Friday, November 25
Nora Minas: Beginning With Jackets
After 15 years of working behind the scenes in the apparel industry as a private-label designer and designing for companies such as Johnny Was and Cynthia Max, Nora...
TALA Gives Back to Fashion Students and Neighborhood Kids
The Textile Association of Los Angeles hosted its 49th annual scholarship luncheon on Nov. 16 in the Fashion Theater of the California Market Center....
LeSportsac Sold
Brand Science Inc., the New York–based affiliate of accessories manufacturer Accessory Network Group, has purchased LeSportsac Inc. in partnership with Osaka, Japan–based textile, machinery and chemical...
Blue Carpet Cache
Paige Premium Denim is an example of a company moving briskly. Paige Adams-Geller started the premium-denim company with her husband, Michael Geller (both pictured), earlier this year, and on...
AG in NYC
Los Angeles–based Koos Manufacturing opened its first AG Adriano Goldschmied store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood Nov. 23. The nearly 3,000-square-foot space on Greene Street carries the AG Adriano Gol...
Chelsea Returns
Designer Chelsea Burggren has returned to Irvine, Calif.–based Ezekiel as head apparel designer. Burggren worked for the skate lifestyle brand last year but left to work for Hurley International. In her new po...
Customs Steps Up Inspection of Imported Pants From China
Call it the pants fiasco....
Caruso Unveils Marina Renovation
Los Angeles real estate developer Caruso Affiliated last weekend unveiled its $11-million renovation of the Marine Waterside shopping center, now known as ...
Holiday Yarn
Los Angeles–based knitwear designer and knitting guru Suss Cousins (pictured) hosted a “Pre-Christmas Special Girl Event” at her Beverly Boulevard Suss Designs boutique on Nov. 1...
L.A. Retailer American Rag Heads South
Los Angeles veteran retailer American Rag Cie is setting up shop in California’s Orange County, joining a growing cadre of international luxury retailers and contemporary boutiques in the regi...
S.F. Apparel Protest
A group of unemployed apparel workers gathered at San Francisco City Hall on Nov. 21 to ask city leaders for help in securing jobs for former garment-industry employees. Organizer the Chinese Progressive Netw...
Black Monday to Usher In the Holiday E-Commerce Season
On Nov. 28, office workers will return from the long Thanksgiving weekend and start surfing the Internet to buy gifts for the Christmas holiday, according to a survey releas...
Jamison Lands Valley Office Properties
California Market Center owner Jamison Properties has acquired two San Fernando Valley office buildings for $31 million from Westoaks Associates LP, according to Los Angele...
Topshop Salutes Smack
Beginning this month, the Los Angeles–based lingerie line Smack will be prominently featured in a 16 1/2-by-8-foot wall space in the Oxford Circus location of U.K. teen retailer Topsh...
Paper Does L.A.
New York–based Paper magazine is taking its show on the road....
MODAC Event Postponed
The Museum of Fashion Designers and Creators (MODAC) has postponed its Nov. 29 fundraising reception at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The event, where architectural photograph...
Gerber and Lectra Jump on the PLM Bandwagon
Technology leaders Gerber Technology and Lectra are taking a bigger stake in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software....
Not Yet Liz
The board of directors for Quincy, Mass.–based retailer J. Jill Group is discussing a recent acquisition offer from New York–based manufacturing giant Liz Claiborne. Liz’s offer was for $18 per share of J. Jill ...
East Meets West
Empire State, a New York–based T-shirt line, celebrated its Spring 2006 collection with a bash at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Designer Michael Sherman (right) with old friend actor J...
Yahoo Names Retail Exec
Sunnyvale, Calif.–based Yahoo! Inc. has named Jayne Spiegelman as its new retail development officer....
L.A. Urban Fashion Week Hits Melrose
The fifth edition of Los Angeles Urban Fashion Week shifts to Melrose Avenue Nov. 25–27, when a number of fashion shows and parties are planned at several venues, all showcasing streetwear....
Fremont: Retro Casual
The retro chic look of Fremont has a fresh take on casual. The new contemporary line recaptures the lifestyle resort look of Palm Springs in the late 1960s and early 1970s and adds a kitschy Las Vegas edge. Los Ange...
Michael Stars Opens Two Retail Stores
Business for the Michael Stars brand of women’s T-shirts is on the upswing. Sales revenue grew 30 percent from 2004 to 2005, according to Michael Cohen, founder and partner of the Manhattan Beach, Cal...
Danny Guez's People's Liberation Goes Public
Danny Guez, son of veteran denim maker Paul Guez, is following in his father’s footsteps and taking his company public through a reverse merger. According to the younger Guez, People’s...
