Friday, June 24
Tarrant Cancels Qorus Deal
Tarrant Apparel Group terminated its letter of intent with a Florida-based company to buy all the shares of a Tarrant subsidiary and turn it into a public corporation....
Jackowitz Joins Tukatech
Tukatech Inc. named Alan Jackowitz as director of TukaGroup. Jackowitz will be responsible for all operations, business development and support for the group, which includes TukaCenter New Yo...
Sportswear Line Hard Tail Opens First Store
The Hard Tail sportswear line debuted in 1992, but owner Dick Cantrell said he believes that many people will first see the full extent of the label this year. On June 17, he and Patty Cantr...
Raj Picks Up Hilfiger Swim
Raj Manufacturing Inc. obtained the women’s swimwear license for Tommy Hilfiger Corp., adding another prominent lifestyle brand to its licensing portfolio, which already inc...
Belle Gray Opens Second Store
Denim-chic specialty retailer Belle Gray, owned by actors Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, will open a second boutique July 1 in Calabasas, Calif....
Firestone Moves to L.A. Mart
Major gift industry wholesaler Firestone Marketing Group (formerly Firestone Associates) is leaving the California Market Center in Los Angeles to return to the L.A. Mart, w...
Badgley Mischka Goes Bridge
New York–based Badgley Mischka, a division of New York–based Candie’s Inc., struck a licensing agreement with Groupe JS International to launch a new Badgley Mischka bridge apparel collection for Spring ...
Lectra Moves to O.C.
Lectra USA has moved its Western regional offices from Santa Fe Springs, Calif., to Cypress, Calif. The company’s new address is: 5836 Corporate Ave., suite 150, Cypress, Calif., 90630. The ne...
Benziger in at PacSun
Anaheim-based retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. named Reeni Benziger to executive vice president of merchandising. Benziger had been with Gap Inc. for 17 years, most recently as senior vice ...
9ci Hosts Charge-back 'Webinar'
Software company 9ci Inc. said it will host a Web-only seminar on how to recover and prevent charge-backs in the apparel industry based on the experience of Hartmarx Corp....
Nautilus Picks Up Pearl iZumi
Vancouver, Wash.–based Nautilus Inc. announced plans to acquire active-sports brand Pearl iZumi USA, maker of performance apparel and footwear for cyclists, runners and other fitness enthusiasts. Pearl iZumi w...
Arnold Joins Varvatos
Peter D. Arnold, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has joined New York–based menswear label John Varvatos Enterprises Inc. as president, a title previously held by foun...
ASR Looks for the Next Wave With Gold Box
The Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo, the biannual surf-and-skate industry trade show, will debut a mini-show dedicated to small clothing labels pioneering the next wave in activewear....
Derago in at Nike Swim
Miami-based Perry Ellis International has named Al Derago senior vice president of the company’s Nike swim division. Derago will be based in Portland, Ore., near Nike’s Beaverton, Ore.–based headquarters...
Paxar Taps Maue
Richard A. Maue was named vice president and controller for White Plains, N.Y.–based printing and labels provider Paxar Corp. His position is effective July 1....
New Appointments at PAD
CAD software provider PAD System Technologies Inc. named Karen Aviles as its new director of West Coast sales. She will provide support for customers on the West Coast as well as for internat...
Tapping the Queen
New York–based VF Corp. has signed a deal with musician and actress Queen Latifah to serve as spokesperson and creative consultant for its Curvation collection of intimate apparel, billed as a line designed fo...
H&M Looking to Build More Stores in Calif.
Real estate agents across California are trying to figure out what the next move will be for Swedish cheap-chic retailer Hennes & Mauritz LP, which is opening a 35,000-square-foot store i...
New Agency Helps Retailers Make the Right Tech Decisions
A group of Los Angeles–area technology executives formed the National Retail Technology Federation (NRTF), aimed at helping retailers with their technology needs....
