Friday, August 26
Levi's and Andy Warhol Get Together
San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. has struck a licensing agreement with The Andy Warhol Foundation that allows the Levi’s brand to create a super-premium collection of jeans,...
Southern California Garment Contractor Fined Over Wages
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recovered $60,205 in unpaid wages for 124 garment workers after an investigation found that Corin’s Sewing Contractor failed to pay its employees the minimum...
AIMS to Discuss Remote-Order Entry
Santa Ana, Calif.–based AIMS (Apparel Information Management System) and affiliate Groupe BDM will present a free seminar on Internet-based order management at 6 p.m...
Blue's Suit
Commerce-based Blue Holdings, maker of the Antik Denim brand, has filed a lawsuit against Turn On Products, which does business as Younique Clothing and Alloy Inc., charging that the company violated federal ...
Nordstrom and Jeffrey
Seattle specialty retail chain Nordstrom Inc. purchased a majority stake in influential boutique Jeffrey and landed the store’s founder, Jeffrey Kalinsky, as its new director of designer merchandising. Kalinsk...
Thread Acquisition
Sewing-thread manufacturer and distributor American & Efird Inc., a division of Charlotte, N.C.–based Ruddick Corp., announced plans to purchase the thread and yarn business of Robison-Anton Textil...
Fashion Takes Music-Inspired Clothes Beyond the T-Shirt
Sales of music CDs have been slipping for the past few years, but from the point of view of the fashion industry, the music business has never looked better....
MODAC Moves Gala Date
The Museum of Fashion Designers and Creators (MODAC) plans to hold a fund-raising gala Nov. 12 at the Gallery and Palm Court of the Beverly Hills City Hall. The date was rescheduled ...
Liz Claiborne, Nordstrom Join PETA Campaign
Several national retailers—including Nordstrom, Gap Inc. and Liz Claiborne—have joined a campaign supporting the recent agreement reached between People for the Ethic...
PAD Expands in India
Montreal-based CAD provider PAD System Technologies Inc. has expanded into India, opening offices in New Delhi and Bangalore....
Peak Season at the Ports Has Not Peaked
What a difference a year makes...
RawState Denim to Launch Premier Collection at MAGIC
First-time designer Nicole Bunch debuts the Spring ’06 collection of her new line, RawState Denim, at MAGIC International in Las Vegas....
VF Teams With Public Sector for Distribution Center
When VF Corp. began scouting locations for a new distribution center to house its large stable of brands, it went to the public sector for help....
Saks Makes it Payback Time
Saks Inc. will reimburse about $48 million to vendors after an internal investigation showed the retailer improperly collected markdown allowances over an eight-year period....
Paxar to Host Brand Protection Forum
White Plains, N.Y.–based tags and labels supplier Paxar Corp. will present a seminar on brand protection and counterfeiting Sept. 15 at the Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Hotel....
ENK to Launch Denim-Only Show in New York
New York–based ENK Trade Events International, producer of the Fashion Coterie and Brighte contemporary shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, will debut a denim-only ...
True Religion on NASDAQ
On Aug. 18, the NASDAQ National Market began trading stock for Los Angeles–based True Religion Apparel Inc. under the listing TRLG, the same ticker symbol the company is traded under on the common stoc...
Gap's F&T Bows
San Francisco–based Gap Inc. opened its first Forth & Towne store Aug. 24 in New York City suburb West Nyack, N.Y. The company is opening four more concept stores, targeting women 35 years and olde...
Blowout at Polo
The windows of Polo Ralph Lauren’s Sutter Street store in San Francisco were blown out Aug. 19 when an underground electrical transformer triggered an explosion that shook buildings in the city’s financ...
Von Dutch, Seven Team With ApparelMagic
Los Angeles–based apparel manufacturers Von Dutch Originals LLC and Seven Licensing Co. announced they have implemented Glendale, Calif.–based Murphy & Associates’...
Intuition Owner to Appear on QVC
Jaye Hersh has used almost every popular technology to sell clothes for her West Los Angeles shop, Intuition. Last year, she launched the Web site www.shopintui...
Howe Offering Women's Line at Project
Jade Howe, designer of the 4-year-old Howe menswear label, is launching a small, exclusive women’s collection with a few key pieces Aug. 28–Sept. 1 at the Project Trade Show in Las Veg...