Lovely Sophisticate
The new line Miss Davenporte, from Los Angeles stylists-turned-designers Christina Ehrlich (left) and Estee Stanley (right), was feted Nov. 17 by Lucky magazine at the Ron Herman boutique on Melros...
Ladies' Luxirie
Music and dance ruled the night at Luxirie’s “Ladies Night” party at the Montmartre Lounge in Hollywood. Luxirie, the new women’s division of ...
Polo's Global Execs
New York–based Polo Ralph Lauren has promoted Howard Smith to divisional senior vice president of supply chain operations and Robbin Mitchell to divisional senior vice president of business process int...
Sanuk Dives Into Apparel With Novel Distribution Concept
Disenchanted with the retail world and mass-produced merchandise, executives at Sanuk, a quirky sandal maker that caters to surfers and beach bums, are gearing up to launch a new company that...
Perry Ellis Poised to Acquire Gotcha
Miami-based apparel designer Perry Ellis International took one step further into the surf apparel realm this week when it announced plans to acquire Newport Beach, Calif.–...
Benefit Party
Escada previewed its 2006 Spring/Summer collection with a party benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The cocktail soiree was held at Meson G on Nov. 17 with a star-stud...
Chelsea Rebelle to Reopen Following Fire
Sarah Brannon opened her Los Angeles store and clothing line Chelsea Rebelle in mid-2005 only to have the boutique and most of her inventory destroyed in a May 28 fire. The New Zealand native...
The Tiffany Network
Tiffany & Co. opened its new Pasadena, Calif., store on Colorado Boulevard on Nov. 17 with a party that was as stately as the 138-year-old company’s crystal. A string quartet from the Pasadena Sy...
H&M California Debut
“We’re often asked, ’When is H&M coming to California?” said Sanna Lindberg, the U.S. manager for the retailer with the full name of Hennes & Mauritz “We’re...
Friday, November 18
AAFA's Brand Aid
The American Apparel & Footwear Association has formed the Brand Protection Council to help companies protect their designs from knockoffs. The council will include legal, brand-enforcement and ma...
It's a Riot
New York–based lifestyle company Riot Media Inc. has launched a new magazine and Web site aimed at the tween-aged boy. The magazine includes entertainment reviews, suggested practical jokes and humor. ...
Remodel Underway on CMC's 13th-Floor Penthouse
The California Market Center has begun a major remodel of the building’s 13th floor that will result in 75,000 square feet of open exhibition space, 35,000 square feet of hard-wall showroom sp...
Nordstrom's the Tops
There’s still a market for old-fashioned customer service. A recent survey by the NRF Foundation, a division of the National Retail Federation, recognized Seattle-based specialty retailer Nordstrom as best retailer fo...
After the Backlash: Von Dutch Devises Comeback
Tonny Sorensen is planning a comeback....
Volcom Announces Secondary Offering
Volcom executives are finally reaping the benefits of years of hard work....
The Seminar Circuit
The Doneger Group has been around so long—just about 60 years—you figure there isn’t a lot the company hasn’t seen. Once a buying office, The Doneger Group has morphed way beyond its origins to become one of the premier fashion forecasting...
Show and Tell
From the smallest first-time exhibitor in a 10-by-5-foot space to the organizer of a mega-show, trade show exhibitors and those who put on the shows share one goal: strong sales....
Celebrity, Good Fit Drive Jean Line
Sometimes Kitson owner Fraser Ross doesn’t feel like a retailer, he feels like a celebrity wrangler. He said that he’s lately been turning down pitches to carry celebrity-designed fas...
Agenda Moves
Agenda announced that its Jan 20–21, 2006 show will be produced at the San Diego Community Concourse convention facility, located at 202 C St. in San Diego, Calif. Agenda was formerly held in a parking...
Venice Designer Juggles Art and Commerce With Freeform Designs
Giorgio Borruso could be the closest thing retail architects have to a rock star. This year, the Venice, Calif.–based architect has taken almost all of the top honors for store design....
California Retail Chain Acquired by S.F. Firm
Draper’s & Damon’s Inc., a retail chain geared to the 50-plus woman, has been acquired by Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco private equity investment firm. ...
Charitable and Wearable
While looking for a way to promote her label’s new e-tail site, Petro Zillia designer Nony Tochterman found a way to help others in need. “I wanted to let people know we’ve gone live, bu...
S.F. Knitwear Designer in N.Y.
Margaret O’Leary tested boundaries in knitwear and found success. Last month, the San Francisco– based designer took on Manhattan....
