Friday, August 31
Las Vegas Draws Cautious Retailers Looking for Hits
Apparel manufacturers and buyers, bruised from the economic blows hitting the industry, entered the retail ring again at this year’s Spring 2002 MAGIC International trade show in Las Vegas with temper...
California: Aug. 31, 2001
Los Angeles-based junior and tween manufacturer Ace Ross recently led a seminar for budding apparel entrepreneurs as part of the Lear...
ASR Exhibitors Expand Show Beyond Walls
The Spring/Summer edition of the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo (ASR), to be held Sep. 6–8 in San Diego, has grown beyond the old walls of the San Diego Convention Center, which ha...
Kani Launches LIFE
City of Industry, Calif.-based manufacturer Karl Kani launched a new line of denim-driven clothing for men and women under the label LIFE during the Aug. 27–30 run of MAGIC I...
Textiles: Aug. 31, 2001
Wilmington, Del.-based fiber manufacturer DuPont has partnered with automaker Jeep to produce a line of men’s denim apparel made from fabric treated with DuPont’s HT...
MAGIC Unveils Online Showrooms
MAGIC International is going high-tech....
International: Aug. 31, 2001
Japan reported record unemployment of 5 percent in July—the highest figure recorded since the government began tracking unemployment in the mid-1950s....
Economy: Aug. 31, 2001
The U.S. economy expanded slightly in the second quarter of 2001 at a rate that exceeded economists’ expectation but fell short of the Department of Commerce’s original conservative estimate; t...
National: Aug. 31, 2001
Real estate developer Steve Wynn has submitted plans to convert Las Vegas’ historic Desert Inn into an ups...
eStyle Appoints New CEO, Launches Maternity Line
eStyle Inc. has announced the appointment of Thomas F. Park III as president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles-based online baby and maternity retailer. In the new position, Park...
I.L.U. Introduces New Missy Collection
In an effort to build a missy category, Los Angeles-based junior sportswear manufacturer I.L.U. has launched a new division called Infusion by I.L.U....
Friday, August 24
TALA's Bob Berg Dies at 86
Longtime Los Angeles textile executive Robert E. Berg passed away on Aug. 17 in Petersborough, N.H. He was 86....
Promostyl: Myths Meet Anarchy for Fall/Winter 2002/2003
Elegant, classical shapes will evolve into more modern shapes and the aggressively sexy ’80s look will become more chic, according to Darra Baker, West Coast and Hawaii director of New York-b...
One on One With Jan Perry and Ilse Metchek
Los Angeles’ fashion district has a new city-council member. Jan Perry now represents the 9th district, taking over for Rita Walters....
Bobbin Expo Reflects Global Trends
The present state of the domestic apparel industry and the trend toward globalization was reflected in the attendance figures for the Aug. 15–17 run of the Bobbin World Expo in Orlando, Fla., ...
My Tee
My Tee designer Chrissy Azzaro earlier this year launched a line of reversible handbags and totes made from vintage fabrics. Now she has set her sights on T-shirts, with a whimsical line of c...
Textiles: Aug. 24, 2001
Material World, the one-year-old textile trade show set for Sep. 10–12 in Miami Beach, Fla., announced that Tencel has signed on as a show sponsor; the fiber manufacturer, ma...
International: Aug. 24, 2001
Japan’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.5 percent for the first quarter of 2001, setting aside fears of recession, which is defined as two consecutive quarters of GDP contraction....
California: Aug. 24, 2001
The Los Angeles fashion district received a $1.2 million grant from the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to upgrade sidewalks, access ramps and lighting; the grant is part of the MTA’s T...
Bardot Launches Couture at quot;Kabarettquot;
Los Angeles-based fashion designer Renee Bardot will take a break from her bustling boutique on La Brea Avenue and use her celebrity connections to unveil her lates...
Young Contemporary Energy Fuels MAGIC
The youth are running the show at MAGIC International....
Astronaut: Clothing as Free as Space
Designers Gavin Taylor and Christian Wicks said they chose to name their new streetwear line Astronaut People Wear because of the idea of freedom that the name implies. The Los Angeles-based young me...
Staking a Fashionable Place in Los Angeles
Kit Marchel is the executive vice president of marketing, business development, for the California Mart, a position she took on when her longtime employer Hertz Investment Group purchased the building last ...
Gift Show Group Signs First Tenant at Cal Mart
The gift-industry group that recently announced a deal to lease up to one million square feet at the California Mart and market the new gift complex as the California Market Center (...
BC Ethic's Shafer Joins Solitude
Carpinteria, Calif.-based Solitude, the sportswear line founded by Shaun Tomson, world surfing champion, and his wife, Carla, recently severed all ties with Chula Vista, Calif.-base...
