J.C. Penney Withdraws Bad T-shirt
Note to T-shirt designers.You might not want to follow the example of mass retailer J.C. Penney, which got a lot of bad publicity for a T-shirt that made girls look stupid and sounded as if the store chain was still...
Frederick's LoRe Resigns
After taking lingerie retailer Frederick's of Hollywood out of bankruptcy and in a new direction, Linda LoRe is stepping down as the company’s president and as a board member....
New Website for Sourcing in Central America
A new website to help apparel and textile manufacturers locate Central American factories to produce a variety of clothing and tex...
LA Designers to New York Fashion Week
A look from Tadashi Shoji's Fall 2011 collectionThe global fashion season is about to begin with New York Fashion Week the kick-off event, taking place Sept. 8-15.The runway in the Big Apple is looking pretty congested...
T-shirts for a Chez Panisse Cause
A T-shirt designed by David ByrneHow time flies.Chez Panisse, that northern California culinary icon, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. And to commemorate the event, the restaurant, founded by Alice Waters, and Levi...
Obama Administration Pushing Swift Passage of Free-Trade Pacts
The three pending free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama should be ready to be introduced to Congress soon after lawmakers return from their summer break on Sept. 6....
Canada Takes on Latin America as Free-Trade Partner
Canada has been busy paving a trade path to Latin America....
From Sheep to Sewing, Ramblers Way Is Made in the U.S.A.
Tom's of Maine founder Tom Chappell was on a chilly hiking trip to Wales when he recognized the need for fine, worsted-wool clothing that is lightweight and can kee...
True Religion Names New President
Los Angeles premium-denim line True Religion Apparel Inc. announced that veteran apparel-industry executive Lynne Koplin is now the company’s new president. She immediately takes over for Mich...
Prince William and Princess Kate All Dolled Up
I'm sure Mattel, the Los Angeles maker of Barbie and Ken, is wishing it had thought of this one.A British toy company has come out with a Princess Kate wedding doll wearing a very close replica of the royal...
Customs Officials Scrutinizing Apparel From Central America
In recent months, U.S. customs officials have mounted a campaign to make sure apparel coming in from Central America really does qualify for duty-free status....
Light Traffic, Key Retailers at LA Market
There were orders placed, but traffic was light throughout the Los Angeles Fashion District during the Aug. 8–11 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market....
Designer Schoolbags Packed With a Philanthropic Edge
For parents who are in the back-to-school mode, this schoolbag is for you.A San Francisco company, Schoolbags for Kids, has designed a great bag that is colorful yet practical. It's perfect for carrying...
Men's Retail Remains Challenging, but Opportunities Exist
Even though men’s apparel sales in the United States inched up 3.3 percent in 2010, specialty-store owners have been on a challenging journey this year....
What to Do About Fluctuating Cotton Prices
In the last year, cotton prices have been on a wild roller-coaster ride, surging to $2.30 per pound in March and then recently dipping back to close to $1 per pound. As a result, apparel manufacturers...
Let Your Mouse Do the Shopping
It's getting to the point you'll never have to leave your house, or your computer, to hunt for designer duds. At least that is what Salvatore Ferragamo is hoping. On August 5, the Italian design house will be...
Alleged Apparel-Smuggling Ring Indicted
Nine people who imported mostly denim jeans from China were indicted by a grand jury for using a Los Angeles–area foreign-trade zone (FTZ) to allegedly avoid paying millions of dollars in import duties...
Apparel-Industry Jobs on the Rise in California
The manufacturing industry in Los Angeles County is still treading water as it recuperates from the recession, but apparel factories and contractors have bucked the trend and boosted their payroll num...
Slow but Focused Buying at Hong Kong Fashion Week
HONG KONG—The word out in the vast halls of Hong Kong Fashion Week, where mostly Chinese manufacturers set up booths, is that competition is tapping at their doors from northern Chinese factor...
Harry Potter Pays a Visit to Hong Kong Retailers
Hong Kong retailers know how to bring a crowd into their fancy stores.Case in point is Times Square in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay area, which I recently visited during a trip to Hong Kong Fashion Week. The...
Vietnam: New Trade Agreement's Potential Apparel Winner
U.S. clothing companies are eagerly watching how a new free-trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership plays out, betting it could give Vietnam a distinct advantage in apparel production.The free-trade pact, which encompasses the United States and ei...
Pretty Ballerinas Dances Its Way to Beverly Hills
Does the ballerina style of shoe ever go out of fashion?Apparently not. Pretty Ballerinas, a line of ballerina-style footwear that is made by hand on the Spanish island of Menorca, is celebrating its 93rd year in business by opening a store...
L.A. Fashion Market Draws Increased Attendance, But Buyers Remain Cautious
Showroom owners and sales representatives across the Los Angeles Fashion District reported increased attendance at Los Angeles Fashion Market, which drew a mix of major retailers, chain stor...
Toms Shoes Expands Donation Program to Sunglasses
Blake Mycoskie talking to a woman about her eyesightFor several years now, Toms Shoes has been known for its generous program that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes sold on the retail...
Save the Marilyn Monroe Dress Campaign Heats Up
Who would have thought that a simple white dress could cause such a ruckus. But if that dress was worn by Marilyn Monroe and became part of a famous picture promoting the film "The Seven Year Itch,"...
Dillard's Turns to California Designers for Clothing Inspiration
On the retail front, Dillard’s department stores are practically an unknown quantity in California, with only three outlets in far-flung outposts that are more suburban than urban. ...