Hartmarx Goes Blue
Chicago-based Hartmarx Corp. purchased Seattlebased companies Simply Blue and Seymour Blue, makers of women’s denim bottoms and related apparel, for $21 million. The companies, which manufacture the Christophe...
Twin Springs' Design Space Open to the Trade
Los Angeles’ Twin Springs Building, at 433 S. Spring St., has opened its doors to design-industry professionals and companies for leasing opportunities....
Talking Trends
Fashion Group International held its semiannual runway trend report for Spring 2006 and a panel discussion on how the media impact fashion brands and reta...
Hotter Than Haute
Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, and, of course, Las Vegas—from sea to shining sea, the major market centers offer buyers great restaurants to talk shop, and inspi...
Getting in Ship-Shape
For heavy apparel industry machinery, no domestic apparel trade show can top SPESA Expo. Held in Miami every three years (in rotation with Germany’s IMB and Japan’s JIAN), SPESA Expo b...
Doneger Group's Trend-spotting 2007
David Wolfe: “The most exciting and challenging movement is from maximalism to minimalism. Simpler silhouettes; bigger, more interesting shapes tailored to make them interesting; less embellishment. We...
No Moss
Mossimo Giannulli, founder of Santa Monica–based Mossimo Inc., has dropped his bid to take his company private after failing to garner the support of the company’s board of directors. Giannulli has been...
MODAC to Honor Photographer at Gala
The Museum of Fashion Designers and Creators (MODAC) will honor famed architectural photographer Julius Shulman at a fundraising reception Nov. 29 at the Orpheum Th...
CFA Hosts Charge-back Workshop
Charge-backs—and how to avoid them or reduce them—will be the focus of the California Fashion Association membership meeting Dec. 1 at the California Market Center....
7 for All Mankind Moving Showroom
A move to the Cooper Design Space is adding up to more showroom space for 7 for All Mankind....
ASR Announces Holiday Show
Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo plans to put a surf-and-skate twist on the Holiday season....
Valentino in O.C.
There may be no better place to witness the high competition for the luxury dollar than the South Coast Plaza shopping center in Costa Mesa, Calif. Ic...
Trovata Takes Top Honors
The boys of Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Trovata, a men’s and women’s contemporary line, took the real O.C. to New York and brought home a big win last week....
Friday, November 11
Pony Goes to Harlem
Santa Barbara–based athletic brand Pony International LLC has partnered with the Harlem Globetrotters and will create a performance and lifestyle collection with the legendary basketball team that will...
No Sale for Mossimo
Santa Monica–based Mossimo Inc. founder Mossimo Giannulli has resumed efforts to purchase the remaining 35 percent of outstanding shares of his company, which has a licensing agreement with Target Corp...
Simpson Not Charming
Bensalem, Pa.–based retail chain Charming Shoppes has dropped the JS by Jessica Simpson line, produced by Los Angeles–based Tarrant Apparel Group, according to Tarrant’s recent earnings report. The denim...
October '05: Economy Strong Despite Devastation From Hurricanes
The United States reeled from the fury of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma during the months of September and October. Still, October’s retail sales grew 4.4 percent over the same period last year....
Paul Frank Industries Loses Paul Frank
Paul Frank Sunich, co-founder and co-chief executive of Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Paul Frank Industries, announced this week that he has left the company to pursue other, unnamed, interests. Company ex...
Stony, BCBG, True Religion Reap Awards
It’s awards season and a number of California-based resources came away with accolades at two national events....
Denim Maker Sees Indigo Blue Skies
Paul Guez is looking to build a premium-denim empire....
The Maitlands: Easy Pieces, Thoughtful Details
Sam Lauachus, the owner of the boutique A. Mason in Venice, Calif., knows the selling power of easy pieces. Lauachus, along with Sandy Fleming, a former patternmake...
Intellect and Fashion Mix at Milk
Instead of wallpaper or modern paintings, a passage from the 1945 Somerset Maugham novel “The Razor’s Edge” is painted on the east wall of Milk. It’s the newest boutique on West Third Street, one...
Retail Shift
Apparel makers retool business in wake of Federated/May Co. merger. ...
Gap Philanthropy
San Francisco–based Gap Inc. has named Bobbi Silten chief foundation officer for Gap Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm. Silten, who was previously president of Levi Strauss & Co’s Dockers a...
Veteran Pasadena Retailer Reopens
Old Town Pasadena has seen an influx recently of luxury retailers, such as New York–based Tiffany & Co. and Kenneth Cole. But on Nov. 16, local retailer Flutter ...
