California Apparel News

“Every week I get phone calls from people we’ve worked with at [local] dye houses and contractors. They’re cutting their staff, they’re cutting their hours, they’re closing their doors,” said Avril Ozen, owner/designer of the Los Angeles–based Ogle and Language lines.

Ozen, who produces the vast majority of her lines in the United States, said her continued loyaltyshy;—and that of other domestically produced brands—is keeping some contractors in business—but she fears for the apparel manufacturing community. “I’m the biggest optimist, but there has been such a loss of experience and talent [as factories close down]. We’re losing skills that used to be everywhere. I don’t think [the industry] will ever be like it used to be, but I think if we change, we have a chance at being something different,” she said.

Niche markets—whether they be “green” sourcing or production, highly specialized washes or fabrication techniques, or innovative approaches to vertical manufacturing—can be factors in favor of domestic production, Ozen said. “We’re due for a changing of the guard. We all have to be special, specialized and authentic, and we have to look for a new direction.”

In the meantime, the loss of skilled workers and production resources is forcing Ozen to change her approach to design and manufacturing—something she thinks is healthy. “Designers who produce in L.A. all have the same few people to choose from. It’s very limiting, and so we have to push ourselves in terms of design to make sure that we don’t all look the same,” she said.

Sometimes that means ferreting out new resources, and sometimes it means changing a brand’s approach to design. “Some of the techniques I used to use a lot are just not as readily available anymore, if at all,” Ozen said. Pleating companies and embroiderers, she said, are hard to come by. “There are even some machines and technologies that aren’t available anymore because the factories have closed.” As a result, Ozen’s brands have become more streamlined in aesthetic and cleaner in their design.

Still, Ozen, who launched Soul Mind Breath Life, a new collection of activewear-inspired loungewear for Fall 2010, said producing domestically far outweighs the price benefits of overseas options.

“China is no bed of roses. I’ll [produce there] when I’m hard-pressed to meet a certain price point, but then I lose control of the quality. The subtleties are lost,” she said. “For the price, I can see why [other brands] are tempted to do it. For me, it is more important to have more control. I can literally stand over [a contractor’s] shoulder and not compromise. I get exactly what I want.”

Taking a staggered approach to her design and production helps Ozen navigate some of the pitfalls of domestic production. Language, which offers competitively priced fashion basics priced at $25 to $45 wholesale, acts as the company’s workhorse, with sales outpacing Ozen’s two other brands. Ogle, which takes a more forward and pricier approach to the contemporary tops market, allows Ozen to target a more upscale market and experiment with design. Bodies that perform in Ogle, which has wholesale prices ranging from $25 to $65, can then be interpreted for Language. The new Soul Mind Breath Life brand opens up a new market for the company. “We’ve never done anything like this before, so it’s a challenge, but it is also a breath of fresh air for us,” she said.

Domestic manufacturing also allows Ozen to help her retailers differentiate themselves. “We can respond to trends very quickly, and we can customize [our garments] for our accounts. We can offer them new colors, for example,” she said. “Or we can go to market and see what’s checking and respond immediately.”

Another perk of domestic manufacturing is the ability for designers to take a hands-on approach to the creation of new treatments and techniques. “I invented my own dye,” Ozen said. It will first be used in her Spring 2011 collections. “I’ll tell you how it goes,” she said.—Erin Barajas