Friday, June 29
Fashion's Next Wave: Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College (SMC) recently presented its 16th annual fashion show, LA Mode 2001, at the Park Hyatt in Century City, showcasing the work of its students while honori...
California: June 29, 2001
Vernon, Calif.-based Lucky Brand Dungarees has retained San Francisco advertising agency Odione Wilde Narraway & Partners to launch a television ad campaign...Los Angel...
Fashion's Next Wave: Woodbury University
Burbank, Calif.-based Woodbury University recently hosted its 37th annual fashion show, which featured a tribute to the pin-up girl. Legendary actress and pin-up girl Jane Russell was on hand to accept the...
Marcello Soltan Goes Western
Twinkling lights, sparkling champagne, a live salsa band and, of course, beautiful women—-that was the scene at designer Marcello Soltan’s party held high atop Beverly Hills on June 3. The occasion? Just anot...
Team Tactics Launches Branded Line
Cerritos, Calif.-based Team Tactics, a private-label denim company, has launched its first branded line, called Level Ninety-Nine, bringing in Neal Gaydos, formerly...
Educators Shaping Fashion's Future Industry
Signs of a slowing economy have become apparent throughout the Los Angeles apparel industry, from textile suppliers to manufacturers and retailers. But a slowdown in apparel business could sp...
National: June 29, 2001
A committee of Warnaco’s unsecured creditors has been formed in the company’s bankruptcy case, including New Yor...
Cyberspace: June 29, 2001
Wal-Mart and Kmart have taken apparel offline, citing the category as unprofitable compared with other merchandise sold on the mass merchants’ respective Web sites,...
Fashion's Next Wave: San Francisco Academy of Art College
Classic silhouettes walked next to more raging styles during the recent San Francisco Academy of Art College’s Fashion 2001 show for graduating students in San Francisco, where internships ...
Jolna, Azteca, Lubells Dispute Over Denim Lines
Sun Valley, Calif.-based Jolna Design Group has filed a lawsuit against former executives Jeffrey and Kimberly Lubell and private-label denim manufacturer Azteca Production Internati...
Movers: June 29, 2001
The Gap’s Banana Republic division has hired Terry Kramer as chief operating officer, a new position for the company, and has promoted Julie Rosen to senior vice president of mercha...
B Curious Expands to New Home
Los Angeles-based B Curious, a clothing and accessory boutique, moved to its new, larger location on Third Street last month to expand its offerings beyond women...
J. Jill Stores Fashion Strong L.A. Entrance
Body-conscious Los Angeles isn’t stopping the J. Jill Group from bringing its flowing fashions to malls throughout the metropolitan area....
International: June 29, 2001
In a recent speaking engagement, Mexico’s president Vicente Fox publicly acknowledged that his country’s economy is in recession; analysts project economic growth in Mexico in 2001 to hover be...
Economy: June 29, 2001
The Federal Reserve lowered short-term interest rates by a quarter point in an effort to stimulate consumer and business spending; this marked the sixth time this year the Fed has lowered interest rates; at 3.75, th...
Upland Plans Million-Square-Foot Retail Center
Two real estate firms announced the development of a 110-acre retail project planned along a new freeway extension being built in Upland, Calif....
Fashion's Next Wave: Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Los Angeles Trade-Tech students reached into the world of literature for inspiration at the college’s semi-annual
Fashion's Next Wave: American Intercontinental University
The past, present and future were represented during American Intercontinental University’s Fusion fashion show, where graduating design students lived up to the show’s name by displaying a mix of retro, c...
FIDM Adds Film and TV Design to Curriculum
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) recently announced that it has added a costume-design program geared toward the television and film industry and has named Mary Kay ...
Hong Kong Sets Fashion Week Schedule
Hong Kong Fashion Week will kick off July 10 with the Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza, a show featuring the work of 11 designers and labels, includ...
Friday, June 22
California: June 22, 2001
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously approved placing price caps on wholesale electricity in the western U.S.; however, the move allows utilities to set prices that a...
Plus Sizes: Upsized or Fashion-Forward?
