California Apparel News

Last year, Josh Levine launched his brand, Frame Denim, and landed orders from Ron Herman and Net-a-Porter for his Los Angeles–based,high-end denim line.

But when it came to processing and delivering those orders on time, Levine found he needed help. The denim maker outsourced everything—from production and warehousing to shipping and invoicing—to another Southern California company, Polygon Solutions.

Ted Houston, co-owner and president of Polygon Solutions, draws on his industry knowledge and access to distribution centers and factories to help these companies succeed and grow. A former chief executive officer at EMU Australia and president of People’s Liberation and William Rast, Houston was also the chief operating officer of Rock & Republic, executive vice president and chief operating officer of C&C California, and supply-chain director of Bebe.

With Polygon, Houston seeks to help small entrepreneurs succeed by introducing a business model that builds their brand, utilizing ERP(enterprise resource planning) software, EDI (electronic data interchange), sales-order management, customer service and UPC (universal product code) catalog management.

“We provide scalable data and procedural management services so that creative, entrepreneurially focused brands can grow without the cost and distraction of acquiring, implementing and managing fixed operational structures,” Houston said.

With Polygon’s help, companies can focus on the creative design process rather than managing the back end of the business.

“Small companies are [now] hiring people to do the specialization that they cannot do. And if you are that product-driven entrepreneur, it will work,” he said.

Polygon is divided into two departments. The data-integrity department handles the order entry and auditing. The customer-service department focuses solely on getting products out the door, working with distribution centers to make sure goods arrive on time at the retailers.

After the brand’s sales staff lands an order, it’s sent to Polygon, which issues a nightly report, giving clients a tally of items purchased and orders made and shipped.

“They handle warehouse pick tickets and production shipping so it is done correctly,” Frame Denim’s Levine said. “They are the bridge between sales and shipping and everything in between. Sometimes I get lost in the mix, and Polygon is always available whenever we have a question or need assistance.”

Going independent

Houston founded the Polygon Solutions in January 2010 with five clients. Today, the company works with 56 companies, specializing in apparel and other products.

When the company launched, it was based in an office at the Advanced Quality Logistics warehouse distribution center, located at the Port of Los Angeles. At AQL, Polygon was tied to shipping goods through that warehouse and limited to working with companies importing through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Today, the company is based in downtown Long Beach Calif., and is free to work with any distribution center—including domestic DCs. The move also freed Polygon to expand beyond the apparel industry by working with warehouses that are equipped to receive and process other products.

“There are a lot of different physical distribution requirements that now, because of the way we are structured and where we are located, we can really serve our customers better,” Houston said. “Your typical apparel warehouse isn’t going to handle a variety of products well. Your electronics warehouse isn’t going to manage hanging men’s suits the same as shoes [or] 12-piece orders for Fred Segal or a container of kidswear that comes in.”