Michael Stars Celebrates 25th Anniversary With Expansion on Its Mind
Inside a nondescript brick building in the middle of an industrial neighborhood, the founders of T-shirt line Michael Stars are gathered in the design room, scrutinizing a table of rainbow-colored fa...
Fashion and Beauty Photographers Focus Point of Annenberg Exhibit
A Felicia Webb photo taken back stage at the Paul Smith fashon show in London in 2002What would fashion be without the photographers to chronicle the walk down the runway for the photo shoots?For those who appreciate a...
Pending Free-Trade Agreements Filled With Different Apparel Elements
The free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama could be approved by Congress as early as this summer....
Apparel Sourcing May Be Coming Closer to Home
Central American factories are looking to capture more apparel business from Asia....
L.A. Designer Creates Carl's Jr. Turkey Burger Dress
Who hasn't seen that sexy Carl's Jr. turkey burger TV ad where Miss Turkey walks towards a swimming pool with nothing but a bikini and a turkey burger to obscure the view.Many people may not know that there is a longer version of the TV...
Easter Parade for Los Angeles?
A friend of mine visiting New York was fascinated to see the annual Easter Parade on 5th Avenue and sent me a few photos.The hats were amazingly creative, which got me thinking. Why doesn't Los Angeles, the other fashion...
Logistics Executives Learn to Cope With Retail's Changing Trends at SDI Forum
LAS VEGAS—The world of retail is changing, with customers increasingly slipping behind the steering wheel and taking over the driver’s seat. And that, in turn, is creating challenges for store owners an...
The New Selling Point: Made in the USA
About 95 percent of the clothes sold in the United States are sewn in far-flung overseas factories in places such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, according to International Develop...
Earth Day Fashion Show at The Grove
Yotam Solomon, center, at a previous fashion showHere's your solution to rising cotton prices and scarce raw materials. Use plants to create your next fashion line.If you don't believe it's true, just show up at...
Fashion Speakers Share Insights
Brad Goreski, celebrity stylistHere's your chance to get the inside scoop on fashion's influence on Hollywood. And you have to travel no farther than Santa Monica to get it.The Art Institute of California - Los...
Los Angeles Apparel Exports Climb
In the last three years, apparel exports from the Los Angeles area have climbed 40 percent as manufacturers look to overseas markets to boost sales. And the opportunities are only growing....
Got Some Perfume for That Pistol?
Yes, The rich are different from you and me.If you don't think that's true, look no further than the upcoming jewelry auction in New York of some gems that once belonged to Alice Appleton Hay. She was the daughter-in-law of Secretary of...
Apparel Makers Taking a Fresh Look at Central America
GUATELMALA CITY—For several years now, Nothin’ But Net Clothing Co. has been making its activewear, T-shirts, denim and other young men’s clothing in China, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh ...
Sue Wong Takes the High Road in Fashion
Sue Wong, second from right, with models showing her Fall 2011 collectionWhat would Los Angeles Fashion Week be without a spectacular show by Sue Wong, one of the doyenne's of L.A. fashion?The queen of fashion held court March 18 at her...
Foreign Trade Zones No Longer Foreign to Apparel Companies
The exotic world of Foreign Trade Zones has begun to open up for Los Angeles apparel importers....
Immediates, Items and Price Drive L.A. Market
Buyers are still placing orders closer to season, still considering prices carefully and still looking for the perfect items that will prompt consumers to spend. That was the word from the M...
Hats Off to Alakazia
Photo by John EckmierThere are hats and then there are HATS. Alakazia, a Los Angeles designer who started up a hat line in 2008, fits into the second category. His colorful and wildly plumed creations graced a fashion...
Penthouse Fashion Show at the California Market Center
Looks from Musani CoutureLos Angeles Fashion Market is not only about buying, but also about looking, and then buying.Right in the middle of Los Angeles Fashion Market Week, the California Market Center gathered up...
Joe's Jeans Runs the Gamut on Style
Denim silhouettes are all over the place this year. There's the skinny jean, the flaired jean, the boot-leg jean and the high-waisted trouser jean. But Los Angeles premium denim maker Joe's Jeans is covering its bases....
Shipping Rates Should Decline Slightly in 2011, but Challenges Remain for Importers
Shipping rates, which have been bobbing up and down over the last two years, should decline slightly this year on the Asia-to-U.S. route as ocean carriers take delivery of new vessels and pull anchor ...
DR-CAFTA Loophole Closure Helps Regional Sewing-Thread Producers
More than five years after a free-trade agreement was negotiated between the United States and a handful of Central American countries, a glaring hole in the accord has been fixed....
Fashion the Latin Way
Stylist Jorge Ramon and actress Paula Garces"Project Runway" is on Lifetime Television. "Launch My Line" is on Bravo network. For the Latin world, there is "The mun2 Look," a fashion trend and makeover show on Telemundo's...
Free Trade, Sourcing and Cotton on Agenda at USA-ITA
Cotton production in the United States should rise by 5 percent later this year and by 9.8 percent in China. But whether that and an overall 6 percent bump in the world cotton crop will put a lid on s...
All-Star NBA Event Gets Fashionable
This weekend, downtown Los Angeles will be packed with die-hard basketball fans ready to see their favorites playing in the various events that culminate with the NBA All-Star Game at the Staples Center this Sunday. Even...