Defiance USA Counts on Music Licenses to Sell Clothes
For generations of rock fans, the name Fender symbolized one of the best-made guitars in the world. For Los Angeles–based rock aficionado and clothes manufacturer Christopher Wicks, this pop-culture t...
M.Fredric Launches New Men's Boutique
For most of his two decades in retail, Fred Levine said he thought building a men’s clothing business would be a mistake. It was simply too different from the women’s clothing market that had b...
Tech, Design Vendors Bring New Element to MAGIC
The end of quotas and the constant demand for fast-turning fashion, private-label goods and price points has created a new dynamic for organizers of the MAGIC International show, held twice a...
Wireless Technology Finds a Home With Indie Retailers
New wireless technology is helping the small, independent retailer flourish in the apparel industry....
Donegar's New Foy
New York–based retail consulting company The Doneger Group hired Candace Foy as accessory market analyst. In her new position, Foy will shop, edit and evaluate the handbag, jewelry and juniors accessories markets for the firm...
Inventory Specialists at Buxbaum Evolving Into Apparel Investors
When 7 for All Mankind went looking for a major investor in its hot denim venture, the Los Angeles apparel maker did not go to the usual suspects in the investment banking community....
Praying for Success
How can a mother of five who attended Bible College dazzle the fashion world?...
Bass Pro Shops to Expand in SoCal
Springfield, Mo.–based Bass Pro Shops is set to open a 180,000-square-foot Outdoor World super store at the Victoria Gardens open-air shopping center in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. This...
Hollywood Party
Steven Shaul (left) threw his Los Angeles–based company, Jelessy Collection, a one-year anniversary party at Hollywood’s Cabana Club on Aug. 17. More than 500 people droppe...
Retail World Launched L.A. City Controller's Career
Deep roots in the garment industry and seven years of retail experience gave Laura Chick the skills she needed to become one of the most powerful women in Los Angeles city politics....
Stiletto Killers Branch Out
Kelly Osbourne, daughter of famed rocker Ozzy Osbourne, along with co-designer and friend Ali Barone, is launching the Stiletto Killers Collection, a new division of their line Stile...
Friday, August 19
New Apparel Materials Show to Debut in Boston
The first NE Apparel and Footwear Materials Show will bow Sept. 14–15 at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. The show will feature natural and synthetic leathers, fabrics, prints, acce...
Mica Closes Its Doors
After spending the last year searching for the right product mix, Denny Rabineau shuttered his dress company, Mica....
Ben Sherman to Open Anchor Showroom in L.A. Fashion District
Ben Sherman Group Ltd. will open a 5,600-square-foot showroom at the California Market Center by December, said Kenneth Loo, entertainment marketer for the burgeoning, mod-inspired line of c...
Manhattan Beachwear Relocates
Manhattan Beachwear—manufacturer of Surfside, VM, Via Marina and Maxine—announced the relocation of its headquarters and additions to its sales team....
Weiss in at Pac Sun
Anaheim-based retail chain Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. named former Limited Brands executive Michael Weiss to its board of directors. Weiss spent 23 years with Limited Brands, most recently as chief ex...
Scully Out at Saks
James Scully, executive vice president of human resources and strategic planning at Saks Inc., has resigned from his position, which he has held since April 2004. The Birmingham, Ala.–based department store ch...
New York Designers to Receive Awards in Dallas
New York–based designers Derek Lam and Stan Herman will be honored Oct. 29 at the 30th annual Dallas Fashion Awards....
Residential/Retail Construction Booming in Fashion District
Ground-floor business in the Los Angeles Fashion District has surged more than 25 percent over the past three years because of new residential and commercial construction, according to a rece...
VF Teams With Software Co. for Sourcing Solution
Apparel giant VF Corp., based in Greensboro, N.C., is using Iasta.com Inc.’s e-Sourcing software tools to streamline sourcing and procurement operations....
Columbia's Counterfeit Sweep
Portland, Ore.–based Columbia Sportswear Co.’s efforts to stem the flood of counterfeit goods bearing its trademarked name have resulted in the seizure of nearly 80,000 counterfeit products from factories in China. The...
Gift Industry Co. Moves to L.A. Mart
Gift industry supplier Roger Wilson & Associates has moved to the L.A. Mart from the California Market Center....
More Kohl's
Menomonee Falls, Wis.–based retailer Kohl’s Corp. plans to open approximately 500 more stores before 2010, including 200 stores in the Pacific Northwest. Portland, Ore., and Seattle will be among the ci...