Columbus, Ohio-based Lane Bryant entered the plus-size apparel market at the end of the nineteenth century, a time when women seeking mass-produced larger sizes had few options. Today, the pl...
CFA to Launch Tech Expo at Cal Mart
The California Fashion Association (CFA) will attempt to bridge old economy and new economy when it launches a fashion technology expo—dubbed Fashion Technology by Design—at t...
Cal Mart Considers New Options, Tenants
Visitors to the California Mart during the June 1–5 market week may have noticed several new additions to the building. These additions have been introduced under the leadership of Cal Mart’s n...
Intentia to Host B2B Seminar
Schaumburg, Ill.-based Intentia Americas will conduct a free Supply Chain Planning and Execution seminar for fashion industry executives from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on June 28 in th...
Harkham, Swat/Fame Form Joint Venture for Jonathan Martin Label
Uri Harkham, founder of Harkham Industries, which includes the Jonathan Martin and Hype labels, recently announced a joint venture with Swat/Fame for Jonathan Marti...
Movers: June 22, 2001
Robert Hanson was named president of Levi Strauss & Co.’s Levi’s brand division in the U.S. following the recent resignation of Jam...
National: June 22, 2001
Keds, a division of Lexington, Mass.-based shoe manufacturer Stride Rite Corp., will enter the world of retail when it opens six Keds Stores later this year in Georgia, Florida and Ohio; the mall-b...
Cyberspace: June 22, 2001
The Woolmark Company has launched a new Web site,
Federated Buys Liberty House Stores
Retailer Federated Department Stores Inc., parent of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s chains, agreed last week to buy Liberty House, giving Federated an entry into Hawaii....
International: June 22, 2001
Italian manufacturer and retailer Benetton has agreed to write an apology and contribute to a victims’ fund as part of a settlement reached with the state of Missouri; the settlement stemmed f...
May Dept. Stores Names Promotions
The May Department Stores Company announced three promotions last week. Jay H. Levitt was promoted to president of May Merchandising Company, Craig M. Israel to president a...
Kreisler Expands L.A. Digs
Fashion industry executive search firm Evie Kreisler and Associates is expanding its downtown Los Angeles office to accommodate growth being fueled by corporate shuffling occurring at the exe...
Economy: June 22, 2001
National productivity fell to its lowest level since 1983, according to recently released figures from the Federal Reserve; the nation’s industrial capacity fell to 77.4 percent, the lowest le...
Vikki Vi: Contributing to Plus-Size Evolution
Designer Vickie Castaldi got her start designing non-standard sizes at the age of 10 when she started designing skirt and dress patterns that fit her nearly full-grown frame....
Wal-Mart Charged With Sex Discrimination Suit
Six women filed a federal lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. last week, alleging they repeatedly were passed up for promotion to management positions and fired when they complained....
Glendale's Zone Retools Store Mix
The Zone, a cluster of teenage-oriented shops in the Glendale Galleria, is changing its store line-up less than a year after making its splashy debut in the Glendale Galleria....
CAD/CAM Firms Focus on Niches, Service
Software-based companies remain in heated battle for apparel industry dollars, but companies such as PAD System Technologies, Tukatech Inc. and Intentia are making moves to ...
Material World Plans Education Slate
Material World Miami Beach, the textile trade show organized by Atlanta-based Urban Expositions, has finalized its education program for the September 10–12 run of the show a...
Textiles: June 22, 2001
Fall River, Mass.-based dyer and finisher Duro Industries has purchased the Balson Hercules apparel-lining d...
Friday, June 15
Two Designers Merge Visions for New Collection
Luxury is in the eye of the beholder. So say two Los Angeles-based designers who recently introduced a new, sophisticated high-end collection for Fall....
Warnaco Files Voluntary Petition Under Chapter 11
Licensing heavyweight the Warnaco Group Inc. announced earlier this week it would voluntarily petition for protection under Chapter 11, citing an economic downturn, heavy competition and weak...
Melrose in Flux
It’s a neighborhood feeling those achy growing pains....
Economy: June 15, 2001
California’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.9 percent in May, while the state added 3,200 new jobs—minor growth compared with average monthly job increases of nearly 15,000 earlier in the year, acco...
