Friday, December 28
Lisa Kline Fifth Annual Fashion Show
Who wasn’t there at retailer
FBI Goes Chinatown
Those jaded by the routine of couture fashion shows found a change of pace at FBI Goes Chinatown, an event laced with liberal amounts of stomping tigers, sword-brandishing and tap dancing held Dec. 8...
New Boutiques Spring Up in L.A. Despite Downturn
The Los Angeles area already offers a retail bonanza, but that doesn’t stop hungry entrepreneurs with keen fashion eyes from proffering their wares. Even in this troubled economic milieu, a number of p...
2001 in Review
The year 2001 has already been tagged as infamous after the tragic events of Sept. 11. The terrorist attacks and the subsequent military action in Afghanistan were about as far removed from the busine...
2001 Appraisal: Retail Sales Specialty Stores
Onetime stock darling San Francisco-based Gap Inc. led the freefall for a number of apparel chains this past year, announcing 1,040 layoffs in August and the closure of two distribution facilities. E...
2001 Appraisal: Textile and Apparel Imports and Exports
Mexico, China and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) remained the United States’ leading trading partners, exchanging more than $22 billion in apparel/textile imports through the first three quarters of 200...
2001 Appraisal: From Caution to Concern
The year began with caution as hints of recession crept into day-to-day business and consumer spending began to curtail. And the year ended in concern as those in the apparel industry looked for ways ...
Video Inspiration at Trade-Tech
Student designers fused music with fashion at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College’s “Fashion Center Video Awards”–themed...
Freudenberg, QST Create Partnership
Signaling a look of things to come in the post-Sept. 11 economy, garment components suppliers QST Industries Inc. and Freudenberg West have formed a partnership that will allow each to utili...
2001 Appraisal: Retail Sales Department Stores and Discounters
Retail sales began a southward march in the beginning of the year and never looked back. The events of Sept. 11 only compounded the sales slump, but a few retailers—mostly No. 1 chain Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and...
Vodka Latka
On Dec. 13 at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles held its third annual Vodka Latka party, a Hanukkah celebration fea...
2001 Appraisal: Apparel Employment
California’s apparel industry made some significant gains in employment. However, it reported an overall decrease by year’s end, which contributed to the loss of 75,000 jobs in U.S. manufacturing report...
TAL Signs On With Intentia
Showing that the B2B market still has some legs, Intentia International has inked a deal with mega-sized clothing maker TAL Apparel Limited of Hong Kong, which will use Intentia...
FIDM's Murray Dies
Margaret “Maggie” Pexton Murray, former retail executive, curator and fashion historian at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), died of heart failure Dec....
2001 Appraisal: Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest port in the nation, with 7,500 acres in its harbor, according to port officials....
Friday, December 21
Ocean's Eleven: Casino Couture
The movie: “Ocean’s Eleven” ...
A. Mason Opens Second Store
More than 200 fashionistas feted the Dec. 13 opening of the second A. Mason store on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles—a 1,200-square-foot showcase of hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind looks scoute...
Majority Says Recession
It’s not a recession until a majority says it’s a recession. According to a recent poll by the Field Institute, 1 percent of Californians think the state’s economy is suffering. In contrast, 21 percent s...
Bebe Expands L.A. Studio, Monah Li Exits
Company also faces workers’ rights lawsuit ...
Burlington Industries Lands $190m
Burlington Industries landed $190 million in debtor-in-possession financing from J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. The Greensboro, N.C.-based textile mill filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November....
Cherokee Group Strikes Deal with DIC Entertainment
The Cherokee Group struck a deal with DIC Entertainment to help forge licensing agreements with retailers for DIC’s Liberty’s Kids property. “Liberty’s Kids” is a new animated TV program ai...
Leading Index for Mexico Fell in October
The leading index for Mexico fell in October, making it the fourth consecutive month of decline, according to New York-based research firm the Conference Board, which compiles the index. The leading i...