Mossimo Founder Withdraws Buyout Bid
Mossimo Giannulli, founder of mass-market specialist Mossimo Inc., withdrew his bid Tuesday to acquire all of the business’s outstanding public shares and take the company private. Fo...
Financing: Risks and Reactions, Part III
California Apparel News Executive Editor Alison A. Nieder recently asked several local finance companies to consider three fictitious apparel companies: a small start-up, a growing contempora...
Men's Contemporary Co. to Build Street Vibe at CMC
Los Angeles–based Defiance USA Ltd. signed a three-year lease with the California Market Center Aug. 16. The company will bring its mod and rock ’n’ roll–inspired lines to the CMC when it moves ...
True Religion on NASDAQ
On Aug. 18, the NASDAQ National Market began trading stock for Los Angeles–based True Religion Apparel Inc. under the listing TRLG, the same ticker symbol the company is traded under on the common stoc...
Retail District Goes Against the Grain of West Los Angeles Shopping
There were no fashion boutiques on Los Angeles’ West Third Street when Wendy Freedman opened her vintage clothing store, Polkadots & Moonbeams, in the historically Jewish neighborhood in 1...
Quiet August Market Draws Heavy Hitters
With gasoline prices closing in on $3 a gallon and MAGIC International looming, exhibitors participating in the Aug. 12–16 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market did not expect a wave of b...
New Weapons Target Illegal Textile Trade
While global trade pacts have eliminated many of the quotas and duties associated with the apparel and textile trade, the business of transshipments and counterfeiting remains a problem for big-name b...
Private Fashion Archive Opens for Designers
It’s the nightmare of every designer....
Streetwear's Female Side Shows With L-R-G's New Luxirie Line
L-R-G set up shop in 1999 as a clothier for the underground. But in the past year, the Lake Forest, Calif.–based company has set its sights on a market beyond its original, mostly male demogra...
Svoboda Launches Plus-Size Web Site
Plus-size line Svoboda has launched a new e-tail site,
Riding the Waves of Young Men's Fashions
Quiksilver Inc. opened a new kind of men’s store Aug.16 at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif. The boutique, named Quiksilver, will showcase the surfwear giant’s most fashion-forward y...
San Clemente Juggles Chic Fashion and Unhurried Pace
The beach towns of Orange County increasingly have become chic locales for outrageous partying and new fashions since the wealth and popularity of local surf and skate clothing companies have skyrocke...
Friday, August 12
IdeaGeneration
Cooper Design Space Suite 600 (213) 892-8583...
Doneger Group Opens Los Angeles Office
New York–based fashion and retail merchandising consulting firm The Doneger Group has announced plans to open an office in Los Angeles in September....
Boy Oh Boy! to Sell Kids Fashion
Little boys are interested in skateboarding, monster movies and, if Gary and Carol Ulaner are right, casual contemporary clothes....
Freeborders Opens N.Y. Office
San Francisco–based software company Freeborders has opened a New York office at 598 Madison Ave. to service the retail/consumer-goods industry....
Industry, Customs Officials to Speak at ASAP
Representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) and the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) will be amo...
San Francisco Supports Anti-Sweatshop Law
San Francisco is the latest California city taking steps to ensure that everything the city contracts for, from cops’ uniforms to staplers, is produced without sweatshop labor....
Financing: Risks and Reactions, Part II
Recently, 4-year-old contemporary streetwear brand RVCA made news when it secured its first-ever factoring deal with Wells Fargo Century. Strong word-of-mouth marketing helped fuel the growt...
MODAC Sets Fund-Raising Gala
The Museum of Fashion Designers and Creators (MODAC) has rescheduled its fund-raising gala. The event will now take place from 4 p.m. until midnight on Oct. 29 at the Beverly Hills City Hall ...
Wet Seal Resignation
Douglas C. Felderman resigned from The Wet Seal Inc. on Aug. 10 after spending a little more than one year at the retail chain. He was the chief financial officer, secretary, treasurer and executive vice pres...
Material World N.Y. Sets Seminar Schedule
A who’s who of textile, trade and technology executives will be presenting seminars and forums during the first Material World New York expo, set for Sept. 28–30 at the Jacob Javits Co...