Ports to Keep Gates Open Longer to Ease Congestion
In one month, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., will open their gates on an extended basis so truckers can pick up or deliver cargo containers at night and on Saturdays....
P.KaBu Moves to Twin Springs
P.KaBu, the independent runway show series, is moving to a new location in downtown Los Angeles and expanding its trunk show format to include wholesale operations....
Melanie Apple Returns With New Shirt and Belt Collections
Melanie Apple hopes to mark her return to the fashion industry after a two-year hiatus with a crystal-clear bang....
Charting New Territory With 7/Great China Wall
In the competitive jeans market, industry leaders cannot afford to be complacent....
Slowing Economy Seen in California Next Year
Economists at Chapman University predict that higher inflation rates, higher interest rates and a slower rate of job creation in California will impact consumers until the end of 2006....
GCA's Rosalinda Plasencia, 54
Rosalinda Plasencia, longtime coordinator for the Garment Contractors Association of Southern California (GCA), died after a nearly four-year battle with cancer. She was 54....
On the World Stage
Los Angeles designer Coco Kliks helped kick off the opening celebration for Thailand Exhibition 2005, a newly launched trade show featuring products and services from Thailand....
Westlife Boosts Apparel Offerings, Moves to O.C.
Westlife Distribution USA LLC, which distributes 686 and Sepia brand clothing, has officially moved its headquarters from San Pedro, Calif., to Irvine, Calif., more than dou...
Denise Carolyn Opens Second Boutique
More than six years ago, Denise Carolyn Meyerson was selling accessories from a kiosk at the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square. Last month, she and her husband, Ben, opened the second Deni...
Juniors Co. Moves Into Bigger Headquarters
In 1978, Brij Lal started a small juniors company called Just for Wraps Inc. Over the years, the company has grown steadily to encompass such juni...
PT by R. Marciano: Denim With a Glam/Punk Edge
Rebecca Marciano, daughter of Guess Inc. co-founder Armand Marciano, is carving her own path in fashion with glam/punk-inspired men’s and women’s clothing line PT by R. Marciano, which...
Friday, June 17
Sato, Avery Release New Printers, Services
Charlotte, N.C.–based Sato Corp. has launched a new line of thermal and transfer tag and label printers for the apparel industry. The new Xle series is designed for apparel labels, re...
PacSun's Harmon to Retire
In the 14 years that Tim Harmon worked at Pacific Sunwear of California Inc., he helped transform the Anaheim, Calif.–based teen retailer from a regional company to a powerhouse with 1,029 stores acro...
Von Dutch Sues Former Designer
Von Dutch Originals, a Los Angeles company known for its graphic T-shirts and celebrity following, has filed a lawsuit against its former head designer, Christian Audigier, who left ...
Three Divisions for Barbara Lesser
Barbara Lesser Fibers said it will divide its eponymous line into three separate collections as it manages the growth of its comprehensive offerings for casual jeans and T-shirts....
DigiFab, Apparel Cos. Grab L.A. Real Estate
Two Los Angeles apparel companies have purchased a vacant building in Commerce, Calif., for an undisclosed sum, according to real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield....
Apparel Consultants Wilhelm, D'Arienzo Join Forces
Salt Lake City–based consultant Walter Wilhelm Associates LLC (WWA) has formed a marketing alliance with another consultant, Princeton, N.J.–based William D’Arienzo Associates (WDA), to...
Hot Head and Watches
Los Angeles–based juniors manufacturer Hot Kiss has struck a deal with Geneder International Inc. for a line of Hot Kiss watches. The company also inked a deal with L’egent International for a line of H...
Start Shopping
A new fabric show called Start in London is set to launch Aug. 31 at the Novotel London Hammersmith West Convention & Exhibition Centre. The two-day show will feature fabric lines from France, Ita...
Project L.V. Moves to The Venetian
The Project Global Trade Show announced it will switch venues for its second run in Las Vegas. The industry event will move to The Venetian hotel from the ...
