California Apparel News

At first glance, it looks as if Los Angeles–based sportswear line Tianello has been stuck in a time warp. The 16-year-old company still does all of its manufacturing in downtown Los Angeles. Most of its business is in the sometimes-lagging misses category, and most of its manufacturing is done without the high-tech machinery that its counterparts use.

Some would say that business model is out of date, but for the company’s chief executive officer, Steve Barraza, that’s the only way to do business in the current market climate as retailers continue to buy closer to season.

“We cut to order and turn things around in one to two weeks,” he said, noting that his company can provide garments in a more timely manner than companies that produce overseas. In addition, the Tencel-based fabrics his company uses are too delicate for today’s computerized cutting machines. As for moving his manufacturing offshore, he held out the possibility.

“We may move some of it there some day,” he said.

Barraza, a long-haired free spirit who spends most of his free time writing songs and taking care of his two young children, is not the typical apparel-industry chief executive officer. He got into the business “on a fluke” in the 1980s, buying roller skates from a guy named Robert Y. Greenberg, who would soon launch a high-flying footwear company named L.A. Gear. Barraza became vice president of merchandising of L.A. Gear and, among other things, was responsible for creating the company’s flashy logo.

At Tianello, he runs the business with his two brothers and an army of loyal employees. The atmosphere is familiar, with potlucks taking place among employees who have been with the company since the beginning.

Barraza said he thinks that might be the formula for success in Los Angeles, where much of the large-volume business has migrated offshore. Tianello, a private company, does not disclose balance-sheet figures, but Barraza said the company has been growing at a 15 percent to 20 percent clip for the past seven years.

Focus on Tencel

The company specializes in Tencel-based garments. In fact, it claims to be the largest distributor of Tencel products in the United States. Tencel is a cellulose-based fiber that employs nanotechnology for strength and comfort. It has the characteristics of several fibers wrapped into one, with the fine hand of silk and the strength of polyester. It keeps users warm in cool weather and cool in hot weather, Barraza explained. (Tencel is the name of the fiber, fabric and company that makes the Tencel-branded version of lyocell fibers. The Tencel company was acquired three years ago by Austrian textile giant Lenzing AG.)

About 80 percent of Tianello’s line uses Tencel or Tencel blends. The company is known for its exotic prints featuring Oriental, floral, cultural and artistic themes.

“It’s garment-dyed, so there’s no dry cleaning involved. It’s dyed with reactive colors using German-engineered machines,” Barraza explained.

Wholesale prices range from $44 to $88, and the product line includes women’s tops, bottoms and jackets and men’s shirts and pants. The company has an estimated 4,000 styles in its catalog and about 4,000 accounts, made up of mostly better boutiques.

“It’s quite unusual compared to everything else,” said Deborah Jackson, buyer for Cotton Club, a Sacramento, Calif., boutique. “Our customers are attracted to their overdyed shirts. The fabric is quality, and it really sells itself.”

Added Steven Jordan, owner of the Sakura boutique in San Francisco: “It takes dye really well, and the fabric stays cool when it’s warm. It’s refreshing.”

Next step: cyberspace, retail

With a solid retail network in place, Barraza is concentrating on bringing Tianello to the next level. After years of trade advertising, the company has launched its first consumer ad campaign with back-cover spots in Frontier Airlines’ in-flight magazine, Wild Blue Yonder. Barraza’s brother Tim Barraza is vice president of merchandising and is launching an ambitious Web venture with a new wholesale B2B site at www.tianello.biz, as well as upgrading the consumer site, www.tianello.com, which features a new online store locator. Another brother, Rick Barraza, is vice president of finished product and has been working with architects to launch the company’s first flagship store in Manhattan Beach, Calif., in a few months.

(Coincidentally, the store is located across from the headquarters of Skechers Inc., founded by Barraza’ s old friend Greenberg, of L.A. Gear fame.)

In yet another project, Barraza is working with the founders of footwear label Clarks of England to create a subbrand at Tianello called Soul of Africa, which will feature unique cultural prints. Proceeds of sales will help create jobs and place orphans of families stricken with AIDS in South Africa. The line is currently in production.

Barraza, who has a new CD release pending, said running an apparel company these days is very similar to songwriting.

“This is the closest thing to songwriting that I can think of,” he said. “There’s a multilayering process with different elements involved in both.”

When asked how the company has managed to prosper as a domestic manufacturer, Barraza said, “I refuse to quit. I like this business. It’s very challenging and very creative.”