JD-CMC Expands With New HQ
JD-CMC Inc., manufacturer of the Color Me Cotton and Click labels, relocated its headquarters to 9130 Glenoaks Blvd. in Sun Valley, Calif.The company had occupied another bu...
Dan River Out of Apparel
Danville, Va.–based textile mill Dan River Inc. has retained Charlotte, N.C.–based Anderson, LeNeave & Co. to help sell the Dan River apparel fabrics division. After the sale, Dan River plans to foc...
Los Angeles Fashion to Be Rewarded
A major fashion industry awards program is being organized just in time to kick off Los Angeles Fashion Market for Spring 2006. The L.A. Fashion Awards will take place at th...
Innovo Splits with Betsey
Los Angeles–based Innovo Group ended its denim licensing agreement with New York–based Betsey Johnson, following lower-than-anticipated sales during the first six months of 2005. The collection brought in $283,...
PETA and Aussie Wool Growers Come to Terms
The Australian Wool Growers Association (AWGA) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have reached a temporary accord that, if ratified, would eventually bring an end...
Shoe Maven Feldman to Open FIG Market in Dallas
Footwear designer Beverly Feldman will meet and greet buyers Aug. 18 to open market week at the Fashion Industry Gallery contemporary wholesale mart, located in downtown Dallas....
China's quot;Chuppiesquot;
A recent poll sponsored by global shipping company UPS has found that China’s up-and-coming middle-class consumers, or “Chuppies,” are looking for high-quality American products, including person...
Prelude Print Show Debuts at CMC
Prelude, a new textile print show, bowed Aug. 8–9 at the California Market Center in Los Angeles with exhibitors featuring original textile prints and patterns from local and internat...
Gerber Names PDM, Asia Execs
Tolland, Conn.–based Gerber Technology Inc. has named two apparel industry veterans to posts in New York and Asia....
CMC Names New Gift/Home Leasing Director
Robert Sotomayor has joined the California Market Center in Los Angeles as the director of leasing for gift and home. He replaces Charles Snyder....
SoCal's New Denim Doctors
Denim continues to sell briskly into Holiday and Spring, with new lines launching across Southern California to fit every niche of the market. Among the offerings: surplus-style jeans with an international fl...
Aunt Beep Signs New L.A. Lines
Aunt Beep, a Los Angeles wholesaler and online retailer of California-produced designs, recently added a number of labels to its stable. Act III, sportswear aimed a...
Technologists Address the Future of Fashion
Fashion and technology have been gnawing into each other’s domains for some time now. But the time may come soon when both work in concert with each other to produce clothes that enhance fashi...
Status Foe: Following the Muse
Sean Woolsey is living out the Orange County kid’s dream with his successful T-shirt line, Status Foe....
Studio 908
The New Mart Suite 908 (213) 627-5256...
86 Vintage: Little Sis' Boutique Grows Up
Strolling through 86 Vintage is like touring the dream wardrobe of Imitation of Christ’s Tara Subkoff when she was a 20-something-year-old kid....
Poison Ivy Showroom
Gerry Building Suite 703 (213) 629-2059...
Lynn Girard
California Market Center Suite C585 (213) 625-3341...
Return to the Mall
Retailers create a marketing message with new technology....
Lloyd Klein to Headline S.F. Fashion Week
Los Angeles designer Lloyd Klein will lead the entries for the first San Francisco International Fashion Week (SFIFW), set for Oct. 21–23 at Fort Mason....
Summer Heat Slows July '05 Sales
July is typically considered the beginning of the Back-to-School season across the United States. But many consumers were not interested in buying warmer fall clothes as one of the strongest heat wav...
Browse 'Til You Drop
Bargain hunters and retailers looking to maximize profits on overstocks and out-of-season merchandise have never had it so good. ...
Garment Sweeps Turn Day Into Night for Factory Employees
California’s crackdown on unregistered garment manufacturers has had an unintended consequence: The week-long series of raids, which closed 98 garment factories in the state, has turned some apparel wo...
Sunny Outlook for Lingerie Americas
NEW YORK—The atmosphere at the seventh biannual Lingerie Americas trade show seemed even livelier than it had been in early March 2005, the last time the event exhibited in New York...
Friday, August 5
Financing: Risks and Reactions
Recently, 4-year-old contemporary streetwear brand RVCA made news when it secured its first-ever factoring deal with Wells Fargo Century. Strong word-of-mouth marketing helped fuel the growt...