SFFW Ahead
San Francisco Fashion Week is set to bow Aug. 24–28 at The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The event, which debuted last year, has already attracted a competing show, San Francisco International ...
Importers Roll the Dice on Chinese-Made Apparel
Apparel importers bringing goods in from China are becoming a bit like gamblers....
United Front
Representatives of five of the nation’s largest unions announced plans to join forces to “rebuild the American labor movement in the face of globalization.” Leaders from the Teamsters, United Food and Co...
Op Draws From Its Past to Build the Future
Perhaps no one remembers the good ol’ days of youth better than Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. The Irvine, Calif.–based surfwear company that is best known as Op is mining its 33-year his...
St. John's New Girl
Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen will be the new face of St. John Knits, replacing company Creative Director Kelly Gray, who has been the model for the company for the past 15 years. Kelly Gray is the dau...
DMC Expands Contemporary Offerings
The Dallas Market Center is adding another 7,000 square feet of contemporary apparel space to FashionCenterDallas, its wholesale market center....
Mexican Standoff
The Mexican government took control over Mexican border town and customs entry point Nuevo Laredo on June 13, in an effort to curb the town’s recent deadly crime wave and wrest control from drug traffickers, a...
Webrings: A Low-Cost Option to Target Marketing
For several years now, an odd little multi–Web site networking community built around a protocol called the “Webring” has continued to thrive quietly online. Mostly noncommercial, Webrings serve ...
Heavy Traffic, Brisk Sales at L.A. Market
Hot California fashions should dominate the normally cool Fall and Holiday seasons, based on the brisk sales that vendors reported at Los Angeles...
DIR Revokes Licenses for Two Contractors
As part of its aggressive crackdown on garment manufacturers that operate outside the law, California’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) revoked the licenses of two garment shops and deni...
Tragic Accident Kills Apparel Buyer
Guillermina Barraza, who was a buyer for her family’s Tianello Boutique in Pasadena, Calif., died on June 15 after falling in her home five days earlier. She was 37....
Passco Buys The Promenade for $95 Million
Irvine, Calif.–based real estate firm Passco Real Estate Enterprises Inc. paid $95 million to purchase The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, the 247,833-square-foot entertai...
Frederick's Makes Growth Gambit With New Flagship Store
Los Angeles lingerie maker and retailer Frederick’s of Hollywood will build a new flagship store as part of a gambit to increase its share in the $9.1 billion U.S. lingerie market. But Frederick’s executives s...
Workers Get Back on Track With SMC Training Program
The apparel industry has been said to be late to the show when it comes to adopting technology. The state of California is trying to change that....
Main Street's Style Is Casual, But Business Is Brisk
The headline-grabbing shopping districts in Santa Monica, Calif., are the Third Street Promenade and Montana Avenue. But the city’s Main Street, less than a mile south, is also creating a buzz....
New Location for SGS Quality Assurance Center
The SGS/U.S. Testing Co.—which provides quality assurance testing, assessment and technical assistance to the apparel industry—has moved into a new laboratory in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. The ce...
Sue Wong Goes Long With Tops Line
Los Angeles designer Sue Wong is known for her ornately beaded dresses that evoke an air of Hollywood glamour. But the dynamic designer, who was born in China and raised in California, has de...
Southern High Concept
“Scarlett O’Hara goes boho-chic” sounds like a high-concept pitch for a Hollywood romance. Instead it’s how two Southern girls mixed the sass of Los Angeles with the grace of thei...
Friday, June 10
Sew Cal/Action
Los Angeles–based film wardrobe, hat and surfwear maker Sew Cal Logo Inc. has purchased the assets of Huntington Beach–based Action Shirts, a 27-year-old company that provides graphic design and screen ...
Badgley Mischka Heads West
New York–based Candie’s Inc., owner of the Badgley Mischka luxury brand, has inked a retail licensing deal with Pristine Fashion Group to open two Badgley Mischka boutiques in California. The deal grants Pristi...