National: Aug. 24, 2001
Apparel and textile imports dropped 5.0 percent in June, marking the steepest decline since 1995, according to the Commerce Department...Some retailers are...
Outlaw Launches Junior Denim Line
Many fashion labels go out of their way to establish a relationship with a rock star and/or a beautiful actress to promote their brand. Outlaw USA, a contemporary surf-oriented apparel company, didn...
Chica's Cultural Ties
Two years ago, husband-and-wife design team Helen Martinez and Christopher Griffin set out to create a hip line of T-shirts that would appeal to young Latinas who were looking for modern styles with a...
Economy: Aug. 24, 2001
The Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate—-the rate charged by banks for overnight loans—by a quarter point to 3.5 percent, marking the rate’s lowest level since 1994; the rate cut was the seventh t...
Cal Mart Revamps Look, Adds Contemporary
The California Mart announced plans to merge the Look Show and the Contemporary Design Collection show into a dual show called Fashion Fusion to be held during the ...
Paul Frank Launches Swim
Newport Beach, Calif.-based junior and accessories label Paul Frank Industries will launch a swimwear line for Spring 2002 at MAGIC. ...
CLAD's Fashion Sampler Platter
The Coalition of Los Angeles Designers (CLAD) will host a sample sale and fundraiser featuring designs from local conte...
Friday, August 17
Textiles: Aug. 17, 2001
Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Mills has sold its converting business, New York-based John Wolf, to New York-based Richloom Fabrics Group....
Camp Beverly Hills to Relaunch at MAGIC
Franshaw Inc., the New York-based product development company that purchased Camp Beverly Hills almost three years ago, announced its plan to relaunch the teen line during the Aug. ...
Lycra's California Summer Countdown
This summer, Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Lycra is sponsoring the “California Summer Countdown,” a weekly one-hour TV show on Fox Family Channel featuring music, movies, fashi...
4WhatItsWorth Launches Contemporary Missy Denim
In an effort to expand on its current lineup of basic and contemporary denim, 4WhatItsWorth, the Commerce, Calif.-based parent company to sportswear and junior line...
Live Mechanics: Reproducing Life Through Clothing
Live Mechanics is a new Los Angeles menswear line that focuses on the lifestyle of today’s young man, bringing recreational activities to life....
International: Aug. 17, 2001
Nearly 100 people were injured and 23 people killed in a textile factory in Bangladesh when a short circuit tripped off a fire alarm, sending workers fleeing for the exit gates, which were locked....
Key Items Drive Business Despite Slow Traffic at Market
Retailer traffic was down during the Aug. 10–14 Holiday/Resort 2001/2002 market week in Los Angeles, but buyers who did keep appointments or dropped by showrooms were placing orders,...
Discounters Post Strong July '01 Sales
Amid a weakening economy and mounting layoffs, U.S. consumers again found shopping refuge at discounters in July as they sought bargains on apparel, electronics and back-to-school...
Economy: Aug. 17, 2001
Producer prices dropped 0.9 percent in July, following a 0.4 percent decrease in June, according to the Labor Department, which credited falling energy prices for the decline...The Federal Reserve remained glum about...
Sirena Apparel Group Begins Sale of Labels
Vernon, Calif.-based swim label Sirena Apparel Group is beginning the breakup of its brands....
National: Aug. 17, 2001
J.C. Penney is under fire after the Plano, Texas-based retailer released a television commercial promoting its low-rise jeans for b...
California: Aug. 17, 2001
Costa Mesa-based Paul Frank Industries will produce a limited-edition series of accessories titled “Paul Frank’s Hello Kitty Collection” for Japa...
Fashion District Settles Homeless Lawsuit
As a result of an out-of-court settlement reached with several homeless plaintiffs who claimed they were harassed and had their civil rights abused, the Fashion District Business Improvement District...
Toku: Bringing Goodness to Contemporary Menswea
Beatrix Tafoya entered the Los Angeles contemporary menswear industry with the idea of making men’s garments with great styling—but without the designer prices. The result is Toku, which launch...
Lucky Brand on the Move
Vernon, Calif.-based denim and sportswear manufacturer and retailer Lucky Brand Dungarees is moving its corporate headquarters to a larger facility in order to expedite its expansion plans....
Friday, August 10
National: Aug. 10, 2001
Patricia Fields, costume designer for HBO’s “Sex and the City,” is planning her own line of women’s apparel, accessories and cosmetics; Fields has signed a worldwide li...
Tech Expo Lures Crowds to Cal Mart
The Southern California apparel community got a good look at the latest advancements in software technology during the inaugural Fashion Technology By Design expo on Aug. 1 at the Ca...
West Coast Collective Adds Show
After a successful four year run in Los Angeles at the W Hotel, the West Coast Collective, a boutique show of upscale menswear, plans to expand its show, taking it ...
