Friday, April 29
Crash-Test Denim
DSM Dyneema has been working with denim mills to make a super-strong denim for performance markets like motorcycling and action sports.
Thursday, April 28
Warehouse Sale for Goods from India
Retail
Raj Imports Has a Big Warehouse Sale in Downtown Los Angeles
Sue Wong Launching Licensing
During a birthday celebration at her Los Feliz home, Sue Wong announced plans to begin licensing.
Rokit: Skate Meets Street Basketball
Rokit
Rokit menswear line is a Los Angeles–based lifestyle brand that bridges the subcultures of skate and street basketball.
CFA Presents Scholarships at Annual Luncheon
Events
The California Fashion Foundation, the charitable arm of the California Fashion Association, presented its annual scholarship awards at an April 21 luncheon at the California Market Center in Los Angeles.
Lectra Exec Charts Path for U.S. Market: Tech Co. Looks to Nearshoring, Evolving Consumer Demands and the Need to Optimize
Technology
Jason Adams, with just a few months under his belt as president of Lectra North America, offers some positive impressions of his start at the cutting equipment and software specialist.
Axis and Capsule Team Up for Events in L.A. and New York
Trade Shows
The Capsule and Axis trade shows both announced plans recently to launch events in Los Angeles, and now the two shows are joining forces at LA market as well as in New York.
WHY by Kingpins Branding Show Debuts in Amsterdam
WHY by Kingpins
During the April 13–14 run of the Kingpins denim supply chain show in Amsterdam, organizers launched a new sister trade show focused on the branding side of the supply chain.
Kingpins Amsterdam Show Draws International Crowd
Trade Shows
Kingpins returned to Amsterdam for its fifth run at the Westergasfabriek, where the trade show bowed alongside a new branding show organized by Kingpins as well as a consumer event called Denim Days, which gives retailers, brands and textile mills a chance to meet with end consumers.
Consumers and Trade Mix at Amsterdam Denim Days
Denim Days
After the Kingpins trade show wrapped up its two-day run in Amsterdam, textile representatives, designers and denimheads got a chance to celebrate their love of all things denim at Blueprint, a two-day festival held during Amsterdam Denim Days, a week-long, city-wide event featuring workshops, seminars, sales and parties.
NW Materials Show Changes Fall Dates
Trade Shows
Because of a holiday in Asia, the NW Materials Show is pushing up the dates of its fall trade show by two weeks.
Deckers Names New President of Fashion Lifestyle
Manufacturing
Deckers Brands—the footwear and apparel company in Goleta, Calif., known for its Ugg boots, Teva and Sanuk footwear, and other labels—has appointed Andrea O’Donnell as president of fashion lifestyle.
Garment Factory Manager Found Guilty of Offering Bribe to Labor Inspector
Legal
The general manager of a Southern California clothing factory was found guilty on April 26 by a federal jury for offering to pay a bribe to a labor inspector to close down an investigation into back wages owed to factory workers, said the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Marcianos Jump Back Into the Clothing Business
GM Studio
Georges and Armand Marciano have joined forces with designer Cinzia Simone to create a new upscale clothing brand called GM Studio that will partially launch in July with the full launch scheduled for September in time for the Fall 2016 season.
Kingpins Heading to Miami
Trade Shows
Kingpins, the boutique denim trade show, has added a new venue to its lineup, which includes New York, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Wednesday, April 27
Chan Luu Opens First U.S. Store
Retail
Los Angeles-based designer Chan Luu sets her first U.S. shop near the ocean.
Tuesday, April 26
Monday, April 25
Friday, April 22
UBM Advanstar Buying BJI Fashion, Taking MAGIC to Japan
Trade Shows
Trade show giant MAGIC is getting even larger. UBM Advanstar, parent company of MAGIC, Project, Pooltradeshow, Coterie and Intermezzo, will expand its trade show holdings with the acquisition of Business Journals Inc., which produces the MRket, Stitch, Accessories The Show and Fame trade shows. UBM Advanstar also struck a deal to take the MAGIC show to Japan in 2017.
Thursday, April 21
Fashion Down Under Australian Designer Showcase
The Australian Consul General's home in Los Angeles provided a sun-drenched backdrop by a showcase of Australian designers.
Capsule Launching LA Show in October at the CMC
Trade Shows
The Capsule trade show is coming to Los Angeles.
Denim With Less Water Demonstrated, Discussed at Calik Event at ECO PRK
Denim With Less Water
To get the perfect washed jean, denim makers put pants through multiple wash cycles.
Customs Officials Step Up Apprehension of Counterfeit items at the Border
Import/Export
Customs officials said they saw a 25 percent increase in the number of counterfeit goods they confiscated last year at the nation’s ports and at the border.