Now Blue Holdings
Los Angeles– based Marine Jet Technology Corp., which recently changed its name to Blue Holdings Inc., also changed its stock-market ticker symbol to BLHL to reflect the new name. The company changed i...
New at Lost Clothing
Lost Clothing USA added two new positions to its sales and marketing department in a move to grow the surf and skate brand....
Uniform Acquisition
Burbank-based Aramark Uniform Services has acquired ALAC Garment Services, a company that rents industrial uniforms and products. The deal nets Aramark ALAC’s 650 customers, as well as an estimated $4 ...
CFDA Winners
Vera Wang was named Womenswear Designer of the Year and John Varvatos was named Menswear Designer of the Year at the 2005 Council of Fashion Designers of America awards ceremony in New York. Marc Jacobs landed the A...
Sweeps on Garment Shops Uncover Violations
In an effort to help level the playing field in the state’s apparel manufacturing industry, California’s Department of Industrial Relations levied nearly $253,000 in fines during a three-day surprise sw...
Fashionable Dads
Los Angeles–based men’s premium denim line Agave will be among the menswear lines participating in Barneys New York’s June 11 Father’s Day event at the retailer’s New York store. The June 11 party will fea...
Massachusetts Company to Acquire Aptavis
Needham, Mass.–based technology company PTC said it will acquire Nashua, N.H.–based Aptavis Technologies Corp. for an undisclosed sum. Both companies develop product data management (P...
The CMC's New Team
New management prepares for first market, coming changes ...
Caruso Finishes Next Phase of $1 Billion Plan
Rick Caruso attracts shoppers from 78 zip codes with his faux street scenes at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. The developer is gambling he will make similar magic next mon...
Exploring China as a New Apparel Frontier
SHANGHAI, China—If you’re going to do business in China, be prepared to be served duck tongue or still-squirming lobster. And if someone tells you his not-to-be-missed factory is only one hour away, bra...
Lingerie & Innerwear
ParkVogel Goes Essential ...
Building Buzz in San Clemente
The Amerikan Project and Mada seem to be cut from the same cloth. The respective founders of the emerging action-sports apparel companies grew up skating and surfing in Southern ...
Ross Stores Buys Distribution Center
Off-price retailer Ross Stores Inc., based in Pleasanton, Calif., has acquired a nearly 700,000-square-foot distribution facility in Moreno Valley, Calif., for $38.2 million, reported Los An...
More Apparel Retailers and Manufacturers Go Green
The recent spike in oil and gasoline prices has once again raised awareness of energy costs....
May '05 Sales Prove Steady
Unseasonably chilly weather in May cooled consumers’ appetites for shopping. But economists said retailers managed to bring in respectable sales and that economic trends could pave the way to a June ma...
Fashionware Offers Another Look at Online Product Development
New York–based Fashionware Solutions Inc. is joining the growing list of companies providing online collaboration resources for product development...
Friday, June 3
McQueen for the Feet
British designer Alexander McQueen has struck a deal with German athletic footwear maker Puma to create a collection of men’s and women’s footwear for Spring 2006. The collection will bow at London Fash...
Liza Stewart Showroom
California Market Center Suite C551 (213) 622-9669
Terence Luk: Perfecting the Technical
A clipping for Olympus Fashion Week in New York hangs on Terence Luk’s cubicle wall. Luk recently returned from the Gen Art Styles 2005 show in New York, a competition the designer us...
OptiTex Launches CAD File Converter
New York–based OptiTex USA Inc. has released a new pattern and marker converting system that allows CAD users to convert files from various originations on the spot into OptiTex’s 3-D software....
Cristina Angarola Moves to the Cooper Design Space
After seven years at the California Market Center, the Cristina Angarola showroom moved to the Cooper Design Space at the end of May for the Los Angeles Fall II Mar...