Boutiques Ride on Coattails of the Grove
Cranes and scaffolding dominate the scene around the intersection of Third Street and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, the site of the Grove at Farmers Market, a $100 million retail co...
The Evolution of Missy
The missy market is poised to tap into one of the largest growing demographics as baby-boomer women continue to move into the missy category....
Back to School
Promotions kick-start back-to-school sales; denim and punk-inspired fashions reign as top sellers ...
California: Aug. 10, 2001
El Segundo-based Mattel Inc. will add luggage to the Barbie doll’s vast collection of clothing and lifestyle pieces this October as part of a recently struck partnership deal...
Grey Ant Designer Launches New Line
Los Angeles-based designer Grant Krajecki, creator of the Grey Ant label, will launch a new contemporary collection for Spring 2002 during Los Angeles market week in November....
Cal Mart's New Deal Could Prove to Be Gift to the Industry
Complex to Be Renamed California Market Center ...
Textiles: Aug. 10, 2001
The U.S. Senate is delaying implementation of the final set of regulations for the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI); the regulations concern whether goods can be dyed or finished in the CBI r...
Vice Debuts Store in Los Angeles
Counterculture zine Vice, which began opening clubwear clothing stores three years ago, will introduce its first West Coast location in Los Angeles on Aug...
Men of Daytime Television Model for West Coast Collective
The upscale menswear trade show West Coast Collective took its evening entertainment to a new level this year with the addition of a...
Op Taps Avdiu for Juniors, Girls Relaunch
In an effort to reach wider action-sports audiences with its youthful brand of surfwear, Irvine, Calif.-based junior label Op has named Opala Avdiu vice president of sales for the company’s relaunched juniors’...
Economy: Aug. 10, 2001
U.S. productivity rose as job losses increased in the second quarter of 2001, according to the Department of Labor, which found that productivity posted a 2.5 percent annual pace in the second quarter as compared with 0.1 percent in...
Friday, August 3
San Francisco's Noe Valley
It’s easy to see why Noe Valley is one of San Francisco’s most coveted neighborhoods, what with its stunning Victorian houses, quiet streets and more sun than fog. Locals see the area as a kind of suburban oasi...
Labor Law Debate Continues Before State Assembly Committees
As part of a continuing debate, garment workers and contractors/manufacturers presented their respective cases at a recent joint meeting of the Labor Committee and the Budget Subcommittee of the Calif...
Lab Founder Signs Billabong, Adventure 16 to New Venture
Southern California activewear industry giants Irvine-based Billabong, San Diego-based Adventure 16 and Santa Ana-based Cycle Werks have inked leases to op...
California: Aug. 3, 2001
Garment worker Apolinar Aguilar was shot and killed on Aug. 26 in Los Angeles in front of K & C Apparel, an eveningwear manufacturer where he was employed for 10 years; police held employees inside of th...
International: Aug. 3, 2001
Mexico has reduced the number of entry points that trucks carrying textile and apparel imports can use to enter the U.S. from several hundred to five as part of a new border policy instituted in an ef...
California Designers Nominated for Dallas Fashion Awards
The International Apparel Mart in Dallas recently announced 42 finalists for the 2001 Dallas Fashion Awards, which will be held Oct. 27 at the Dallas Mart....
National: Aug. 3, 2001
Cincinnati-based retailer Federated Department Stores announced that July same-store sales were likely to fall below projections for the company’s stores that had been open more than ...
Textiles: Aug. 3, 2001
DuPont, Burlington, Cone Mills Corp. and Unifi Inc. all reported lackluster results for the second quarter of 2001...Charlotte, N.C.-based knit mi...
Industry Joins Forces For Job Fair Marked for Success
Los Angeles County employers and social service agencies joined forces last week for LA Connection: People Helping People, a job fair sponsored by the California M...
Cal Mart Brings Muralist Man One to Market
Buyers, tenants and visitors to the California Mart on the opening day of Holiday/Resort market week will have a chance to catch Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Man One in action creating large-sca...
L.A. Designers Group Heads to New York
A contingent of Los Angeles designers will head to New York for the 7th on Sixth fashion shows as part of Design Collections of Los Angeles, which is sponsored by a...
Hertz to Bring Gift Vendors to Cal Mart
The California Mart, long a power base for the apparel industry, is now poised to become a merchandise powerhouse for the gift industry also, as building owner Hertz Investm...
Economy: Aug. 3, 2001
Shrinking consumer confidence and fears of a pending downturn in the economy did not put a damper on sales in June; consumer spending rose 0.4 percent as consumers spent $25.7 billion more than they had in ...
Organization Honors Apparel Industry Humanitarians
More than 300 members of the apparel industry gathered June 30 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. to pay tribute to Rob Greenspan of Moss Adams LLP and Jacque H...
