Friday, December 30
The Bloc & Metro’s Big Connection To Debut
There’s a lot of construction around the 7th St/Metro Center light rail station in downtown Los Angeles. One reason for all of the work? A pedestrian bridge between the busy station and The Bloc retail center is in the final stages of construction. The bridge is scheduled to be open sometime in January.
Thursday, December 29
Capsule Gets Political
Pundits clamor over the question on how Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election will affect business and culture. Capsule trade show is forming an answer to that question.
New California Laws Alter Workplace Rules in 2017
Legal
A new year ushers in a host of new laws the state legislature passed and now take effect on Jan. 1.
Lights Out, Athletic Brand Aims for Lifestyle
Retail
Shawne Merriman earned the nickname “Lights Out” after knocking out several opposing players during a football game his sophomore year in high school.
Port of Long Beach Approves Swiss-based Shipping Line Taking Over Hanjin Shipping’s Terminal Lease
Import/Export
For years, Hanjin Shipping Co. was a major customer at the Port of Long Beach, accounting for 12 percent of the cargo containers that came through the Southern California terminus last year.
Nexgen Adds High-End Leather Products With KT Label Partnership
Manufacturing
Nexgen Packaging LLC, the label and branding company with offices in Santa Barbara, Calif., struck a deal with KT Label, the Turkish maker of leather labels.
Fabletics Expanding Retail Footprint Across the USA
Fabletics Expands
Los Angeles online activewear company Fabletics has gotten the retail bug and is adding 12 new store locations to its lineup in 2017.
RahiCali Seeks Adventure and Romance
Manufacturing
More than 30 years ago, Mukesh and Rajni Jain launched a Los Angeles accessories company called Jainson’s International, which eventually expanded into clothing imported from a family-owned factory in India.
Louis Vuitton Loses Copyright Appeal With Los Angeles Bag Company
Legal
The big French luxury handbag maker Louis Vuitton Malletier hasn’t had much luck convincing a judge that a California tote-bag company that parodies fancy designer handbags is violating copyright law.
Mall Traffic Seen As Slower During Holiday
Scenes From A Mall
The retail world tried to shine merry and bright for the holiday season but saw major competition from e-commerce sites.
Jack’s Unveils Big Remodel
Jack's Big Remodel
Jack’s Surfboards, one of California’s most influential surf shops, is wrapping up its first major remodel in eight years.
Gap Walks Down the Aisle Into the Wedding Business
Retail
Gap Inc. tied the knot with Weddington Way. The San Francisco retail giant announced it acquired Weddington Way, an online wedding boutique also based in San Francisco, for an undisclosed price.
Wednesday, December 28
Nasty Gal Gets Bid from British Online Fashion Site
Retail
Boohoo.com makes $20 million bid for Nasty Gal's intellectual property assets.
New Vans Headquarters
Just off the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa, Calif., there’s a black building decorated with checkerboard graphics. It’s the new headquarters for the Vans.
Tuesday, December 27
Hollywood & Highland’s Search for Next Great Pop-Up; It’s Kyle Chan
2016 was pretty good for Kyle Chan Design. After actress Emma Stone wore the brand’s jewelry in hit movie La La Land, it won a prize for some choice retail real estate at the Hollywood & Highland retail center.
Thursday, December 22
The Year in Tech
Technology
It was a year of investment and acquisitions in the technology world with several major deals going down in printing technology, cloud-based applications and software applications.
Capital Business Credit Acquired by White Oak
Finance
Capital Business Credit, the New York–based finance company with strong ties to the apparel industry, has been acquired for an undisclosed price by White Oak, a San Francisco firm that loans money to small- and medium-sized businesses.
CFF and TALA Celebrate Christmas With Neighborhood Kids
Xmas with CFF & TALA
There were dancing, games, lunch, Christmas trees and a visit from Santa, who passed out gifts to neighborhood children at an annual party hosted by the Textile Association of Los Angeles and the California Fashion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the California Fashion Association.
Deadline Approaching for The Novus Forum, a New Independent Designer Show in NY
Trade Shows
There’s a new trade show launching in February in New York for designer collections.
Irvine Spectrum's “Dancing” Xmas Tree
A Christmas tree is typically nothing but a Christmas tree, but Irvine Spectrum Center tried something different in 2016.
Wednesday, December 21
Richer Poorer Pops on Fairfax
The Richer Poorer brand opened its first U.S. pop-up shop on Los Angeles' Fairfax Avenue.
