemic turned the fashion business upside down and is putting supply chains through a giant stress test, said Neil Soni, vice president of business development and strategy for Omnichain, a Los Angeles–headquartered supply-chain company.
L.A. Companies Make Face Masks Using Sustainable Practices
Manufacturing
Tour Image dba UStrive received a Global Organic Textile Standard certification in November, which gave the Los Angeles–area factory one of the highest ranks in sustainable manufacturing.
Apparel Industry Finds Opportunities to Do Good Making COVID-19 Masks
Fashion for Good
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, scores of Los Angeles designers and apparel companies have shifted gears and started making nonmedical face masks.
StockX Raffles Against COVID-19
The Detroit-headquartered company recently launched its Campaign for a Cause. Celebrities, star athletes and musicians donated items from their personal collections to raffle to benefit the World Heath Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
Amazon’s “Making the Cut” Win Changed Edgy Designer’s Style
Cota Makes the Cut
Downtown Los Angeles designer Jonny Cota won the first season of Amazon’s reality-competition show “Making the Cut” April 24 with a diffusion fashion line he named Metamorphosis.
Ross Makes $1.5 Million COVID-19 Relief Donation
RETAIL
Ross Stores, Inc.’s fleet of 1,566 off-price apparel emporiums are temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Dublin, Calif.–headquartered retailer’s philanthropy is active.
Los Angeles’ Jonny Cota Wins Amazon’s Making The Cut
Jonny Cota forged a career of being on the outside. He recently was named the winner for the first season of Amazon's fashion competition reality show Making the Cut, and he might as well been officially been bequeathed the title of fashion insider.
President Signs COVID-19 Relief Bill, Fed Expands Main Street Program
FINANCE
President Donald Trump signed a $484 billion COVID-19 relief package into law on April 24.
Gap Inc.’s COVID-19 Survival Measures: Stop Paying Rent
RETAIL
Gap Inc. disclosed that it was taking a number of extraordinary measures to stay afloat during the COVID-19 crisis.
Earth Day 50: Fashion Makes Pledges and New Products
MANUFACTURING
Earth Day turned 50 on April 22. Fashion groups celebrated with promises to be better environmental citizens and introduction of sustainable styles.
Mario De La Torre Shifts From Fashion to Make Face Masks for Farmworkers
MANUFACTURING
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Mario De La Torre shifted his Los Angeles design business from making fashion to making face masks. He has donated the masks to grocery-store workers and law enforcement. He recently expanded his efforts to include farmworkers.
