Tuesday, January 31
Home of American Rag Owner Up for Sale
Fashion
Mark Werts puts his house near Griffith Park up for sale.
Up for Some ‘Light Laundry’?
Jeanologia, the Spanish developer and distributor of laser-finishing equipment for jeans and other apparel, and Lenzing, the maker of Tencel, have joined forces to showcase the benefits of “laser laundry technology” on Tencel fabrics and garments.
Monday, January 30
Banana Republic to Pop With Olivia Palermo Next Week
Retail
Banana Republic to highlight Spring collection during New York Fashion Week, when everyone else is showing Fall.
New Era Unveils One-of-A-Kind L.A. Flagship
LA Live and Staples Center are places to grab a bite to eat, see a game, a concert, a movie, and maybe check out some music history at the Grammy Museum. Not so much a place to shop. But the story changed on Jan. 26. New Era unveiled its one-of-a kind New Era D- Lab shop in downtown Los Angeles.
Friday, January 27
Fete for Female Filmmakers
Glamour magazine and Girlgaze recently hosted an intimate lunch celebrating “Films Powered by Women” at the Sundance Film Festival, where directors, editors and actors had an opportunity to meet, mingle and toast the work of female filmmakers.
Thursday, January 26
U.S. Economy Fuels the Conversation at Premiere Vision New York
Premiere Vision NY
The U.S. economy was a major point of discussion at thePremière Vision New York international textile show, which hosted its 34th edition Jan. 17–18 at Pier 94 in Manhattan, two days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Ontario Mills Gets Ready for Chinese New Year
Retail
Ontario Mills will have a host of activities for the start of Chinese New Year.
Wet Seal, Sears Announce Job Cuts
Retail
Irvine, Calif.–based retail chain The Wet Seal LLC notified the State of California’s Employment Development Department Jan. 23 that it is planning to cut 148 jobs.
Bills Khakis Fully Acquired by NEJ
Manufacturing
American-made menswear brand Bills Khakis has been acquired by NEJ Inc., a Connecticut company that supplies excess inventory to specialty stores and offprice retailers.
PVH Strikes Deal With Peerless for Tommy Hilfiger Tailored Menswear
Manufacturing
New York–based PVH Inc. has struck a licensing deal with Peerless Clothing International Inc., which will begin producing tailored menswear under the Tommy Hilfiger label in 2018.
ASICS Names Two Execs
Manufacturing
ASICS America Corp., the U.S. operations of Japanese footwear and athletic apparel brand ASICS, has named two new executives to the team, based in Irvine, Calif.
Owen Exits Banana Republic
Retail
After a two-year run as president of Gap Inc.’s long-suffering Banana Republic division, Andi Owen will leave the company, according to a Jan. 24 announcement.
Mika Jaymes: Brand Wants New Look For Tees
Mika Jaymes
Roddy Javahery hopes to right a wrong against men’s fashion—starting with T-shirts.
Despite So Cal Floods and Rain, ISS Show Grows
ISS
In defiance of the harsh weather, crowds still found their way to the Imprinted Sportswear Show at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif., Jan. 20–22.
Chinese Clothing Makers See Good and Bad News With Trump at HK Fashion Week
HK Fashion Week
Inside the halls that house Hong Kong Fashion Week, many of the exhibitors were rejoicing that President Donald Trump had put the kibosh on the free-trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Hong Kong Fashion Week Takes to the Catwalk With Asian Designers
HKFW
Hong Kong Fashion Week has always been a bright spot to highlight the talents of young designers and accomplished artisans.
Standard General Sues American Apparel Lenders
Manufacturing
As American Apparel is shuttering its downtown Los Angeles clothing factory and laying off thousands of workers, hedge-fund investor Standard General is suing the various lenders that bailed the garment company out of bankruptcy for the first time last year.
Wednesday, January 25
Obituary: Lunada Bay Chief Susan Crank
Swim/Surf
Lunada Bay Chief Executive Officer and President Susan Crank died on Jan. 23 after battling cancer.
Tuesday, January 24
Automating the Sewing Room
A former software developer from Seattle has come up with a process that could usher in the robotic age of apparel manufacturing.
Alpine Dam Starts With Marin
The recently launched Alpine Dam label makes caps inspired by the brand’s home of Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Monday, January 23
Diesel Bids its Melrose Flagship Adieu
After a run of almost 10 years, the Diesel brand shuttered its Melrose Place flagship.
Thursday, January 19
Spotlight on Mid-Century Textile Design
Textile Exhibition
The Fashion & Textile Museum in London has a new exhibition on Josef Frank, the Swedish architect and textile artist who worked with Svenskt Tenn.
Leslie’s Picks for Fall Shoe Trends
Leslie Gallin, president of footwear at UBM—the trade show giant that produces MAGIC, Project and FN Platform—offers her take on the footwear trends on the horizon for Fall 2017.
