Friday, September 28
TJX Settles
Framingham, Mass.–based discount retailer TXJ Cos. has settled a class-action lawsuit in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico regarding a claim of a computer security breach. The estimated costs of the se...
Intermix Enters the Mix in L.A.
If you’re looking to make an entrance in Los Angeles, this is a pretty good way to do it....
Gen Art Announces Fresh Faces Lineup
Gen Art’s 10th annual Fresh Faces in Fashion young designer showcase will kick off Los Angeles Fashion Week on Oct. 12 at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The 1...
Blue Holdings Drops Life & Death, Set to Shutter Stores
Blue Holdings, the publicly traded premium-denim manufacturer, has announced that it will discontinue its Life & Death brand, close its two retail stores and dismiss 35 employees...
Survey Says: E-Commerce Sales Skyrocket
E-commerce beat its growth forecasts in 2006, according to a Shop.org and Forrester Research survey, “The State of Retailing Online,” which was released Sept. 18. The n...
More of Everything at N.Y. Trade Shows
NEW YORK—There was a little more of everything for retailers attending the recent trade shows in New York: more exhibitors, more buyers shopping the shows, and more days to shop among...
Erin Braxton: Elegant Comfort
Erin Braxton takes the lazy comfort of pajamas and elevates it to fashionable loungewear also fit for a weekend wardrobe....
Bernie Dexter for Lucy B.
When Michelle Landry teamed up with the 1950s pinup-style model Bernie Dexter for a new line of vintage reproduction lingerie, they set out to be as true to the original vintage pieces as possible. Th...
Carol Malony: Detail After Detail
After nearly a decade-long hiatus, lingerie designer Carol Malony has relaunched her eponymous lingerie brand for Spring 2007....
Importers Prepare for a Post-2008 World
The world of apparel importing will change drastically at the end of 2008....
Sock Safeguards Considered
When sock imports from Honduras jumped 50 percent last year, sock manufacturers in the United States grew nervous....
True North
Vernon-based premium-denim lifestyle label True Religion has opened a 1,233-square-foot store in Northern California in The Village at Corte Madera. The store is True Religion’s 12th and is located alo...
California Designers Among 'Project Runway' Lineup
Bravo TV’s hit fashion reality show, “Project Runway,” will return Nov. 14 for its fourth season of design and drama. The Emmy-nominated show, which pits designers again...
NPD Studies Sports
Sporting goods, including apparel, footwear, equipment and bikes, rang up $256 billion worldwide in 2003, marking a 4 percent increase in sales over the previous year, according to Port Washington, N.Y...
JCPenney Goes Greener
Plano, Texas–based J.C. Penney Co. Inc., operator of JCPenney stores, has expanded its environmental-initiative program. The company will open a new green store in Denver and will expand its energymanagement program for new a...
Centric Offers New Take on PLM
Developers at San Jose, Calif.–based Centric Software hope to take online product development to the next level with a new set of sourcing, specs and line planning applications, which they called the ...
Friday, September 21
Surf Expo: Basics and Then Some
ORLANDO, FLA.—Just one week after showing at San Diego’s Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo, California’s surf, streetwear and skate brands trekked cross-country to Surf Expo, held Sept. 14–16 at Orland...
Prince Rupert Port Prepares for Container Ships to Call Soon
The Port of Prince Rupert, located along the mist-shrouded upper reaches of Canada’s west coast, once was planned as a land link to ship Chinese silk from Asia to Europe....
State-Mandated Health-Care Proposals Rankle Apparel Businesses
Even though the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce has endorsed a controversial statewide program making all businesses pay for employee health-care coverage, most people in the apparel industry...
Retail-Construction Company Expands West
Hackettstown, N.J.–based construction company Mackenzie Keck Inc. has opened a West Coast office in Monterey, Calif., to answer demand for new retail projects throughout California and the Wes...
L.A. Contract Group Opens Shop in S.F.
The Evans Group, the Los Angeles–based contracting shop that provides everything from samples and patterns to full-production services for contemporary and young designer labels, is expanding ...
For Harveys' Owners, Their Shop is Their Castle
The workplace should be as comfortable as a living room....