Howe's Victorian Executive
In the last year, designer Jade Howe pioneered the “Indie Executive” look for his Howe menswear collection, but on Nov. 5, the Santa Ana, Calif.–based designer gave a preview of ...
Andrew Christian Moves to NoHo
Menswear specialist Andrew Christian has relocated its headquarters from Hollywood to 759 Tujunga Ave., in the heart of the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood, Calif....
Glimcher Buys Puente Hills Mall for $170 Million
The Puente Hills Mall in the City of Industry, Calif., has been sold to Columbus, Ohio–based Glimcher Realty Trust for $170 million....
Frankie B. Launches B. United
The woman who introduced the ultra-low-rise jean is taking a higher stance....
Denim: It All Comes Out in the Wash
Shinzo Suzuki’s lithe physique, rolled-up jeans, and sprightly step make you almost think the quiet executive has discovered the fountain of youth. In fact, he’s discovered the cauldron of accelerated aging: In...
Love Benefit
Designer Jacquelyne Love and her husband, the Beach Boys’ Mike Love, raised more than $200,000 for the Red Cross at their Oct. 10 Fashion for Passion show and concert and the online charity auction tha...
DMC Considers Weekday Markets
The Dallas Market Center is considering shifting future market schedules away from the current weekend format to a weekday schedule, DMC officials said....
Bebe Accessorizes
Brisbane, Calif.–based Bebe Stores Inc., purveyor of sexy clothes for 20-somethings, announced a new store concept that would bring the brand’s sensibility to accessories, handbags and...
China Agrees to Limit Textile Exports Through 2008
After more than three months of intense trade talks, China has agreed to limit its textile exports to the United States until the end of 2008....
Friday, November 4
Tarrant Slashes Fiscal Outlook, Stock Drops
Citing a variety of reasons, including a soft denim market, lost distribution channels and unexpected shipping costs, Los Angeles– based private-label manufacturer Tarrant Apparel Group droppe...
Cook Joins Hot Topic As President
City of Industry, Calif.–based retailer Hot Topic hired Jerry Cook as president, a new position for the company. He will report to Chief Executive Officer Betsy McLaughlin....
Rate Raised
The Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate a quarter point to 4 percent, marking the 12th consecutive raise in the key short-term interest rate. The Fed indicated that additional “measur...
Job Growth
Greater Los Angeles added more than 60,000 non-farm jobs this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment in the region including Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana was up by...
Blue's New Holding
Commercebased Blue Holdings Inc. has struck an agreement with Taverniti So Jeans LLC to acquire the assets and liabilities of Taverniti So Jeans. As a result, the company created Taverniti Holdings LL...
Fashion as Art
The Cal State Fullerton Grand Central Art Center is hosting “Fashion Front,” a two-part multimedia exhibition and fashion show. The events f...
Liz Buys Prana
Liz Claiborne Inc. is acquiring Skylark Sport Marketing Corp., a Vista, Calif., firm that makes yoga wear and outdoor clothing under the Prana label, for an initial payment of $34.4 million...
Timberland, Transparently
Stratham, N.H.–based outdoor apparel company The Timberland Co. is going for more transparency. In the company’s recently released corporate social responsibility report (its third), it lists the names ...
New at Ashworth
Carlsbad-based golf-apparel maker Ashworth Inc. named John W. Richardson director of the company’s board beginning Dec. 12. Richardson is senior vice president, controller and chief accounting officer of Qwest...
Californian Brings Premium Fashions to Hawaii
Contemporary streetwear will head to the land of Aloha shirts when Los Angeles–based showroom owner Jason Bates produces the Coconuts & Bananas trade show for premium denim and streetwear....
Jainesse: Taking Denim to New Heights
For Jaycia Gayle, designing her premium denim line, Jainesse, is a dream come true. The former retail sales associate for Ron Herman and Nordstrom created her line of high-waisted j...
L.A. Designers Head to China With Governor
A touch of California fashion is accompanying Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on his weeklong trade mission to China later this month....
Gap Bows New Store Format in San Diego
Gap Inc. unveiled its new store look, with larger fitting rooms and a jeans bar, this October in San Diego, the second-largest city in California....
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Oligo Tissew
Oligo Tissew designer Kristopher Enuke went for the dramatic at his
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Sheri Bodell
Los Angeles designer Sheri Bodell took a trip back to the 1960s for her
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: HelenO
Designer Helen Olds played with contrasts for her
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Desanka
Desanka Fasiska took her audience on an African safari for her
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Carlos Rosario
Los Angeles designer Carlos Rosario had a high-profile debut last season when Vogue editrix Anna Wintour sat in on his show at Smashbox Studios. This season, Rosario took a ...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Daenamon
Orange County–based designer Chad Johannessen put a graphic spin on punk style with his
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Szulika
Monica Nahum of Los Angeles–based
Socks Under Quota, Ski Pants Free
You may have to start taking out a scorecard to keep track of what imported apparel items are under quota....