Industry Voices: How California’s Minimum Wage Increase Will Impact the Industry
Manufacturing
With the recent decision to increase California’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2022, we asked industry watchers what they think the impact will be on the state’s apparel industry—the largest manufacturing center in the U.S.
Grlfrnd Denim: Revolve Denim Has a Vintage Look With a Contemporary Fit
Grlfrnd Denim
E-commerce powerhouse Revolve clothing has added another line to its roster with the launch of Grlfrnd denim, a made–in–Los Angeles vintage-inspired denim collection that is produced by Alliance Apparel, the manufacturing business acquired by Revolve last year.
OC Mix: Regional Trade Show Bows in Irvine, Calif., With Contemporary, Swim Brands
OC Mix
A small group of Southern California fashion and accessories labels hosted OC Mix, a mini trade show held April 18–19 in a space within the Irvine, Calif., headquarters of Z Supply LLC.
Loyola Event Tackles the Legal Risks of Social Media, Technology and Advertising
Legal
The legal ramifications of the continuous evolution of technology and social media and how they affect the fashion industry were discussed at two panel discussions at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles on April 15.
Lord & Taylor Cited for Not Disclosing Payments to Fashion Bloggers
Legal
In the last decade, the fine line between paid advertising and commentary has grown more complicated as social-media sites and fashion blogs become the norm for getting out the word about a new product.
Wednesday, April 20
Teva Partners With Artists for Spring Collection
Fashion
Teva has a launch party in downtown Los Angeles for new collection.
Everything But Water Hosting Marysia Trunk Show
On April 23, fans of Marysia Swimwear will have a chance to meet designer Marysia Reeves at the Everything But Water store in Santa Monica, Calif.
Dogeared Opening in Santa Monica
Just in time to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary, Dogeared will open its first retail store in June in Santa Monica, Calif.
Tuesday, April 19
Denim Day Coming Soon
Social Causes
Guess partners with Peace Over Violence as fashion sponsor of Denim Day.
Monday, April 18
Sport Chalet Closing
Retail
After 57 years in business, Southern California sporting goods retail chain Sport Chalet is closing all stores and shuttering its online business.
Frame's First Store Lands in LA
Retail
Frame, started by two Swedes, is a hot label that chose its first retail location to be in Los Angeles.
Friday, April 15
Two Weeks Left to See FIDM Movie Costume Exhibit
Fashion
More than 100 movie costumes are on display until the end of April at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising's museum in downtown LA.
Thursday, April 14
California Label Offering Woven RFID Labels from TexTrace
Manufacturing
A Swiss company has developed a woven RFID (radio frequency identification) tag that can stand up to production processes such as stone washing, bleaching and enzyme finishing.
Sustainability, Transparency and ‘Clean’Denim Production at Kingpins Transformers LA Pane
Manufacturing
To kick off the opening of the new Candiani Design Center in Los Angeles, denim trade show Kingpins hosted an event for the city’s denim industry that focused on the challenges—and benefits—of sustainable denim production.
T-Shirt Trends for Fall 2016
Fall T-shirt Trends
From LA to London, T-shirts are a “go-to” fashion staple. And this Fall, juniors can look for plenty of new styles to update their wardrobe.
Obituary: Famed Retailer Fred Hayman, 90
Retail
Fred Hayman, the king of Rodeo Drive who put the Beverly Hills luxury street on the world shopping map, passed away on April 14. He was 90.
China Agrees to End Export Subsidies
Import/Export
After months of negotiations, China has agreed to put a stop to the export subsidies it has been granting for years to a host of industries, giving them an unfair advantage when competing with other companies around the world.
Collared Greens: Leveraging a Made-in-America Supply Chain for a Green Take on Preppy Menswear
Collared Greens
Collared Greens might be one of the catchiest names around for an apparel firm. Its play on words comes from its roots in the South, where everyone knows eating collard greens on New Year’s Day, along with black-eyed peas, brings good luck and fortune.
NRF Supply-Chain Expert Appointed to Government Advisory Committee
Import/Export
Jonathan Gold of the National Retail Federation has been appointed to a U.S. Department of Commerce committee to advise on supply-chain issues that affect the international competitiveness of the nation’s businesses.
Rodeo Drive Comes to the Desert
Desert Fashions
Sophisticated looks were front and center on the runway at Fashion Week El Paseo, held April 2–9 in Palm Desert, Calif.
Alliance Apparel Moves Into LA Fashion District After Partnership With Online Retailer Revolve
Manufacturing
Since Alliance Apparel was acquired last year by online retailer Revolve, the Los Angeles clothing company has seen things change at lightning speed.
Old Navy Gets New President
Retail
Coming off of months of declining sales in all its labels, Gap Inc. announced it was naming Sonia Syngal as Old Navy’s new global president.