Textile Design Companies See Future in Digital
It was not that long ago that Corey Schwartz would meet apparel industry workers so technologically inept they thought the CD-ROM tray was a cup holder. Then there was the guy who thought no one would...
New Stores For Prana
Vista-based active-lifestyle brand Prana plans to open its first retail stores in Santa Clara, Calif., and Boulder, Colo., in 2007. Prana worked with San Francisco–based design firm Gensler to create a prototype store...
Warnaco Cuts Swim to Focus on Calvin Klein
The New York–based apparel The Warnaco Group, Inc. announced it is severely whittling down its swim business, which includes Michael Kors, MICHAEL Michael K...
Desert Jewel El Paseo Due for a Polishing
El Paseo Drive, the tony shopping district that lies just east of Palm Springs, Calif., is getting a makeover....
Grammy: Mixing Music and Fashion
The Grammy Awards is no longer just an awards show. Beginning this fall, the Grammy brand will extend into clothing, footwear, jewelry and accessories through a number of partnerships with mo...
SIMA Liquid Nation Ball Raises $250,000
On Sept. 8, the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association’s fourth annual Liquid Nation Ball hauled in more than $250,000 to benefit a variety of surf-related humanitarian o...
Hera: Pretty Chic
Los Angeles–based designer Mia Kim is frustrated with shopping. “Designer-level pieces are so expensive. And then if you go to a lower tier, the clothes don’t fit very well, and it just isn’t flattering,...
Liz Sells Four to Li & Fung
New York–based manufacturing giant Liz Claiborne Inc. sold four of its brands to Li & Fung USA, a division of Hong Kong–based Li & Fung Ltd. Li & Fung will become the owners of the Emma Jame...
New EVP/CFO for Ann Taylor
New York–based Ann Taylor Stores Corp. named Michael J. Nicholson executive vice president and chief financial officer. Nicholson is a former Limited Brands Inc. executive who served as executive vice president and ch...
Kenneth Cole Acquires Le Tigre
New York–based footwear and apparel maker Kenneth Cole Productions purchased the Le Tigre trademark, its tiger logo, its portfolio of licenses and other intellectual property associated with the Le Tigre mark....
Macy's Passport at 25: A Fashionable Party for the Cure
The notion of Elizabeth Taylor and $25 million sharing a room may sound like the plot for a movie. But the Hollywood icon and the fortune will be part of the story at Macy’s Passport ...
Sun Capital Submits Bid to Buy Kellwood
Boca Raton, Fla.–based private investment firm Sun Capital Securities Group LLC has offered an unsolicited bid to buy all outstanding shares of St. Louis–based manufacturing giant Kell...
James Perse Bets on Basics in Beverly Hills Flagship
Basics or classics?...
Design, Pattern-Making Company Launches in L.A.
Unlimited Design Services—which offers pattern-making, design and consultant services for apparel manufacturers—has opened an office in Los Angeles....
Galanos Honored at Rodeo Drive Walk of Style
James Galanos helped pioneer California fashion when he debuted the Galanos Originals fashion label in 1951. He retired in 1998, but he will be honored in his fashion label’s hometown on Oct. ...
Two Rodeo Sells for $275m
Luxury shopping venue Two Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills has been sold for an estimated $275 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield real estate brokers, who represented...
On the Fiber Front
DuPont Expands Eco Initiative Wilmington, Del.–based DuPont has long touted the performance attributes of its innovative fibers, but now with the eco trend it is playing up the renewable resources angl...
Friday, September 14
Fashion Focused at ASR and Agenda
Buyers, surfers and skaters descended upon San Diego for the double whammy of the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo Sept. 7-9 at the San Diego Convention Center and...
Los Feliz: After the Swinging
The 1996 film “Swingers” was shot at Los Feliz bars such as The Dresden Room, and the neighborhood still buzzes with the lively energy of people going out for a drink or chowin...
New Name
Belk, the largest privately owned department-store chain in the United States, has completed the name change on the 25 Parisian department stores it acquired last year from Saks Inc. Sixteen of the fo...
Barneys New York Opens in S.F.
Specialty retailer joins growing high-end retailer scene in San Francisco ...