Private Label Company Lands J.Lo Denim Line
It doesn’t get much more high-profile than Jennifer Lopez, so it’s no wonder that Ron Mata and Omar Lee of Alhambra, Calif.-based Merries International, Inc. are ecstatic abou...
National: June 15, 2001
Stephan Weiss, vice chairman and director of Donna Karan International and husband of designer Donna Karan, died of lung cancer June 10 in New York; Karan credited her husband with ...
May Sales Slump
After a buoyant April, consumers’ lingering fears about rising gas prices and unemployment figures dragged down May retail sales. Unus...
California: June 15, 2001
Laundry by Shelli Segal has signed a five-year lease for a 36,000-square-foot space on Eastern Ave. in Commerce; the new space will house the company’s executive, design and ...
Industry Preps for Job Fair
California Mart and Dress For Success, a non-profit low-income job assistance program, recently presented the first installment of a tax-benefit seminar as part of LA Connec...
Friday, June 8
Slow Traffic but Focused Buyers for Fall II/Holiday
Exhibitors in both the California Mart and the New Mart reported slow traffic during the June 1–5 Fall II/Holiday market, but many noted that the buyers who did stop in were leaving p...
International: June 8, 2001
Designer John Paul Gaultier announced he will not hold a runway show for his men’s collection in Paris in June, opting instead to show the collection with his women’s line during the October shows in Paris; a spokesper...
Junior Maker Tyte Shifts Production Offshore
Los Angeles-based junior apparel maker Tyte Manufacturing has moved the bulk of its production from the domestic market to Mexico and China in a move to increase their competitiveness in the ...
California: June 8, 2001
St. John Knits co-founder Bob Gray announced he will retire as chairman of the Irvine-based company on Jan. 1, turning the company over to chief executive officer H.W. Mull...
Southern African Group Courts Local Manufacturers During L.A. Market
The small African island nation of Mauritius, the textile hub of Southern Africa, led a group of manufacturers in a two-part trade fair held May 31–June 2 on the market mezzanine at the Califo...
Showroom Promotion Spurs Traffic
The June market in Los Angeles is typically slower than the larger markets in April and November, but a group of showrooms on the third floor of the California Mart have launched a floor-wide promoti...
Ross Offers Apparel Reward for Return of Harley
Sherwin “Ace” Ross wants to get back in the saddle again. Of his Harley-Davidson “Softail” motorcycle, that is....
Economy: June 8, 2001
Productivity dropped to the lowest levels since 1993, falling at a revised annual rate of 1.2 percent for non-farm business output the first quarter of 2001 and decreasing 2.1 percen...
Cal Mart Prepares for Job Fair
The California Mart will help the needy get back into the work force through its first People Helping People Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, July 26 in the Mart’s Fashion T...
Movers: June 8, 2001
Bruce Shapiro has been named sales representative for the Southwestern market for San Diego-based Sauvage Swimwear; Don Hirschenbein has been named sales rep for th...
Market Week Runway: David Park
Models wearing designer David Park’s newly launched contemporary line navigated a narrow ocean-side runway at the designer’s fashion sho...
Hollywood BID Opens its Doors
Hollywood’s newest retail venues have been magnets for national chains, creating a tough act to follow for storefront development along Hollywood Boulevard....
Market Week Runway: PCT
The fashions ranged from softly flowing neutral separates to high-voltage crystal-studded leather items at the Pacific Coast Travelers (PCT)...
Sarkisian-Miller Joins California Apparel News Staff
Veteran reporter Nola Sarkisian-Miller has joined the editorial staff of California Apparel News as retail editor. Sarkisian-Miller was most recently with Los Angeles-based ...
Market Week Runway: Johnny Wonder & Mirela Lomota
Johnny Wonder and Mirela Lomota recently joined forces to create a collaborative collection, and on June 1, the two staged their...
National: June 8, 2001
The Washington, D.C., hearing regarding El Paso Corp.’s culpability regarding the escalation of natural gas rates in California is scheduled to conclude this week; at issue are the ra...
