WCE's Herb Goetz Remembered
Herb Goetz, one of the co-founders of upscale menswear show Westcoast Exclusive (WCE), died on Sept. 23 after battling Lewy bodies disease. He was 76.
When Goetz, partners Larry Hymes and Hyela Sablosky, and wife Stevi Goetz founded the menswear show in 1996, Goetz was a West Coast rep for Marco Trani Italian Knits. He retired from Marco Trani in 2001, after a long career in the apparel business that spanned both coasts and ranged from retail to manufacturing to independent representation.
The East Coast native served in the Navy in World War II. He got his start in retail at Alfred Norton Esq. in Rockefeller Center in New York before he opened his own chain of stores, The Country Squire, in Long Island, N.Y. In 1968, Goetz moved across the country and into the wholesale business, working as a national sales manager for companies including Tattersal Trousers, Paul D’Avril and Ty Loren.
He met his wife, Stevi, in 1973. Less than 10 years later, the two launched menswear label Touch USA. The company grew to be a $20 million business at its peak—in part because of the success of its “Miami Vice” jacket.
In 1991, Goetz shifted gears again and partnered with Hymes to represent lines including La Hanger, Boxer and Raffi Linea Uomo, which he launched on the West Coast.
“He was the main reason why Raffi became a force on the West Coast,” Hymes said.
Goetz stepped back from the sales side of the business after launching WCE, opting to devote his time to the growth of the show.
“Herbie was a good friend and a great business partner,” said Hymes. “I will miss our time together, and I’m sure many others feel the same.”
Longtime friend Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association, said she had known Goetz for about 30 years.
“In his day, he was always the life of the party,” she said. “He was a great dancer, and he could always be counted on for a story.”
Professionally, Goetz parlayed his industry experience and contacts into each new endeavor. “When his company closed, he never missed a step,” Metchek said, noting that he maintained his relationships with his friends in the retail business.
Goetz’s daughter Amy Freeman described her father as a legend in the industry and a man who lived life to the fullest.
“He loved his wife; he loved his family,” Freeman said. “He was a dynamic person who made every day count.” Retailer Glenn Laiken, owner of Culver City, Calif.–based men’s store Alandales, knew Goetz for 35 years. He described Goetz as a very compassionate person who placed great value on his friendships in the industry.
“Herbie always wanted everybody to be okay—even when he did business with you, he wanted to make sure that he was doing right by you,” Laiken said. “He sold goods for a living, but he was always taking care of friendships first.”
Goetz had a knack for connecting the right lines with the right retailer, Laiken said.
“No matter how many lines he had, he would know when there was something right for you,” Laiken explained. “He was a very special guy, one of the really rare good guys in our business.”
In recent months, Goetz stepped down from the day-to-day operations of the WCE, but he remained active in its growth as the biannual Los Angeles trade show launched a second biannual show in Las Vegas last year.
In August, Goetz attended the openingnight party of the WCE Los Angeles show, held at the W Hotel in the Westwood section of the city, where he visited with longtime industry friends and well-wishers. The event raised funds for Parkinson’s disease research, and the evening’s honoree was Dr. Michel Levesque, a neurosurgeon with the Foundation for Neural Repair at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Services were held on Sept. 25 at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Goetz is survived by his wife, Stevi; his children, Matthew Goetz, Amy Freeman, Kelli Freeman and Randy Freeman; and two grandchildren.
The family requests that donations be made to the Foundation for Neural Repair at Cedars- Sinai Medical Center, c/o Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, 8700 Beverly Blvd., room 2416, Los Angeles, Calif., 90048, in memory of Herb Goetz.
—Alison A. Nieder