Kellwood Co. Sold to Hong Kong Investor Group
Hong Kong group acquires Kellwood and brings back David Falwell as CEO.
Tuesday, December 20
GGeisha Is Back
After a year-long hiatus, GGeisha produced one of her Dripped Fashion Soiree parties for independent fashion.
Monday, December 19
Brigade LA Takes L.A. Live
It was Brigade LA's party for a debut, for the holidays and for the jocks!
American Apparel Resolves Fabric Dispute With Dyehouse
Manufacturing
After American Apparel filed a complaint in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to get back nearly 250,000 pounds of greige fabric from Tri-Star Dyeing & Finishing Co., the company has agreed to dye the fabric.
First Look at ArtCenter Grads
The ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., recently invited industry professionals--including photographers, art directors, gallery owners, photo producers, photo directors and stylists-- to review the portfolios of the graduating class of photography and imaging students.
Friday, December 16
Economic Forecast by Chapman University Predicts Solid Growth in 2017
Finance
In its economic forecast released on Dec. 15, the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., predicted a strong U.S. economy spurred by personal and corporate tax cuts, more spending on infrastructure and defense, and an easing of bank regulations.
Fred Segal to Open New West Hollywood Compound
Fred Segal
A new Fred Segal is coming to the Los Angeles area.
Thursday, December 15
Caruso’s Name Change
If the company name Caruso Affiliated sounded like a mouthful, the developer of The Grove and Americana at Brand retail centers introduced a new brand name. It's the one word moniker Caruso.
Woodbury University Names New Head of Fashion Design Department
Fashion
After several months of the position being vacant, Woodbury University has named Anna Leiker to be its chair of the fashion design department.
2016 Retrospective: Real Estate: Post-Election Retail Activity Picks Up
Retail
Many retailers were sitting on the fence before the presidential elections to see which way the political gate was going to swing. But now that Donald Trump has been elected to take office in January, retailers are out shopping for shops.
2016 Retrospective: U.S. Clothing Production in China Is Slipping
Import/Export
Fewer clothes were imported from China this year than last year as manufacturers headed to lower-wage countries such as Vietnam, India and Bangladesh to do more of their production.
2016 Retrospective: 2016 Rough Ride for Buckle, Rally for Zumiez
Retail
On Dec. 13, The Buckle Inc. announced a deal with Affliction, the Seal Beach, Calif.–based brand, to be the exclusive retailer for the brand’s collection inspired by the “Fast and Furious” film franchise. The announcement might be a good way to end 2016. It’s been a rough ride for the Kearney, Neb.–headquartered retailer.
2016 Retrospective: Off-Pricers Ross, TJX Sales Surge
Retail
For the past seven years, sales for off-price retail have been surging. These retailers typically offer goods at 20 percent to 60 percent off the retail price, and 2016 was another banner year for two of the biggest retailers in the market: Ross Stores Inc. and The TJX Companies.
2016 Retrospective: Employment Numbers Doubled With Inclusion of ‘Indirect’ Jobs
Manufacturing
Employment in apparel and textile manufacturing in California fluctuated slightly throughout the year but essentially held steady at around 105,000 employed at apparel factories and knitting mills statewide, according to the California Employment Development Department.
2016 Retrospective
Finance
The U.S. economy continued its glacial rebound in 2016 as key apparel industry indicators showed signs of improvement. But a deeper dive into the numbers makes it clear that some sectors fared better than others.
UBM Hosts Connect Event for Christmas Cheer in L.A.
Christmas with UBM
The UBM Fashion Group—parent company of MAGIC, Project and FN Platform—recently hosted a holiday event for retailers and brands to kick off the holidays.
Connecting the Dots Between the Creative Community and Made-in-LA Manufacturing at NJAL Event
Make It in LA
The future of the apparel industry lies in its connectivity. That’s the word from a panel of industry insiders who spoke at a recent event hosted by Not Just A Label, the international platform for emerging designers, which recently put down roots in Los Angeles.
Haute Holiday: The New Hollywood at Fashion Speaks
Haute Holiday
For designer Adolfo Sanchez, it was time to show how streetwear could meet eveningwear.
Canadian Retailer Aritzia Opens in Los Angeles
Aritzia
Canadian retailer Aritzia is giving Los Angeles a preview of its contemporary looks.
