Friday, September 30
Cameo Takes a Bow at Lily Simone
Simone Porter hoped to be the first retailer in the Los Angeles’ neighborhood of Eagle Rock to sell Southern California fashion labels such as Grey Ant and Rachel Pally. She ...
Changes Afoot at Coco Kliks
Los Angeles–based contemporary label Coco Kliks Inc. announced a partnership with Los Angeles–based investment firm Quorom Funds....
Unions Target Wal-Mart
Union leaders have set their sights on the world’s largest retailer. Representatives from the Change to Win Coalition, the group that split from the AFL-CIO earlier this year, promised to organize workers at B...
Barneys, Texas and D.C.
New York–based specialty retailer Barneys New York announced plans to open two Barneys New York Co-op stores this spring, a 9,000-square-foot store at the Houston Galleria and a 10,500-square-foot freestanding...
CMC's Brazilian Import
A vibrant burst of color was added to the 10th floor of the California Market Center in August with the opening of the Beija Brazil lingerie showroom in suite B1079. The contemporary...
Katrina Sinks Confidence
The Consumer Confidence Index fell in September to its lowest point in two years, according to the Conference Board, which attributed the drop to Hurricane Katrina, rising gas prices and a “less optimistic job...
Researching RFID
Radio Frequency Identification technology is going to college. The University of Pittsburgh is creating a Radio Frequency Identification Center of Excellence at its Pittsburgh campus to expand its study of th...
Workers' Study Says AB633 Has Long Way To Go
California’s Assembly Bill 633, a bill crafted to assist in the enforcement of labor laws, has yet to achieve its promised results, according to a study written by several garment workers’ advocate grou...
Hot Kiss Eyes
Los Angeles–based junior brand Hot Kiss has struck a licensing deal for eyewear with Plainview, N.Y.–based Eyeking LLC. The collection will launch for Spring 2006 and is targeted at department and speci...
Sears' 11
Hoffman Estates, Ill.–based retailer Sears Holding Corp. has named the 11th member of its board of directors: Richard C. Perry, co-founder of Perry Capital LLC, an investment management firm based in N...
Importers in Holding Pattern as U.S., China Debate Safeguards
To import apparel from China these days, you need the combined skills of a mathematician, a lawyer and a psychic....
Branching Out
There’s a new factor in town. The Israel Discount Bank, or IDBBank, celebrated the opening of its new downtown Los Angeles branch with a huge party on Sept. 28. Hundreds of people gathered inside a b...
Men's Jeans Labels Experiment With Color-Cautiously
Men have traditionally been conservative with their choice of color in denim, but the Spring 2006 season might bring something new besides the highly popular indigo-blue denims....
Spring Cleans Up at Coterie, D&A and The Train
NEW YORK—The Big Apple was bustling as buyers, manufacturers and sales reps convened for the trade shows that followed New York Fashion Week. There was excitement over the n...
Acrobat Bra Goes Wireless
Most women tolerate the discomfort of an underwire bra for the flattering look. But for women who have had breast augmentation, an underwire bra is not only uncomfortable but could be harmful, according to Li...
Von Furstenberg Lands on Melrose
Melrose Avenue remains a lure for designers with an international reputation and an interest in retail....
Lingerie Meets Lifestyle
Booty Parlor’s sexy lingerie is teaching naughty tricks to nice girls. In addition to lingerie, the lifestyle company Booty Parlor sells mischievous bedroom accessories and body treats such as...
RonHerman.com Is Tip of Expansion for Specialty Retailer
Ron Herman, a pioneer of the specialty-store sector in Los Angeles, has prided himself on following nobody’s lead during his 35 years in retailing. Yet when he was thinking of ways to expand h...
East Coast Knits
On Sept. 17, Los Angeles–based Suss Design opened a store in anhattan at 281 Lafayette St., said Suss Cousins, the Swedish-born owner-designer of the 10-year-old knitwear company. The 1,600-square-fo...
Friday, September 23
L.A. Fashion Will Be the Belle of New Show
“Belle Du Jour,” a 30-minute newsmagazine-style fashion show, will focus on Los Angeles labels and retailers, said senior producer Jamie Nelson. The show will debut Oct...
Boutique to Introduce Brazilian Fashions
Flavia Mosci opened her first boutique, called Mosci, at 7813 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles, on Sept. 13. She’s gambling that California fashionistas will buy new Brazilian fashions....