N.Y. Fashion Week Parked Until 2010
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York will remain in Bryant Park for two more years thanks to a deal struck between show producers IMG Fashion and the New York Cit...
Rock Steady's Adeline Gets Web Deal in the U.K.
Rocky Steady Clothing, a division of Santa Ana, Calif.-based Steady Clothing has reached an agreement with United Kingdom-based online retailer EBTM to launch an ...
Prepping Preps for Fashion Careers
Pasadena, Calif.-based Fashion Prep L.A. has launched a new program for high school students looking to enter the fashion industry....
Eleksen Expands Distribution for Interactive Apparel Devices
United Kingdom–based Eleksen Group plc, which supplies components for interactive clothing such as iPod jackets, has opened its distribution up to the general trade with a new product...
Green Fabrics to Highlight Material World N.Y.
Eco fabrics, product development and design software, along with a diverse group of offshore manufacturers, will greet buyers during the Sept. 25–27 run of Material World New York at ...
Doneger's Wolfe Leads Material World Seminars
Trend authority David Wolfe of The Doneger Group will lead a cast of experts during the seminar series of the Material World New York fabrics, sourcing and technology show, set for ...
Christian Weber Opens Store in Seoul, Joins Milan Lineup
Los Angeles–based designer Christian Weber has opened a store in Seoul, Korea....
Citizens of Humanity Acquires Goldschmied's Label, Laundry
Huntington Park, Calif.–based premium-denim maker Citizens of Humanity has acquired denim veteran Adriano Goldschmied’s premium-denim brand, GoldSign, and Laundry Atelier, Goldschmied...
Glam.com Goes Beyond E-tail
Two years ago, Glam launched a “fashion start-up” Web site at
Growing Larger
Redcats Group, the home-shopping arm of French luxury goods group PPR, is acquiring United Retail Group Inc., a retailer of large-size women’s fashion based in Rochelle Park, N.J., for $198.9 million. The deal comes on the heels of P...
Deal Done
Jones Apparel Group Inc. wrapped up the loose ends on its $945 million sale of Barneys New York to Istithmar PJSC, a private-equity and alternative-investment firm based in Dubai. That is more than do...
Suits Filed Against Kenpo
Kenpo Inc.—the Los Angeles company known for its iPod jacket, unveiled in 2005, as well as its collection of jeans, shirts and urban fleecewear—is being sued by several companies claim...
Billabong Buys Xcel
Billabong International has announced its acquisition of Xcel, the Hawaii-based maker of wetsuits and watersports accessories that was awarded the Surf Industry Manufacturers Associ...
Container Traffic at U.S. Ports Sets Record
That cargo just keeps on coming....
Browzwear Unveils New 3-D Tools
Tel Aviv, Israel–based Browzwear International has released a new version of its VStitcher 3-D design software....
Margiela's Surprise Store
Most retailers fight for space at the top retail streets—except Martin Margiela....
Sewing With Renewed HOPE in Haiti
The heat was stifling in the cavernous space in an industrial park near Port-au-Prince’s international airport. Yet many of the 600 workers in the Caribbean Apparel Manufacturing S.A...
Lectra Teams With ICCG Consultants
Lectra executives said they have entered into a partnership with Warminster, Penn.–based Independent Computer Consulting Group Inc. (ICCG), to provide implementation and other consult...
Nikita Loves Boys
After seven years of creating edgy looks for girls in action sports, Icelandic boardsports brand Nikita is turning its attention to guys. For Fall 2007, the company, whose U.S. headq...
Lyon, Mode City: Setting the Trends
LYON, France—Cutting-edge trends. The Lyon, Mode City and Interfiliegrave;re trade shows showcased a visionary perspective for lingerie, beachwear and fabric trends during the event’s Sept. 1–...
Rory Beca
Bold prints and beautiful fabric choices have garnered designer Rory Edelman a slew of fans in a relatively short time. Designed and produced in Los Angeles, Edelm...
Loudermilk Men: Luxury After Hemp
A Wall Street deal maker wrapped in a hemp suit might sound like a fantasy, but for Los Angeles designer Linda Loudermilk, it is no dream. Instead it’s the next frontier in eco-fashion....