Saks Lands Laura Ashley
The department store group has struck an exclusive licensing deal with Laura Ashley to manufacture and sell Laura Ashley missy, petite and large-size apparel and accessories. Saks will begin rolling o...
Audi Signs On for Future Fashion Week Events
Audi Presents Designer Collections of Los Angeles Fashion Week will continue to spotlight local designers during Los Angeles market week, according to a recent release by Los Angeles...
Book Highlights Apparel Adventures
Former apparel manufacturer Sue Pekarsky Gary is getting ready to release her second self-published book, “Cover Yourself: Adventures in the Rag Trade from Start-Ups to Stars” (Garmento...
MAGICMoves the edge, Outer Limits to LVCC
Woodland Hills, Calif.-based MAGIC International will be moving two of its categories, the Outer Limits and the edge, from the Sands Expo & Convention Center t...
Rem Koolhaas-Designed Prada Store Opens
The Rem Koolhaas-designed Prada store opened in New York. The state-of-the-art Soho store features—among other things—state-of-the-art dressing rooms. The dressing room doors feature LCD screens that sh...
Hong Kong Prepares for Winter Wonderland
The usually temperate clime of Hong Kong will be transformed into a winter wonderland in January as organizers of Hong Kong Fall/Winter Fashion Week prepare for the opening night Fashion Extr...
Poleci Bows L.A. Retail Store on Robertson
The body-conscious clothes of Poleci have found an additional home—the company’s eponymous boutique on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles....
Friday, December 14
New Sourcing Show to Bow During MAGIC
Looking to facilitate access to global sourcing opportunities, a Pasadena, Calif.-based B2B firm is launching ASAP, a new sourcing trade show to be held concurrently with MAGIC International...
Influential Twenty
Several industry leaders and organizations made their mark on the California fashion community in the year 2001. Some made an impact through mergers, acquisitions and bold business gestures. Others took legal measure...
Kohl's First to Build on Norton Air Force Base
Kohl’s will be the first to build on the former Norton Air Force Base site in San Bernardino. The Menomonee Falls, Wisc.-based discount retailer plans to build a 651,880-square-foot warehouse on the pr...
Tweens for J.Lo
Tweens will soon be able to wear J.Lo. New York-based Sweetface Fashions, maker of the J.Lo line, has struck a licensing deal with New York-based Parigi Group Ltd. to manufacture a line of apparel for...
Fed Lowers Interest Rate Again
The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates again, reducing the federal funds rate, which banks charge each other for overnight loans, a quarter point, to 1.75 percent. This marks the 11th time the Fed...
New Sourcing Show to Debut…Again
A new sourcing show is set for its debuthellip;again. The debut of the NAMSB World Source show, originally slated to bow October 2001, was postponed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The show has been re...
Unemployment Rate Climbs
The unemployment rate climbed 5.7 percent in November to its highest point since 1995, according to the Department of Labor. A reported 331,000 people were laid off during the month, and the governmen...
Magda Berliner and Christy Lucken Featured in NYT Magazine
Magda Berliner and Christy Lucken were both featured in a brief essay on customized vintage clothing—or “Kustom”—in the New York Times Magazine. The essay, which features a photo of a wom...
New York More Like Los Angeles
New York may soon look more like Los Angeleshellip;at least during Fashion Week. Buyers and fashion followers may soon be scrambling across town to catch the next fashion show. 7th on Sixth organizers...
Triple Five Soul Opens First West Coast Showroom
New York-based urban, street and skatewear company Triple Five Soul recently opened a showroom in the California Mart. The 11-year-old label had previously done business on the West ...
Hugh Hefner Toasts Playboy Men's Underwear at Bloomingdale's
Ditching the smoking jacket for a black suit and red shirt, Hugh Hefner made a rare public appearance Dec. 6 at Bloomingdale’s in Los Angeles’ Century City Shopping Center to promote the laun...