Pickett In at Innovo
Los Angeles–based Innovo Group, maker of Joe’s Jeans and Indie denim labels, hired Elena Pickett as vice president of sales, a new position for the company. Pickett comes to the company from Liz Claiborne...
Mossimo Buy Back
Mossimo Giannulli, founder of Santa Monica–based Mossimo Inc., announced plans to purchase the remaining outstanding shares of his company for $5 per share in cash. Giannulli currently owns a 65 percen...
Price Gets Lucky
Or rather Lucky gets Price. Los Angeles–based manufacturer and retailer Lucky Brand Jeans has hired retail veteran Paul Price as executive vice president. According to a statement released by...
Tweedy to Head House of Dereon
Los Angeles–based Tarrant Apparel Group named Jeffrey Tweedy president of Tarrant’s licensed apparel line, House of Dereon, founded by musician Beyonceacute; Knowles and her mother, Tina Knowles. Tweedy is a 25...
New York-based Iconix Brand Buys Rampage Label
Iconix Brand Group Inc., the New York–based owner of the Candie’s, Badgley Mischka, Joe Boxer and Bongo trademarks, purchased the Rampage brand for...
Federated Stores to Reorganize Into 7 Divisions
Federated Department Stores Inc. said it would operate through seven geographic divisions after Feb. 1, 2006, in the wake of its acquisition of May Department Stores Co. ...
Wal-Mart Suit
A jury in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland, Calif., heard testimony that Wal-Mart workers were often denied meal breaks, according to the Los Angeles Times, which is covering the cas...
Rate Hike, Again
The Federal Reserve raised a key interest rate a quarter percentage point to 3.75, marking the 11th consecutive rate hike since June 2004 and boosting the short-term Federal Funds rate to its highest ...
OptiTex Adds Cloth Simulator
New York–based OptiTex USA Inc. is adding a cloth-simulation tool to its Runway 3-D software that facilitates the importing of human body scans....
Sample Sale to Increase Awareness of Deadly Disease
Long Beach, Calif.–based apparel manufacturer Bellablu is putting fashion to work in the hope of creating awareness of a rare but deadly disease, multiple myeloma....
Tukatech to Outfit Vocational Centers in India
Los Angeles–based CAD/CAM supplier Tukatech Inc. has won a contract with the Apparel Export Promotion Council of India and will install 168 TukaCAD design s...
Oakley's Jannard Steps Down
Jim Jannard, chief executive officer of Foothill Ranch, Calif.–based Oakley Inc. announced plans to step down from the company he founded in 1975. Scott Olivet has been named director and chief executive officer in Jannard...
PAD Debuts PDM Software
Montreal-based PAD System Technologies Inc. has debuted a new Web–based product–data management package called Manager 4.5....
Liz Taps Thomas-Graham
New York– based Liz Claiborne named Pamela Thomas-Graham group vice president overseeing the company’s Liz Claiborne, Sigrid Olsen, J.H. Collectibles, Emma James, Intuitions and Tapemeasure labels. Thom...
Pumped-Up Fuel Prices Bump Up Shipping Costs
The price to ship apparel across the ocean from Asia has risen steadily in recent months due to mounting fuel prices, and it is about to go up again on Oct. 1....
A Talk With the Fashion Industries Guild's Man of the Year
On Oct. 8, the Fashion Industries Guild of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will honor Moshe Tsabag, president and owner of Los Angeles–based junior-lifestyle brand Hot Kiss Inc. as its M...
New Sales Tools for the Road Rep
The aftermath of a trade show as big as the recent MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas usually involves a mass of paperwork for apparel manufacturers. But for sales executives at Steady Clothing...
As California Fashions Rise, Buying Offices' Business Expands
When New York–based buying office The Doneger Group recently announced plans to open a Los Angeles office, many in the local fashion industry saw the move as an acknowledgement of California designers...
Fashion Industry Reaches Out for Hurricane Victims
The local fashion industry continues to mount a variety of relief efforts to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina....
Tops With a Twist
With the success of shirt lines like Three Dots and C&C California, designer Farida Benderradji thinks the California woman can use another brand or two in her closet....
John Varvatos Debuts New Prototype Store
John Varvatos tried a new design direction when he opened a 4,219- square-foot store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Sept. 12. Unlike the California bungalow–inspired ...