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Maggie Barry
Maggie Barry paid homage to Sergio Leone and the spaghetti Western with a collection of modern sexy Western silhouett...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Candice Held
In Candice Held’s hands, a scarf is no mere accessory—it’s the entire ensemble. The designer presented her Cand...
Frederick's Turns Up the Brights
Frilly and feminine are two perennial trends for lingerie. But Los Angeles–based Frederick’s of Hollywood also included striking colors in its Spring 2006 collection of soft and romant...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Morphine Generation
With guitars and a drum set providing a backdrop, it was no surprise that the
Theodore Opening a Pair of New Boutiques
Beverly Hills’ iconic Rodeo Drive is dominated by flagship stores for high-profile brands from Europe such as Hermegrave;s, Prada and Valentino, but a store born on this stre...
Betsey Johnson Does L.A.
Betsey Johnson made no formal appearance at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Sudios, but Betsey-mania came to town on Oct. 22....
Western Denim
Western was only the beginning for artist Benjamin Sanchez, designer of the
Paige Debuts Men's Denim, Opens L.A. Store
Paige Premium Denim debuted earlier this year, and for its second act, the label will both debut PPD, a line of premium denim for men, and open a new store, called Paige, at...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Sewdown
The 10 independent clothing designers who showed at the
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Directives West
Simply put, denim, feminine and ethnic looks will be among the most important
Lycra Brand Unveils New Stretch Denim Technology
Invista Inc., the apparel and home-textiles division of Wichita, Kan.–based Koch Industries, unveiled its new four-way stretch denim, XFit Lycra, during Los...
Mike & Chris: Taking Hoodies Upscale
A simple concept has turned into a huge success for husband-and-wife design duo Mike Gonzalez and Christine Park-Gonzalez. The couple launched their collection of innovative hoodies last Spring for F...
Josh Podoll: Art-Driven Tees Lead to Full Sportswear Collection
San Francisco–based abstract painter Josh Podoll made his art functional with the launch of his self-named T-shirt line in 2004. The embroidered and hand-screen-painted T-shirts in organic c...
New Balance Store Opens in Torrance, More Planned
Paul Tordella has been outfitting marathoners and joggers with sneakers and high-performance clothes at his FrontRunners store in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood since 1977. He op...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: A Friend of Mine
This season, Torrance, Calif.–based designer Kelly Marshall experimented with blouson shapes for her A Fr...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Saja
Although Saja’s Yoo Lee regressed to childhood to find inspiration for her
Marianne in Montebello
Secaucus, N.J.–based retail chain Urban Brands Inc. will enter the California market on Nov. 5 when it opens its first Marianne and Marianne Plus store in Montebello. Marianne and Marianne Plus cater t...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Jared Gold
By the time designer Jared Gold moved his company from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City in 2003, he had already built a devoted following for his theatrical, conceptual designs. This season, he returned ...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Sharagano
This season, Sharagano offered plenty of suggestions for what to wear with sexy, low-rise denim. The result was on the runway Oct. 22 at the P.KaBu runway series....
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Harajuku Lovers
The Hollywood Museum in the Max Factor Building was the scene of the season’s most hush-hush party held during Los Angeles Fashion Week. Thrown in honor of Harajuku...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Eye on Izze
Colorado-based soft-drink producer Izze was the inspiration behind designs at the Oct. 21...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Petro Zillia
It’s no secret that designer Nony Tochterman knows how to put on a good show, but on Oct. 20, she proved she also knows how to throw a good party. Over 800 people attended her...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Spy Zone Exchange
Los Angeles–based Jacky Elkaim launched Spy Zone Exchange four years ago as a T-shirt line. He has expanded into a full collection now, and the line is making inroads on the L.A. fas...
Levi's Celebrates History at L.A. Fashion Week
There will always be a new denim flavor of the month, but Levi Strauss & Co. has a leg up on what none of the new kids on the block has—a history. Levi’s celebrated its 15...
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: St. John
The most anticipated show of the week delivered plenty of good fashion but not the expected celebrities....
L.A. Fashion Week Spring '06: Buffalo David Bitton and David Bitton
It’s a Canadian-based label, but Buffalo David Bitton captured the mood of the American West like a native...