A/R Management Expands Services, Sales Force
San Dimas, Calif.-based A/R Management Services (ARMS), a credit and collection outsourcing company, recently began offering full outsourcing to its clients. ARMS previously handled outsourcing as a cooperat...
Discounters on Hot Streak in November
The beating continued for retail sales in November, as discounters continued to steal market share from department stores and specialty retailers....
Friday, December 7
Dim Holiday Forecast Has Many Retailers Eyeing Spring
Retail isn’t sitting pretty....
Rochester Big & Tall Signs John Madden As Spokesperson
San Francisco-based Rochester Big & Tall Clothing has entered into a two-year agreement with Emmy award-winning TV sports commentator John Madden to have him serve as the spokesperson for the large-sized...
Main Street's Easy Fashions
Years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine Main Street in Huntington Beach, Calif., teeming with locals and tourists. Back in the 1970s and early ’80s, the street’s infestation of drug trafficki...
Help-Wanted Index Falls
The help-wanted index has fallen to its lowest point since 1982, according to New York-based research firm the Conference Board. As of October, the index was at 46, down from 52 in September and 78 in...
Traveling Showroom Takes Concept on the Road
Thrift-store art, a pea green leather antique chair, a white shag rug and a 1950s television set are just a few of the unusual furnishings you notice when you step into SoWear’s showroom on the fourth...
Modern Prom
At a time when many retailers are struggling to put the “ho” in the holidays, the mood was decidedly upbeat at the...
Bisou Bisou Taps New York Transit
Bisou Bisou, the Los Angeles-based contemporary clothing manufacturer, has signed a $20 million licensing agreement with San Francisco-based shoe manufacturer New York Transit Inc....
Textile Dyers Seek Relief From Enron
Textile dyers, printers and finishers, who have been battered by exorbitant energy prices, are hoping that the current debacle involving energy giant Enron Corp. will bring some much-needed r...
Risky Business
Financial resources, strategies top bill at Apparel Summit ...
Federated Pulling Back on E-Commerce
Federated is pulling back on its e-commerce efforts. The retail giant will shutter its
Enron Files for Chapter 11
Energy giant Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following the collapse of a planned merger with smaller energy firm Dynegy Inc. Enron has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Dynegy for b...
Harriet Berger Passes Away
Retired textile converter Harriet Berger passed away Nov. 17 from brain cancer. She was 73....
New York Fashion Week May Get Smaller
New York Fashion Week may get smaller if IMG, owner of the 7th on Sixth shows, decides to reduce the number of venues from four tents to two. Also under consideration: limiting the designers showing t...
Cal Mart Hosts Toy Drive, Plans Holiday Party
The California Mart is collecting toys to benefit the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center for the children of the Salvation Army Red Shield Youth & Community Center. ...
L.A. Accessories Company Owner Guilty of Tax Evasion
Shu Mei Chen, also known as Angela Chen, former owner of downtown Los Angeles accessories company Carnation Creations, pled guilty to a federal criminal tax charge of falsifying a corporate i...
CMI Files for Chapter 11
Elastic manufacturer CMI has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following two attempts by creditors to force the company into involuntary bankruptcy. The company has secured $10 million in deb...
A Sense of Loss: Technology Takes On Retail Theft
Retailers know that the biggest threat of theft this holiday season doesn’t come from the shifty customer who darts off with that unpaid, brand-name sweater—it’s usually the associate behind the register who...
Roger Williams Returns to Authentic Fitness
Roger Williams has returned to Authentic Fitness as chief operating officer. Williams had been executive vice president of operations and chief financial officer for the swim label before leaving in t...
Obituary: Costume Designer Danilo Donati
Oscar-winning costume designer Danilo Donati died in Italy of undisclosed causes. He was 75. The designer won Academy Awards for his costumes in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet” in 1968 and...
Malden Mills Secures $20M
Malden Mills secured $20 million in financing to forestall layoffs in the wake of the textile firm’s recent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This is the second time the company has stood by...