Kozm: Yoga Is for Real Men
Yoga Is for Real Men
After years of attacking powerful waves and wiping out on concrete and in the snow, the founders of the Kozm brand turned their careers to yoga mats.
Wednesday, December 14
Tobi’s Data-Driven Trends
LA-based online retailer Tobi recently looked at some of its own best-selling categories and items for its LA customers.
Monday, December 12
Ron Herman's Jeffrey Rüdes Shop-In-Shop
You can take the designer out of Los Angeles, but you can’t take the L.A. out of the designer.
Thursday, December 8
Pobega’s Goodbye Berlin
For her Goodbye Berlin collection, Valerj Pobega said 'no thanks' to runways and installations.
2016 Newsmakers: FBI Helps Businesses Start—and Grow
Manufacturing
When Frances Harder left a university-level teaching position in the late 1990s, she believed that there was something missing from instruction in fashion education. There was a lack of educators addressing the latest in technology and business practices. In 1999, she founded Fashion Business Inc. as an educational nonprofit for new entrepreneurs. Its mission would be to bring the latest techniques to those looking for a foothold in the business.
2016 Newsmakers: CFA Serves as the Hub of California’s Apparel Industry
Fashion
For more than 20 years, the California Fashion Association has served as a central hub of the state’s apparel and textile industry. CFA President Ilse Metchek has been with the organization since it launched in 1995 in the aftermath of the El Monte sweatshop incident, drawing on her experience—and vast network—as a designer and manufacturer in Los Angeles to provide business information to its members.
2016 Newsmakers: Rosemary Brantley Leaves Otis as Fashion Department Exits DTLA
Fashion
After 36 years as the founding fashion chair of the Otis College of Art and Design, Rosemary Brantley stepped down from the fashion program she founded in 1980. Brantley will remain the principal designer and business partner in her own women’s clothing label, Staples, which launched the same year she took over the fashion design department.
2016 Newsmakers: MAGIC Owner UBM Buys Parent Company of MRket, Stitch, ATS
Trade Shows
Just when people thought MAGIC couldn’t get any larger, UBM—the trade show giant that owns MAGIC, Project, FN Platform and Pooltradeshow—purchased Business Journals Inc., which produces the MRket, Stitch, Accessories The Show and Fame trade shows.
2016 Newsmakers: Emerald Expositions Buys Swim Collective
Swim/Surf
Emerald Expositions LLC, the San Juan Capistrano, Calif.–based owner of Surf Expo and Outdoor Retailer, expanded its foothold in the swim and active businesses with the August acquisition of Swim Collective and its sister trade show, Active Collective, the Santa Barbara, Calif.–based trade shows founded by Shannon Leggett.
2016 Newsmakers: It’s Taps for the TPP Free-Trade Agreement
Import/Export
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade accord between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries, was poised to be approved this year by the U.S. Congress. But election-year politics put an official end to that as both presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made it known they would not back the trade pact.
2016 Newsmakers: Hanjin Bankruptcy Sinks a Lot of Importer’s Revenue Goals
Import/Export
Los Angeles clothing importers were hit hard this year when Hanjin Shipping Co. filed for bankruptcy in South Korea on Aug. 31. The bankruptcy left several Hanjin vessels drifting at sea while the shipping line came up with funds to dock at global ports and terminals.
2016 Newsmakers: Israeli Manufacturing Giant Buys Three LA Contemporary Labels
Manufacturing
Three high-profile brands that epitomize the California lifestyle vibe were sold to Delta Galil this year, an Israeli clothing company known for making childrenswear, activewear and other garments for men and women.
2016 Newsmakers: Nasty Gal Files Chapter 11, Amoruso Steps Down
Manufacturing
Bankruptcies by apparel and retail ventures have been at the forefront of the news this year. Nasty Gal, the online clothing site based in downtown Los Angeles, was one of the latest to scamper to the courts looking for protection from creditors.
2016 Newsmakers: Capsule and Axis Launch in Los Angeles
Trade Shows
The Capsule trade show was deemed a success after 175 vendors exhibited at its inaugural Los Angeles show in October. Cofounder Deirdre Maloney confirmed that the 9-year-old, high-end contemporary show will be in Los Angeles to stay.
2016 Newsmakers: Mall Development Returns
Retail
Two years ago, retail was buzzing with talk that the mall was dead. At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, Rick J. Caruso, founder of The Grove retail center in Los Angeles, said that the mall was doomed.