Retailers Go Back to the Drawing Board to Draw in Consumers
Finance
As consumers alter their buying patterns, developers across the country are blowing up shopping centers and redrawing their mall maps to give more real estate to restaurants, nail salons and gadget stores and less square footage to clothing outposts.
Wednesday, April 13
Ravers Returning to Macy’s Herald Square
On April 20, Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street in New York will host a rave. Again.
Clothing, clean thyself!
Scientists in Australia have created nanostructures that can use light to automatically clean fabric.
Monday, April 11
Cult Gaia Pops
Making floral crowns was a hobby for fashion student Jasmin Larian. Fast forward to 2016, she parlayed a craft business into fashion label Cult Gaia. All things Cult Gaia will be on display at its first pop-up shop, at the Platform boutique retail center in Culver City. The shop popped on April 9
Victoria's Secret Shuttering Catalog Business
Retail
Victoria's Secret saying good-bye to all those catalogs stuffed in your mailbox.
Friday, April 8
Nas Curating Ghostbusters Collection
Fashion
Hip-hop star Nas is working with Sony to curate a Nas x Ghostbusters collection to coordinate with the movie's release this summer.
Thursday, April 7
American Apparel Workers Get Pink Slips
Manufacturing
Scores of American Apparel workers are being laid off as the Los Angeles clothing company is revamping its production process shortly after emerging from bankruptcy protection in February.
L Brands Beats Estimates During Soft March Business
Retail
L Brands—the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, PINK and Bath & Body Works—beat Wall Street estimates.
Anne Fontaine’s Gala South Coast Plaza Runway Show
Fashion
Designer Anne Fontaine made a trip to South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., for her label’s first comprehensive West Coast runway presentation.
FIDM Debut Highlights Work in Fashion, Costume Design, Textiles and Interior Design
Fashion
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising hosted its annual Debut runway show and gala on April 2 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
Trendstop Fall ’16 Color Forecast
Trends
Get ahead of the competition with key color insights coming through for Fall ’16 as fashion forecast agency Trendstop presents California Apparel News readers with a taster of their trend analysis.
Barbara Fields Talks Trends for Fall ’16
Barbara Fields
Buyers who attended the Barbara Fields Buying Office’s Fall ’16 Trend Presentation will be well ahead of the retail game. The veteran buying and trend expert presented an in-depth look at the season’s key trends at her event, held April 1 and April 4–6 during LA Majors Market.
‘Optimistic’ Outlook at Fashion Market Northern California
FMNC
Booth space was sold out at the April 3–5 run of Fashion Market Northern California, which is held at the San Mateo Event Center in San Mateo, Calif., and attendance was on par with last April, according to Suzanne de Groot, executive director of the show.
California Approves Highest Minimum Wage in the Country
Finance
By 2022, California will be the state with the highest minimum wage in the country, making it an expensive place to do business.
Roach to Head Volcom Women’s
Manufacturing
Lyndsey Roach, an action-sports veteran, was named the global head of women’s business for Volcom, it was recently announced.
Surf’s Heartland No Longer No-Go Zone for Designer Styles: Kin Opening in Huntington Beach
Retail
For decades, Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, Calif., have been known as the Rodeo Drive of Surf.
Majors Market Buzzing
Trade Shows
The 2015 Back-to-School season was considered a disappointment for much of the juniors market, but the future looks bright, according to many of the exhibitors at the April 4–6 run of LA Majors Market, primarily held at the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Directives West Highlights Major Trends for Fall/Winter 2016
Fall Forecast
Floppy hats, faux-fur vests, peasant tops, leather jackets trimmed with fringe, slouchy sweaters, ponchos, lacy dresses, plaid pieces and plenty of worn denim were at the top of the trend chart for Fall/Winter 2016.
PacSun Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Retail
Pacific Sunwear of California has not turned a profit in years.
Wednesday, April 6
Streetwear Sample Sale at Fashion District Bar
Fashion
Menswear label Zanerobe hopes to party and sell samples at the same time.
Interest Rates to Rise This Spring as Economy Improves
Finance
UCLA Anderson Forecast predicts that the U.S. economy will grow moderately in 2016 and 2017.
Tuesday, April 5
Anne Fontaine's Gala South Coast Plaza Show
Franco-Brazilian designer Anne Fontaine made a trip to South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif. on March 31. The occasion was a gala runway show for the international brand’s Spring-Summer 2016 season.
Monday, April 4
Louis Vuitton Men’s To South Coast Plaza
South Coast Plaza is Louis Vuitton central. The luxury resort already had three Louis Vuitton boutiques. Now, it's going to get a fourth - Louis Vuitton Men's.
Friday, April 1
M The Movement Goes Public
The M The Movement produced a trunk show March 29 at restaurant The District by Hannah An. Take a look.
Bloomie's Opening Outlet in Orange County
Retail
First Bloomingdale's Outlet in Southern California is opening later this year.