Good Weather Makes for Good Numbers at Surf Expo
ORLANDO, Fla.—Exhibitors and attendees enjoyed clear skies and increased attendance at Surf Expo, held Sept. 16–18 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, a marked contrast from last year...
Friday, September 16
Multiplying 7 Several Times for Profit
Southern California’s 7 for All Mankind is adding up to more choices....
Nordstrom to Expand in Bay Market
Nordstrom will build a new 149,000-square-foot store at the Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton, Calif., replacing an older, smaller store in the center....
Jack's Reopens in Dana Point After 14-Year Absence
So maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder....
AAFA to Host Special Sizes Forum at Material World N.Y.
The American Apparel & Footwear Assn. (AAFA), in collaboration with the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Center for Professional Studies (FIT) and the National ...
Levi's Tour Sizes Up 3-D Fittings
Levi Strauss is resuming its national “Fit Experience” tour in which it places 3-D body scanners in selected company-owned stores to provide customers with the ultimate fitting ...
Hurricane Survey
The American Apparel & Footwear Association and the National Retail Federation are conducting a survey to find out what apparel, footwear and retail companies are doing in response to Hurricane Ka...
Dressing Up Dockers
Levi Strauss & Co. is launching a major marketing campaign for its Dockers division. The San Francisco company announced it will be conducting a full-blown advertising campaign starting this month...
Mooring at the Show
First there were three piers at the biannual Fashion Coterie, held at the Piers on the Hudson. Now there are four. ENK International, which organizes the three-day trade show in New York taking place this sea...
Delta Apparel Inc. Acquires Junkfood Clothing
Los Angeles–based apparel manufacturer Liquid Blaino Designs, which does business as Junkfood Clothing, was acquired in August by Atlanta-based Delta Apparel Inc....
Power To the People
A gaffe by an electrical worker left more than 2 million people in Los Angeles without power on Sept. 12. The midday power outage affected thousands of businesses, from the Fashion District to the San...
Barneys Promotion
Barneys New York, the small chain of high-end stores recently acquired by Jones Apparel Group Inc., announced that Julie Gilhart has been promoted to senior vice president, fashion director/women’s. Previously Gilhart...
High Gas Prices Are Changing Consumers' Shopping Habits
An ACNielsen study shows that high gasoline prices are forcing consumers to alter their shopping ways....
L.A.'s French Affair
Retailer Galeries Lafayette to spotlight Los Angeles brands ...
Retailing for the Boomtown
Boutique owners are prospecting a new market in San Diego’s East Village. ...
Herald Building Slated for Condos
The Hearst Corp. and Los Angeles real estate developer Urban Partners plan to convert a building formerly occupied by the Los Angeles Herald Examiner newspaper in downtown L...
E-Tailers Join Katrina Relief Effort
A number of apparel Web sites have rallied to offer support for the Hurricane Katrina rescue effort....
Girls Get on the Board
As the number of girls skating, snowboarding and surfing increases, sportswear manufacturers are getting in touch with their feminine side. With functional suits, girly rash guards made for riding wav...
ASR Reports Most Successful Show in Years
Surf is riding high again; the proof is in the trade show....
Los Angeles T-Shirt Line Starts Season With Sin
New manufacturer Audrey Roberts got a crash course in the power of celebrity marketing last month....
Lofts Focus on Fashion in Downtown L.A.
When the Eastern Columbia Building in downtown Los Angeles is remodeled into loft-style condos next year, fashion will be all around the landmark structure....
Dema Grim's One-Woman Show in S.F.'s Mission District
SAN FRANCISCO—In the mid-’90s, designer Dema Grim left the hustle and bustle of New York for the laid-back beauty of San Francisco. For five years, Grim had had a flourishing career in Manhattan’s compe...
Friday, September 9
Hot Kiss to Japan
Los Angeles brands Hot Kiss and First Kiss will be sold in Japan. Brand manager Cherokee Inc. has signed a license agreement with Sumikin Bussan Corp. to distribute the brand in that country. The multiyear deal includes juniors...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Teshub
Teshub designer Samuel Taylor mixed preppy and street in T-shirts, polos, blazers and dress shirts with graphics. T-shirt slogans such as “Nuclear Bomb” and “Mohawk” were rebellious and fun. Taylor applie...