Naven Steps Out at Svedka Broken Resolutions Bash
Don’t know if the Naven designers, Kym and Alexis McClay, have any New Year’s Resolutions. But they made an appearance at Svedka Vodka’s second annual Broken Resolutions Bash Jan. 17
Photo LA : Stills and Style Notes
STYLE WATCH
Photo LA, the photography and art exhibition celebrating its 26th year, featured more than 80 exhibitors from around the world, as well as works from galleries, museums, dealers and local art school students.
Layoffs and Store Closures for American Apparel
Manufacturing
The layoff of American Apparel workers began on Jan. 16 following the sale of the company’s intellectual property to Canadian T-shirt giant Gildan Activewear.
Swim Collective and Active Collective Kick off the Year in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Active Collective
Visitors to the Jan. 13–14 run of the Swim Collective and Active Collective trade shows at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif., got a break from the rains that had been soaking California since the beginning of the year.
Mixed Reaction to LA’s Quiet Market
LA Fashion Market
The parking was easy, the lunch lines were short and the halls were fairly quiet at the recent run of Los Angeles Fashion Market, which kicked off for some showrooms on Sunday, Jan. 15, with the rest opening the following day on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Solid Economic Growth Expected in 2017 With New Trump Administration
Finance
The economy is expected to head down a positive path this year, but department stores and specialty-store chains will be hitting strong headwinds as more people shop online.
Tuesday, January 17
Hong Kong Fashion Week Opens With 1,500 Exhibitors
Fashion
The long-running Hong Kong Fashion Week celebrates its 48th edition.
The Grove's Caruso Becomes a Knight
You know Rick J. Caruso as the developer of The Grove. But to Pope Francis, he's Knight Commander Rick J. Caruso.
Monday, January 16
New Era Closes L.A. Flagship
A five year run for the New Era flagship on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue seems to be over.
Friday, January 13
NRF Reports Holiday Sales Up a Strong Four Percent
Retail
The National Retail Federation says retail sales beat its own holiday prediction.
Thursday, January 12
OC.Mix Retains Intimate Feeling, Draws More Retailers
Trade Shows
The Jan. 10–11 run of the OC.Mix trade show drew a mix of returning exhibitors and newcomers to the small, regional trade show held in the Irvine, Calif., headquarters of Z Supply.
Gildan Activewear Gets Final Approval to Acquire American Apparel With Retail Stores Closing
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge on Jan. 12 gave Gildan Activewear the go-ahead to purchase the American Apparel name, some of the brand’s equipment as well as its wholesale merchandise following the Los Angeles clothing manufacturer’s bankruptcy filing in November.
Herschel Supply Co. Acquires LA Showroom, Starts Fashion Line
Manufacturing
Vancouver, Canada-based accessories brand Herschel Supply Co. is taking a bigger bet on Los Angeles--just as it launches its first apparel collection.
Beverly Center's Year of the Rooster
The 2016 Winter Holiday Season is a memory now. Time for another holiday! Chinese New Year is about to start.
Agenda: Wild at Heart
TREND WATCH
Stylist and designer Estevan Ramos takes in the trends--in the booths and in the aisles--at the Agenda show in Long Beach, Calif.
Hyosung Strikes Deal With Best Pacific Textiles
Textiles
South Korea–based Hyosung, maker of Creora spandex, has partnered with knit mill Best Pacific Textiles to create a series of smart fabrics.
Unifi Expands Repreve Production to Vietnam, Distribution in Asia
Textiles
Vietnam is the next stop for Repreve, according to Greensboro, N.C.–based Unifi Inc., which produces the fiber made from recycled materials including plastic bottles.
Lenzing Opens New Tencel Facility in the U.S.
Textiles
Lenzing is expanding its U.S. operations for production of Tencel fibers in Mobile, Ala. The new facility will have a capacity of 90,000 tons of fiber and represents an investment of nearly $300 million.
Ralph Lauren Issues New Sourcing Policy for Wood-based Fabrics
Textiles
The Ralph Lauren Corp. has a new sustainable sourcing policy for its use of wood-based fabrics such as viscose and rayon.
Michael Stars Merges With Its Lerner et Cie Showroom
Manufacturing
For years, the cofounder of the Michael Stars clothing company in Los Angeles owned a separate showroom business called Lerner et Cie, which represented the Michael Stars collection as well as other brands.
Raj Swim Expands With New Brand and Top Executives
Raj Swim
Raj Swim, the largest swimwear manufacturer in Orange County, Calif., started out the new year with a bang.
Agenda Busy, Vendors Say
Agenda
Tina Rani helped launch basics line GCK in August, and, because the brand was new, she did not expect much from its first trade-show outing at Agenda, which ran Jan. 5–6 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif
Wednesday, January 11
Lolli Swim Collab With Target
A new capsule collection by California swim line Lolli Swim just bowed at Target.com.
Hail Mary Boutique Shutters
Independent boutique Hail Mary recently announced that it would shutter its doors in Santa Monica, Calif. This, after a two year run of serving as a multi-line, contemporary shop.