Quick Facts: Haiti
bull; The Republic of Haiti covers 10,714 square miles of the island of Hispanola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic. The country is approximately the size of Maryland with a total popula...
Filling the Gap
Specialty retailer The Wet Seal Inc. announced its Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President John Luttrell has resigned to take a similar position with Old Navy, a division of Gap Inc., in San Fran...
Quiksilver Courts Women
Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Quiksilver will debut a brand for Fall 2008 aimed at an unlikely target: 20-something women. “We are positioning the line at the better-best end...
Gerber Names Marketing VP
William H. Brewster Jr., has been named vice president of global marketing and product management for Tolland, Conn.–based Gerber Technology....
Costa Ricans Go to the Polls Over DR-CAFTA
Costa Rica is holding a national referendum Oct. 7 to vote on whether to join the Dominican Republic–Central American Free Trade Agreement....
Lost Launches Women's Swim
After several strong years of selling juniors apparel, Irvine, Calif.–based Lost Clothing has launched women’s swimwear for 2008. “It just made sense to enhance the line by adding swim,” ...
Going Global
Surfwear maker Hot Tuna, whose U.S. headquarters are in Costa Mesa, has a new chief executive. Niels Anders Juul, a native of Denmark, was named recently to the top spot. Previously he was managing director at Los An...
YMI Goes Behind the Scenes for Holiday Campaign
Los Angeles-based YMI Jeanswear will be taking a different tack to promote its Holiday ’07 denim line....
Friday, September 7
7 Sale Complete
Greensboro, N.C.–based VF Corp. announced its acquisition of the 7 For All Mankind label is complete. The premium-denim lifestyle line will join VF’s other recent purchase, Portland, Ore.–based retailer Lucy, to form VF...
The ABCs of ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning Gets Down to Basics
With the pressure of speed to market, an increasingly global industry, multiple sales channels including the Internet, not to mention a host of other issues making the apparel industry more competitive and ch...
Think Tank: [TC]2's 3-D Body Scanner
[TC]2's 3-D body scanner is just one of the research firm's innovations...
Jones' New e-Executive
New York–based manufacturer Jones Apparel Group Inc. named Ronald Offir president of e-commerce, a new position for the company. Offir was previously president of Kompo e-Commerce Solutions and has served as divisiona...
Counteracting the Counterfeiters
U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosts anti-counterfeiting event in L.A. ...
Paul Frank Industries Wins Trademark Case Against Founder
A U.S. District judge has ruled on the trademark-infringement lawsuit that Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Paul Frank Industries brought against founder Paul Frank Sunich, who was fired in 2005 after negotiations for a buyo...
Container Fee Sidelined Until Next Year
Shippers can breathe a sigh of relief now that a container-fee bill making its way through the California Legislature has been shelved until next year....
American Apparel Deal Marches Ahead
An agreement to acquire American Apparel Inc., the Los Angeles apparel maker and retail chain known for its provocative ads and quirky founder, Dov Charney, was to have been completed by the ...
Fashion Focuses on the Price of Fakes
Los Angeles’ fashion industry loses $617 million every year because of counterfeiting, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp....
August '07: Back-to-School Pushes Retailers to Head of Class
Back-to-School sales gave retailers a boost during August, but will the good business last through the holidays?...
Executive Shift at Gap
San Francisco–based Gap Inc. is losing its chief financial officer. The retail giant announced that Byron Pollitt is leaving to pursue other interests. His duties will be assumed by Sabrina Simmons, who was re...
Blackheart Brotherhood Partners With Allyance
New York–based snowboard outerwear brand Allyance has joined forces with Blackheart Brotherhood, a design an...
Hanes Sues American Apparel
Hanesbrands Inc., a publicly traded underwear and hosiery company spun off from Sara Lee Corp. last year, has filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against American Apparel...
Gottschalks in Elk Grove
Fresno-based department-store chain Gottschalks Inc. will open a 58,000-square-foot prototype store in the Laguna 99 Shopping Center in Elk Grove in November. Compared with other Gottschalks stores, t...
Something for Everyone at Las Vegas Shows
The wide-ranging sprawl of fashion trade shows spread out even further this season when the massive MAGIC Marketplace opened in Las Vegas, offering something for every apparel and accessorie...