2016 Newsmakers: American Apparel Could be Sold Off in Pieces
Manufacturing
For the second time in a little more than one year, American Apparel headed to bankruptcy court while it searched for a buyer.
Two New Sections Planned for Upcoming Hong Kong Fashion Week
Trade Shows
The upcoming Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter, to be held Jan. 16–19, 2017, at the Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Centre, will be introducing two new apparel zones: fashionable sportswear and casualwear.
Not Just a Label to Live-Stream First Event Since Moving to LA
Events
Not Just a Label (NJAL), the international platform for emerging contemporary designers, recently expanded from London to Los Angeles and will host its first LA event since the move.
Iconix names EVP and CMO
Manufacturing
Jamie Cygielman has joined New York–based Iconix Brand Group Inc. as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
American Apparel Workers Get a Slight Reprieve
Manufacturing
American Apparel workers might have a few more days to work at the huge factory in downtown Los Angeles and two other facilities.
Evrnu Regenerated Cotton: Sustainable the Second Time Around
Textiles
Levi’s and Target are among the early adopters of Evrnu regenerated cotton fiber, which uses 95 percent less water than virgin cotton.
The People, Companies and Ideas that Made News in 2016
Newsmakers 2016
From high-profile bankruptcies in manufacturing, shipping and e-commerce to million-dollar development projects across the Southland, 2016 was a year of stark contrasts for the apparel industry.
Wednesday, December 7
American Apparel Employees Get a Slight Reprieve
Auction of American Apparel assets postponed a few days.
Tuesday, December 6
Merry Krampus, LA
The Bavarian Alpine folklore legend of Krampus was alive and well in Los Angeles’ Highland Park neighborhood at the recent Krampus Ball LA.
Shaun White: Make Room for WHT Space
For sports star and entrepreneur Shaun White, it was the comment that could not be ignored.
UCLA Anderson Forecast Predicts the Fallout from ‘Trumponomics’
UCLA Anderson economists got caught by surprise when Donald Trump was elected to be the 45th president of the United States.
Monday, December 5
Brooks Bros Big Holiday
Brooks Brothers made clothes for Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. On Dec. 3, the venerable label held a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at its Rodeo Drive emporium.
Man & Wolf Revs Up Pop-up Shop
We've seen the Wolf & Man brand at a host of trade shows such as Capsule. But on Dec. 2, the independent menswear brand produced its first pop-up.
Conductive Cotton and Wearable Tech
Researchers at the Cambridge Graphene Centre (CGC) at the University of Cambridge and scientists at Jiangnan University in China have found a way to make a conductive cotton that could be used to make wearable—read flexible—electronics.
Friday, December 2
Citizens of Humanity's Open Studio
It's Open Studio time at Citizens of Humanity's Downtown Los Angeles showroom.
Popkiller’s Happy 13th
Ricky Takizawa spent 13 years putting a Little Tokyo edge on pop art at his Pop and Popkiller stores. He celebrated his Lucky 13 anniversary on Dec. 1.
Thursday, December 1
Wild Ride for Retailers in November
Retail
Retailers reported mixed sales after a rollercoaster ride for business in November.
Rachel Zoe’s Winter Box
Rachel Zoe brought in the holiday season Nov. 30 with an exclusive dinner party at the historic Chateau Marmont hotel. The guest of honor? The winter edition for her Box of Style subscription service.
Differential Brands Hires Nordstrom Veteran as EVP for Business Development
Manufacturing
Differential Brands Group Inc.—the parent company for Hudson, Robert Graham and SWIMS—has named retail veteran Tom Nevell executive vice president of business development.
American Apparel Factory Workers Given Notice of Layoffs, Hope for A Reprieve from New Owners
Manufacturing
Hundreds of workers inside the American Apparel factory near downtown Los Angeles have been given written notices that they will have jobs until Jan. 7 and then they will be laid off unless the new buyer of the company decides to continue manufacturing in the building.
Lily Ashwell Tries Outerwear & Bridal
Lily Ashwell
First it was her version of workwear. Now designer Lily Ashwell is going formal.
Black Friday Shopping Up, Deals Abound
Retail
More people shopped on Black Friday, but spending per person was down, according to the National Retail Federation trade group, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Major Retailer Leaves Hollywood & Highland
Retail
Right before the holiday season seems like an odd time to close a store.