Vision for Spring 2006
Fashion shows were a daily occurrence at the MAGIC Marketplace, held Aug. 29–Sept. 1 at the Las Vegas Convention Center....
Swimwear Shines in Las Vegas
The desert was the perfect spot for Heat, a new fashion show organized by WWDMAGIC and the International Swimwear/Activewear Market (ISAM)....
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Mel Rose
The Mel Rose collection, by San Francisco native Melissa Rose, was inspired by mod fashions from the 1960s. A skimpy black-and-red striped two-piece hooded tank suit, a yellow floral...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Lily Samii
Fashion veteran Lily Samii specializes in eveningwear, which sells at her Union Square atelier as well as at Saks Fifth Avenue’s San Francisco store. The designer’s collection featured special-...
Counterfeits to the Gulf Coast
Victims of Hurricane Katrina are receiving 100,000 pieces of clothing from the U.S. government— the spoils of counterfeit busts and over-quota seizures. The offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ...
Seeking Apparel for Hurricane Relief
Several industry organizations are mounting campaigns to help victims of Hurricane Katrina....
Dominican Republic Approves CAFTA
Legislators in the Dominican Republic approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement, joining El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and the United States in ratifying the pact. The action was applauded...
Workers' Concerns Trigger Secondary Sweeps
Nearly one month after their initial sweeps of garment manufacturers throughout California, state labor officials revisited 34 companies in downtown Los Angeles....
FBI, CDC Launch Apparel Hotline
Fashion Business Inc. and the California Design College are setting up a job hotline for the apparel industry....
Green Day's Armstrong to Launch New Line
Santa Ana, Calif.–based Steady Clothing and Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong are collaborating on a new line of punk-inspired clothing called Adeline, named after Armstron...
Mervyn's Hire
Gary Schettino, a former senior vice president at Guess? Inc. and Macy’s West, is the new divisional merchandise manager for menswear at San Lorenzo, Calif.–based Mervyn’s. He will report to Michael Wallen, general merchandise manager ...
Local Clothing Businesses Stung by Katrina
Hurricane Katrina, which displaced thousands along the Gulf Coast, left a path of destruction that trickled into California....
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: The Sweatfree Campaign
Global Exchange, a human rights organization that promotes the sale of sweatshopfree apparel nationwide, enlisted the help of several Bay Area designers and labels ...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Ana Mulford
Ana Mulford sought refuge in romance and geography by creating bright, tropical-inspired womenswear. The Venezuela native chose the tropical rain forest as inspiration for her collection, which featur...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Colleen Quen Couture
San Francisco designer Colleen Quen named her eveningwear and bridal collection “Empresses New Clothes” for its majestic colors and fine fabrics. Quen chose a variety of silk, lace and ribbon details fo...
August '05 Sales Survive Despite Soaring Fuel Prices
Retailers reported solid sales during August, but skyrocketing fuel prices slowed down the brisk pace of shopping for much of this year, according to the International Council of Shopping Cen...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Christina Hurvis
—Claudia Schou
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Levi Strauss & Co.
Women’s and men’s customized apparel took center stage during Levi’s runway show. 1970s-style deconstructed denim pants and skirts with appliqueacute;s and embroidered embellishments, as well as cropped...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: His by Her
Design team Briana Swords, Laura Sato and Kimberlyn Underwood set out to create a collection of menswear for women. The designers used fine Italian silk and wool for the line, which mostly consisted o...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Wee Scotty
Children’s clothing designer Lynne Gallagher reinterprets contemporary styles for girls and sells her line at the Wee Scotty Children’s Boutique and Fashion School on Union Street. On ...
Midwestern Off-Price Company Takes Swing at Surf Market
Is the surf-and-skate industry a “localsonly” zone?...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: quot;Emerging Starsquot;
Students presented the designs at “Emerging Stars,” a roundup of fresh faces on the San Francisco fashion scene. Most students hailed from The Art Institute of California’s fashion...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Oda
Oda’s Bay Area design trio—Angie Kim, Mandalyn Begay and Maggie Kim—make wearable art with all-natural fabrics for men, women and children. Called “Bedouin Princesses,” Oda’s Spring 2006 co...
S.F. Fashion Week Offers a Sampling of Burgeoning Designers
San Francisco’s design community pulled together to celebrate the city’s second annual fashion week Aug. 24–28 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre....