Tuesday, January 10
Obituary: Anne Cole, Swimwear Designer, 90
Swim/Surf
Swimwear designer Anne Cole, who came from a family of apparel and swimwear makers, dies at the age of 90.
The Hundreds' New Logo
Move over Adam Bomb. There’s a new logo at prominent Los Angeles streetwear brand The Hundreds.
American Apparel Acquired by Gildan Activewear
Manufacturing
Gildan ups its offer and wins the bid for American Apparel.
Monday, January 9
The Limited Stores No More
Company Closed 250 Stores
The Limited announced on Jan. 8 that it was closing all of its 250 of its brick-and-mortar stores and laying off 4,000 employees. The company will continue to operate its online store.
Nordstrom Rack Moving to New Long Beach Exchange Shopping Area
Retail
A new shopping venture rising up in Long Beach gets a commitment from Nordstrom Rack.
Friday, January 6
Broken Homme Buys Factory
Broken Homme is one of a handful of footwear labels made in Los Angeles County, and the label’s local roots have grown deeper.
Thursday, January 5
Manhattan Beachwear: Building a 21st-Century Swim Business
Swim/Surf
Kevin Mahoney’s spacious corner office at the Manhattan Beachwear headquarters is still sparsely decorated since his arrival in August. But in one corner stands an artistic homage to his 18 years as the youngest president of The Arrow Shirt Co.
Revel Rey: Focus on Fit, Fabric and Fun
Swim/Surf
Before launching Revel Rey at Miami Swim Week last July, designer Audrey Swanson wanted to perfect the look of her swimwear collection.
Courtney Allegra: Designed to Stand Out
Swim/Surf
Courtney Allegra’s collection includes everything from the tricot fabrications typically used for swimwear to an ultra-fine microsuede, which is quick drying and has a luxe, lightweight hand.
OAS: Swedish Roots, International Outlook
Swim/Surf
Swedish men’s swim line OAS is launching in the United States and looking to expand to women’s swim in 2017.
The Row Store Design Earns Award for Santa Monica Architects
Retail
Montalba Architects receives American Architecture Award for design of The Row flagship in Los Angeles.
Bidders Line Up for American Apparel
Manufacturing
As the deadline looms for buyers to submit their bids for bankrupt American Apparel, rumors are flying about who is thinking about making an offer.
Mixed Bag for Retailers in December
Retail
For retail powerhouse L Brands—the Columbus, Ohio–based parent company of Victoria Secret—December was flat. But it was grim news for Kearney, Neb.–based The Buckle, which reported a 15.1 percent drop in net sales to 154.6 million in December as well as a 15.5 percent drop in same-store sales.
PVH and Tommy Hilfiger Join UN’s Global Sustainability Initiative
Manufacturing
In December, PVH Corp. and its Tommy Hilfiger brand signed on to the UN Global Compact, a massive initiative aimed at harnessing business’s role in global sustainability.
Forestry and Fashion: Apparel Brands, Retailers and Mills Looking to Combat Deforestation
Manufacturing
The impact of deforestation might initially seem like a minor concern to apparel and textile businesses, but a recent report finds a link between revenue and deforestation for nearly 200 companies, including several high-profile companies in apparel, retail and textiles.
Volcom’s Net-Worth Project: Action-Sports Label is Looking to Save the Oceans One Bikini at a Time
Volcom
Action-sports label Volcom is looking to save the oceans one bikini at a time.
Surf Is Dead Looks for New Fashion Wave
Surf Is Dead
Chris Josol was surfing with some friends in 2015 when the conversation turned to the state of surfwear, which had seemed—to Josol and his friends—to have lost its rebellious, experimental spirit.
Macy’s Outlines Store Closure, Layoff Plans Following Holiday Sales Decline
Retail
When Macy’s Inc. released its holiday results on Jan. 4, the retail giant included news of a massive round of layoffs and outlined its plans to close stores in the coming months.
Forecasts Say Holiday Business Ranged from Solid to Good
Retail
Holiday 2016 shopping has wrapped up, and business forecasts are rolling in for the crucial shopping season, which comprises 20 percent of total retail industry sales, according to the Washington, D.C.–headquartered National Retail Federation.
Wednesday, January 4
Vans Enlist High-School Art Students for Design Contest
Art + Fashion
Vans asks students to put their creative hats on and come up with some designs for Vans' shoes.
John Malkovich's Fashionable Side
John Malkovich, the Academy Award-nominated actor for films such as “Places in the Heart” and “In the Line of Fire,” is showing off his fashionable side in a new video for online web development site Squarespace.
Tuesday, January 3
Trump Nominates Conservative Attorney to Become U.S. Trade Representative
Import/Export
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert Lighthizer to become the new U.S. trade representative in charge of the country’s trade policy.
Debbie Harry's & Obey’s Collab Line
Blondie’s major hit, Heart of Glass was released on Jan. 3, 1979. Time for an anniversary tour, right? Or a cable channel documentary? Maybe. But a fashion line is definitely in the works.
