California Apparel News

The Textile Association of Los Angeles, the 66-year-old organization founded to represent textile sales representatives, is undergoing a transformation since its partnership with the California Fashion Association earlier this year.

But despite some dramatic changes, new TALA President Brian Weitman says many of the things for which the organization has been known will remain the same.

“Change is good,” said Weitman, chief executive officer of STC-QST and a longtime member of the TALA board. “We’re making the right kind of changes to make TALA valuable in future years.”

One of the most visible changes is the closure of the TALA office at the California Market Center. The organization will no longer maintain an office or a full-time staffer to answer questions from walk-in visitors.

(The TALA phone number, (213) 627-6173, and e-mail, info@talausa.org, remain the same, and all queries will be routed to specific TALA members.)

“Our business model is a lot more simplified,” Weitman said. “We’ve eliminated the overhead; it’s allowed us to become more efficient and lean.”

Another change is the TALA Directory, a compendium of contact information about TALA members. In the past, TALA sold a bound hard copy of the directory. Beginning at the end of April, the directory will be free and online only. The listing will be more comprehensive, as well, because the organization is broadening its membership to allow individual memberships, as well as company and corporate memberships. Weitman said the change in membership requirements will allow TALA to open up membership to textile mills, dyehouses and other companies involved in the apparel and textile industry.

There will also be sponsorship opportunities, including logo placement on the TALA Web site; strategy sessions; corporate programs; and events.

TALA will continue to host its scholarship program and its annual Christmas party for local boys and girls clubs.

“The scholarship event is a big priority for us,” Weitman said. “We want to work to make sure that’s sustainable. It is an inspirational moment for [the students] to be recognized by the industry.”

TALA will retain its autonomy from CFA—including maintaining its own budget and its own board of directors.

In addition to Weitman, TALA board members include Mitch Naidrich, Mathew Rabin, Jack Leighton, Brian Thaler, Ann Davis and Dan Sassower. There will also be a scholarship-foundation chair and committee.

Weitman said despite all the changes for the organization, it is important to maintain TALA’s history. In addition to board members with just a few years of experience, the 2010 board includes three past presidents, Thaler, Davis and Sassower.

The partnership with CFA allows TALA to take advantage of the networking opportunities with CFA members and its business events. Weitman has been a member of CFA for about 12 years and is on the organization’s advisory board. CFA, headed by President Ilse Metchek, was founded in 1995 to be a resource for the apparel industry. The organization gathers and distributes statistics and other industry data, informs its members about ongoing issues affecting the industry, and promotes the California apparel industry around the world.

“I wouldn’t think of taking on this task without Ilse and the CFA as a backbone,” Weitman said.

Having TALA under the CFA umbrella is a natural fit, Metchek said.

“We need the textile component of the industry. Nothing happens in fashion without textiles,” she said. “It’s a natural progression from apparel to the source.”

Web relaunch, GlobalTex promotion

At the end of the month, TALA will unveil its newly redesigned Web site (www.talausa.org). When the resource directory goes live at the end of April, the TALA site will feature textile resource listings and contact information, a glossary of textile times, and other industry indexes.

“Our goal is to have TALA as a bookmark on the desktops of fashion designers, production managers and owners to use as a regular reference tool,” Weitman said.

TALA will also continue to support GlobalTex, the Los Angeles textile trade show launched in 2009.

“We think GlobalTex has done a good job investing money and resources to build a first-class textile show,” Weitman said. “We’re proud of what we accomplished with GlobalTex.”

The show recently concluded its third edition at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Although traffic has increased since the show launched, it still remains less than the long-standing Los Angeles International Textile Show at the California Market Center. The two shows have been competing for exhibitors and attendees since GlobalTex first launched.Both shows could see an uptick in attendees next season, when their show dates overlap. The Los Angeles International Textile Show is set to run Sept. 27–29, and GlobalTex is scheduled to run Sept. 28–30.

As TALA shifts its focus, one of the casualties will be its annual TALA Playday, a golf and dinner outing organized as an opportunity for textile reps to socialize with each other and their customers.

TALA was founded to be a networking organization for textile reps, and many of its activities were social opportunities for Los Angeles’ community of textile sales representatives, Weitman said.

The current industry environment made it difficult for people to devote the time to TALA’s social activities, which made it a good time to retool the organization to put the focus on business opportunities.

“We want to do a better job of keeping the industry informed,” Weitman said. “The stronger TALA is the stronger the industry is.”—Alison A. Nieder