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Saffron Rare Threads
Java, eggplant and olive were the primary colors in Saffron Rare Threads’ Fall 2005 collection. Designers Priya Saraswati and Yugala Priti took their cues from femme fatales such as Lauren Bacall and Ava Gard...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Richard Hallmarq
Contemporary fashion designer Richard Hallmarq got much of his inspiration from traditional Central American dressings and modified them for contemporary fashion lovers. The Panamanian-born designer p...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Valentine Gallery
All-natural fabrics made up the Valentine Gallery collection. Identical twins Jan and Jill Dudensing looked to their family’s history in the art world for inspiration in their clothing designs...
MAGIC Breaks the 100,000 Mark
LAS VEGAS—Consumers are playing dress up....
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Shivani K.
The Shivani K. collection, by designer Shivani K., was chock-full of flashy eveningwear made with chiffon, silk brocade and satin. On the runway, the designer showed a candy...
'Bra Wars' Provide Backdrop for Lyon, Mode City
LYON, France—European Union and Chinese officials reached terms of an agreement to end the so-called “bra wars” on the closing day of lingerie trade show Lyon, Mode City, held S...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Touch Vintage Couture Benefit Show
Fashion Week’s 2005 beneficiary, The Touch Foundation, presented a fashion retrospective featuring creations by notable designers, including Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Carolina Herrera and...
San Francisco Fashion Week '05: Erin Mahoney
A green-and-gold satin crepe gown, a Technicolor fuchsia silk skirt, a black charmeuse tango dress with a butterfly print and a pink plaid ball gown with a plaid “Poppy” top were a few ...
Friday, September 2
Antik Denim Claims Knockoffs Being Sold at MAGIC
When Paul Guez heard the news, he could not believe it....
Survey Finds Second Day at MAGIC Most Productive
The sheer sprawl of the MAGIC Marketplace, with its nearly 1 million square feet of show space and its more than 100,000 attendees, makes it seemingly hard to quantify....
Swimwear and Resort Lines Make a Splash
About 450 people appeared poolside Aug. 15 at the Viceroy hotel in Santa Monica, Calif., to view five swimwear and Resort collections as part of a fund-raiser for the charity Stop th...
Apparel Industry Contributes to Katrina Aid Efforts
As the damage estimates from hurricane Katrina creep past $25 billion, the apparel industry is wasting no time getting involved in the relief effort....
Store Sales Zoom
Most leading national retailers posted upbeat sales for August. Bebe Stores Inc., The Wet Seal Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch Co.and American Eagle Outfitters all posted double-digit increases in sames...
Guess Watches
Los Angeles–based Guess? Inc. and timepiece marketer Fossil Inc. are working on a deal to market Guess watches beginning in January 2007. Fossil plans to form a separate company for the Guess business and util...
Lulu to Forplay
Designer Lulu Ganzer, who helped put Trashy Lingerie on the retail map on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, has joined competitor Forplay’s growing design team. Ganzer brings 20 years of experience ...
New Port Watcher
Kevin Weeks was appointed director of field operations for the Los Angeles region of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Weeks is overseeing all port operations and is directing a workforce of more th...
Haggar Buy
A group of investors led by buyout specialist Infinity Associates LLC has agreed to purchase Dallas- based clothier Haggar Corp. for $212 million. Perseus LLC, a bank and private equity-fund manager in Washin...
Spinning the Classic Accessory Into the Must-Have Handbag
A crop of new handbag designers has put a different spin on the classic accessory, the leather handbag. Styles vary from classic and sophisticated shapes to rock ’n’ roll–inspired designs laced with frin...
New O.C. Shopping Center Sold
Bella Terra, the open-air shopping center under development on the site of the former Huntington Center mall in Huntington Beach, Calif., was sold for $228 million...
Satellite Shows Taken Out of Orbit
LAS VEGAS—Just when you thought MAGIC Marketplace could not get any larger, it has....
New Owner Has Plans for Gerry Building
The Gerry Building in the Los Angeles Fashion District is ready for another makeover....
Troubled Hollywood & Highland Shopping Center to Get Makeover
Ever since it opened nearly four years ago, the Hollywood & Highland Center has been likened to the two large white elephants that hover over its inner courtyard....
Long Beach's Garden of Contemporary
When Alan Hall asked Delilah Camacho to help him remodel his Long Beach, Calif., boutique in 2004, she advised him to try a retail mix that was feminine but with an edge....