Barajas Joins California Apparel News Staff
Journalist Erin Barajas has joined the editorial staff of California Apparel News as manufacturing editor....
Roxy in the Snow
Roxy, a division of Huntington Beach–based surf giant Quiksilver, launched a new alpine products collection called Roxy Ski. The collection, created by Roxy and ski line Dynastar, marks the first partn...
AFM Show Moves East
The Northwest Apparel and Footwear Materials Show, held in Portland, Ore., is heading east. Show producer American Classic Events will launch the Northeast Apparel and Footwear Materials Show Sept. 14–15 at th...
Move Over Nike?
German shoe and athletic apparel maker Adidas-Salomon AG and Canton, Mass.–based shoemaker Reebok inked a $3.8 billion merger deal, in which Adidas-Salomon will acquire all outstanding shares of Reebok stock. ...
Indra Expands Program With VF Imagewear
San Diego–based software provider Indra Technology Inc. has expanded its relationship with VF Imagewear Inc., which will now use the technology company’s Escape sal...
Von Dutch Cross-Complaint Filed by Audigier
Call this Chapter Two in the growing legal battle between Von Dutch Originals and the Los Angeles apparel company’s former head designer....
Anjac Sells Olympic Auditorium
Los Angeles–based Anjac Fashion Properties sold the Grand Olympic Auditorium to a Korean-American church for an undisclosed sum, according to parties affiliated with the transaction....
Factors Join DOL's Compliance Efforts
The U.S. Department of Labor wants factors to join in its efforts to encourage manufacturers and contractors to comply with federal labor laws....
Nano-Tex Names New VPs
Emeryville, Calif.–based Nano-Tex LLC, which markets textile treatments and finishes, hired three industry veterans to its North American business development team. The new executives will foc...
U.S. Working on Possible Textile Agreement With China
The Bush administration is postponing decisions on several requests to curb apparel imports while it decides whether to continue talks with China about a comprehensive textile agreement....
Chan Luu in N.Y.
Los Angeles–based designer Chan Luu opened a New York showroom at 1441 Broadway. The 4,300-square-foot penthouse space will house the company’s apparel, accessories and jewelry collections. Terry Farley...
New Exec at Hellman
Frank Scheibner was named president and chief executive officer for Hellman Worldwide Logistics’ Americas division, based in Miami. Born in Germany, Scheibner has held executive positions at Schenker a...
Trovata Among Finalists
Newport Beach–based Trovata’s Jeff Halmos, John Whitledge, Sam Shipley and Josia Lamberto-Egan are among the finalists for the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, which provides resources and mentorships to up-and-comin...
ASAP Planning New Buyers' Trip to South Asia
The producers of the ASAP Global Sourcing Show in Las Vegas are planning a buyers’ trip to Pakistan and Bangladesh for Nov. 8–17. Participants will visit factories in Karachi and Lahore in Paki...
Round-the-Clock Port Program Has Glitches to Work Out
The long-awaited program to keep the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., open late at night is garnering mixed reviews from many importers and freight forwarders....
Des Kohan Finds Fashion on the Miracle Mile
Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile district is best known as the address for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and it’s a magnet for people looking for a painting by Rembrandt. People searching for the ne...
IDBFactors to Open West Coast Office
Longtime finance executive Harold Dundish has been hired to open the new West Coast office of IDBFactors, a division of Israel Discount Bank....
Victoria's Secret Debuts New Bra With Gisele
The Body by Victoria collection was one of the biggest sellers for lingerie and beauty retailer Victoria’s Secret, according to company spokesperson Sara Tervo. On Aug. 1, Victoria’s ...
Gov. Kicks Off Factory Sweeps
Surrounded by scores of workers making blue jean samples in Vernon, Calif., Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced July 29 that the state is mounting a major campaign to root out garment contractors not...
Santee Court Sold to Michigan Pension Fund
Santa Monica, Calif.–based MJW Investments has sold the first phase of its Los Angeles Fashion District property Santee Court to the Michigan Teachers’ Fund for $44.7 million,...
State Labor Officials Conduct Garment-Shop Raids
State officials launched raids of small garment factories scattered throughout California in search of business owners believed to be violating labor and tax laws....
New Products, Color Propel Interest at WCE
Menswear buyers tuned into more tailored looks for suits and continued investing in color and retro themes for sportswear at the July 31–Aug. 2 run of the Westcoast Exclusive, held at the W H...
