California Apparel News

Jack and Georgia Chang have been producing apparel in Los Angeles since 1989, manufacturing garments for premium brands.

When their customers began asking for quality, quick-turn items, they saw an opportunity to launch their own brand. LAmade was introduced in 2004—first as a women’s brand, which then expanded to kids’, as well.

With a third family member, son Elbert Chang, who serves as vice president of sales, the business has now grown to employ 150 workers, including a design and sales team, a product-development group, and an e-commerce and marketing team. Beatrice Guapo and Ayumi Williams lead the design team, homing in on the laid-back LAmadesensibility.

LAmade makes understated clothing achieving a harmony of soft “go-to” basics with novelty knits and outerwear pieces, Elbert Chang said. The designs have an effortless quality that can be worn all day and into the evening. The core of the collection, which is made in Los Angeles, is manufactured in-house.

“We are strong supporters of the local fashion community and find pride in manufacturing in the U.S.,” Elbert Chang said.

Vertical integration and manufacturing locally have helped the brand stay flexible. LAmade can run smaller quantities to test the market as well as deliver on short lead times. For some higher-end items, the company sources handmade embroidery and beading from India.

LAmade includes core basics and seasonally updated collections. Pieces are designed to be fashion forward yet easy-to-wear. The line focuses on the hand and feel of the fabrication. Whether it is cotton jersey, silk chiffon, leather or cashmere, the designers select and develop materials that feel soft, Elbert Chang said. LAmade uses fabrics such as Supima cotton, MicroModal, viscose, angora, French terry, silk and leather, with a majority of the fabrics purchased in Los Angeles.

LAmade has recently expanded its offerings to include more-contemporary women’s clothing, including outerwear, leather jackets, cardigans and blouses, as well as cocktail, wrap and jersey dresses. Some of the bottoms feature leggings with jacquard knit patching while the tops range from over-sized knit ponchos to crew necks with long-sleeve suede piecing and alpaca-blend cowlnecks with contrasting elbow patches.

“Due to the overwhelming positive reaction to our finer novelty items, we are increasing this category, called LAmade Black Label, which will preview in Fall 2014,” Elbert Chang said. The Black Label is a subsection of the line that includes higher-end fabrications and cotton blends.

Wholesale price points range from $16 for basics up to $175 for specialty items.

LAmade is currently sold online at Piperlime, Amazon.com and Revolve Clothing as well as a number of large retailers, including Nordstrom, American Rag, Loehmann’s and Abstrakt.

For sales information, contact Elbert Chang at elbertc@lamadeclothing.com or Sales Manager Carly Martinez at carlym@lamadeclothing.com