Chelsea Rebelle Owner Vows Not to Let Fire Burn Her Out
A fire caused an estimated $100,000 of smoke damage to fashion boutique Chelsea Rebelle on May 28, which also happened to be the three-month anniversary of the store’s opening at 735 N. La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles. T...
eBay Purchases Shopping.com
Online auctioneer
Nova Protest
Garment workers formerly employed by San Francisco–based contractor Nova Knits Inc. held a press conference on May 29 to protest their sudden dismissal from the company and to demand severance, according to the Chines...
Pony Performance
Santa Barbara– based athletic apparel and footwear brand Pony International LLC has formed a partnership with Sports Biometrics Inc., whose engineers will test and evaluate Pony footwear and help in researching and de...
Thomas Pink Moves to Los Angeles
Thomas Pink, which has been known for inserting vibrant colors into traditionally reserved English wardrobes since the 18th century, will be opening its first Southern California store on Jun...
Hullabaloo Benefit
Suss Designs and Erica Courtney Jewelry are among the Los Angeles–based fashion contributors to the first annual Hullabaloo fund-raiser for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit mu...
Rafaella Sells
New York–based misses apparel company Rafaella Sportswear Inc. agreed to sell its assets to Rafaella Apparel Group, a new company controlled by private investment firm Cerberus Capital Management. Rafa...
West Coast Resources Lead Pack for Dallas Fashion Awards
BCBG Max Azria, Emil Rutenburg, Blue Cult, Joe’s Jeans and True Religion are among the West Coast–based finalists that will be up for honors during the 30th annual Dallas Fash...
New at True
Los Angeles–based denim brand True Religion Apparel Inc. named four new people to its board of directors. The new directors are Joseph H. Coulombe, the founder of Trader Joe’s grocery stores and a former execut...
Rosasen Opens New Office, Showroom
Rosasen opened a new office and showroom on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles as part of its effort to expand the market for its golf-influenced sportswear....
Knitwear Line Stacia Launches in California
Like many immigrants to California, New York–based Stacy Johnson reinvented herself. ...
Developers Turn On Citadel Lights
If the Citadel Outlets weren’t enough of an attraction—with their ancient castle–like architecture—they now have four double-sided “Jumbotron”-style video screens to dress up the fa...
Lectra Reorganizes U.S. Operations
Paris-based technology provider Lectra is restructuring its U.S. operations in Marietta, Ga....
Geac Jumps on West Coast Bandwagon
Boston-based technology firm Geac is the latest company looking to capitalize on the West Coast’s strong base of global surfwear and fashion. Geac provides business management software applica...
Kate Plays Up Its Feminine Side
Retailer Wendy Watson calls her Fairfax Avenue boutique her “big closet.” And she can describe her clientele as though they were her closest friends....
Companies Strive to Conserve Energy, Fuel
Hong Yuan Industrial Co. turns on the air conditioning in its knit factory in Arcadia, Calif., only when the temperature rises above 85 degrees. Nikki Young urges the sales representatives ...
Six 22 Design Lab's Grace Under Heat
It’s almost summer, and even if the sun hasn’t pushed thermometers to the boiling point yet, women are scouring boutiques such as Six 22 Design Lab for lighter clothes to survive the upcoming m...
Jak & Rae
Gerry Building Suite 707 (213) 623-9693 ...
Rodarte: Evening in Transition
Though their beaded dresses have floated across the red carpet, Kate and Laura Mulleavy imagine their pieces—which retail from $1,300 to $2,500—to be effortlessly worn and then tossed casually on a bedr...
Satine
Cooper Design Space Suite 612 (213) 891-0663...
Ascension Style
Fashions from Kit Pistol, Coco Kliks and Naqada by Octavio Carlin were featured alongside installation art and deejay turntables at Red Bull Ascension, he...
The Return of FreshJive
Maverick streetwear founder returns to revive the company’s fortunes ...
Silver Jeans and 1921
The New Mart Suite 603 (213) 688-7602...
