Manufacturer Sues Antik Denim
A small private-label manufacturer took Antik Denim to Small Claims Court over unpaid invoices and won $5,000 from the blue-jean maker, whose highend pants are known for their intricate pocket design and expensive price tag.
Unlimited Resources Group Inc., a Los Angeles firm that has done design and development on cashmere tops and T-shirts for such companies as Seven7 jeans, Taverniti So and Guess? Inc., had done a number of samples and duplicates of men’s and women’s T-shirts for Antik Denim, headed by Paul Guez, and its two designers, Philippe Nauri and Alexandre Caugant. The three were named as defendants in the Small Claims Court case filed in Beverly Hills on March 17.
Richard Benichou, the chief executive of Unlimited Resources, said in his case that when he went to collect the money for the 516 duplicates, Antik Denim didn’t want to pay him. Guez and his colleagues maintained that the price of the T-shirts was too high and they were not well made. “He brought us the worst T-shirts we ever saw,” Nauri said. Benichou maintained the T-shirts were of good quality.
Even though Benichou did not have a purchase order from Antik Denim, he showed e-mails sent between the two parties confirming the orders.
In the end, Antik Denim was ordered in early December to pay Unlimited Resources $5,000 for the T-shirts.
Benichou was pleased with the outcome. “There is no one who is too big to be untouchable,” he said. “You still need to live by the rules of the law.” —Deborah Belgum
