Friday, March 31
Delta Apparel Sells Junkfood Clothing
Manufacturing
Twelve years after buying Los Angeles–based Junkfood Clothing Co. for more than $22.5 million, Delta Apparel is selling the T-shirt brand for about $28 million to JMJD Ventures.
Meet Skid Row Denim Academy
Brad Robinson dreams of a Los Angeles without homelessness. He's got a fashion angle to achieve that goal. Meet Skid Row Denim Academy.
Thursday, March 30
Retailers, Brands Sign Up for MAGIC’s First Stop in Japan
Trade Shows
Trade-show giant UBM Americas is preparing for the launch of MAGIC Japan, a joint venture between the MAGIC trade show and JFW-International Fashion Fair, the biannual apparel trade show organized by publisher Senken Shimbun.
Fashion Week El Paseo: Design in the Desert
Design in the Desert
Fashion fans flocked to Palm Desert, Calif., for the 12th annual Fashion Week El Paseo. The runway lineup included West Coast designers as well as labels from across the U.S. and around the world.
Aritizia, Bailey 44 Among Boutiques Moving to Westfield Century City
Retail
The Westfield Century City retail center is continuing work on a $1 billion remodel of its real estate in Los Angeles’ Century City district this year, and recently the high-end retail center announced a slate of new boutiques.
US Supreme Court Strengthens Fashion Copyright
Manufacturing
The fashion business might become more litigious, thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision, according to a discussion about the court’s decision at law firm Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP in Los Angeles’ Century City district.
U.S. Textile and Apparel Industry Inching Forward After Steep Asian Competition
Textiles
The U.S. textile and apparel industries have seen revenues slowly rise over the last seven years as free-trade agreements and rising Asian prices have given local textile and clothing makers a bit of a reprieve.
Alvanon and BodiData Partner Up to Help Apparel Industry With Sizing
Technology
How many times have customers praised a designer for a pair of perfectly fitted blue jeans and then snapped them up without glancing at the price?
Cohen & Sons Balances Vintage and New Moto Styles
Cohen & Sons
Motorcycle fashions are perennially in style, from the classic looks of Steve McQueen and biker gangs such as the Hells Angels to the folks who race motorcycles.
LAMM Brings In The New
LAMM
LA Men’s Market has been producing trade shows since 2013, but the recent March 28–29 run of the show at the California Market Center looked to freshen up the show and bring in the new.
Wednesday, March 29
BCBG Max Azria Lays Off More Employees Following Bankruptcy Filing
The BCBG Max Azria Group, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Feb. 28, gave notice on March 13 that it will lay off another 116 people, effective May 11. This comes after the Los Angeles contemporary label laid off 123 people last November and another 71 people one year ago.
Puma’s Locked-Box Challenge
To reward (and challenge) young athletes, athletic footwear and apparel maker Puma thought inside the box.
WestWeek 2017 Salutes Icons and Innovators
Art + Fashion
WestWeek 2017 highlighted “Icons and Innovators” at its March 22-23 Spring Market at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif.
Monday, March 27
Mr. A's Uniqlo Moment
How does a Paris-based graffiti artist connect with a Japanese headquartered retailer to make T-shirts? And then globetrot to Los Angeles introduce the capsule collection with Uniqlo’s UT label? The artist André Saraiva explained.
On the Runway at FWLA
Fashion
Roosevelt Broome IV, founder of Rich Apparels, shows off his T-shirts at FWLA.
Thursday, March 23
Bebe Hires Firm to Chart New Course
Retail
After speculation that Bebe Stores Inc. might shutter all its locations and concentrate on e-commerce, the California retailer announced it hired B. Riley & Co. to help “explore strategic alternatives.”
Chupakabra Found In a T-shirt Line
Manufacturing
There’s the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and, since the mid-1990s, chupacabra. It sounded like the perfect starting-off point for a T-shirt line for Eric Martin, the founder of The Park Showroom in downtown Los Angeles.
Profile Industries' L.A. Splash
Weather in the northeast has become more extreme. What do you do when you make warm weather clothes. For Manhattan-headquartered Profile Industries, Inc., the solution was opening a showroom in Los Angeles.
Please Do Not Enter’s Westside Invasion
In Los Angeles, there is a Westside and an Eastside, and the two rarely meet, except in the pop-up shop produced by Please Do Not Enter
Disabled Worker Wins Discrimination Case Against Citizens of Humanity
Manufacturing
In a court case that took more than three weeks to argue, a 61-year-old employee who felt he was wrongfully dismissed after a shoulder injury limited his ability to work won a major verdict against his employer, Citizens of Humanity.
Los Angeles Fashion Week: California Point of View
LAFW: CA Point of View
Los Angeles Fashion Week: Fall 2017
Sears Remains ‘Viable Business’ CFO Says
Retail
The worlds of Sears Holdings Corp. investors and shoppers were rocked this week when the parent company to Sears and KMart issued an annual report noting that there was “substantial doubt” on the Chicago-area company’s future.
Riding Out Big Changes in Retail at Marcum Panel
Retail
There are 26 square feet of retail for every man, woman and child in the United States, according to a statistic quoted by Robin Lewis, chief executive and editorial director of The Robin Report, a platform covering retail.
Future State in 2017
Future State
When the Future State brand started in late 2014, it offered an array of women’s T-shirts and placed the new line in retailers such as Urban Outfitters.
Nordstrom Taps Infor Cloud-based POS System
Technology
Nordstrom is switching to a new cloud-based point-of-sale system run by technology-solutions provider Infor.
Woodbury University’s Historic Fashion Archive Gets an Organizational Makeover
Woodbury’s Archives
As Woodbury University’s fashion department celebrates its 85th year, it is taking a good, hard look at its archive of 4,000 garments and accessories, which range from frocks from the 1800s to more-contemporary pieces that include designers Yves Saint Laurent and Jean-Paul Gaultier.
LA Style in the Spotlight at Brand Assembly
To introduce its new creative, co-working space, Brand Assembly hosted a networking event in partnership with The Zoe Report, designer Rachel Zoe’s fashion, beauty, and lifestyle portal. The March 14 event was held at the co-working space, called The Square by Brand Assembly, located on the mezzanine of the Cooper Design Space.
Wednesday, March 22
Here Comes Custom Ketchup
A lot of people say that fashion has gone to the dogs, but in the case of T-shirt line Custom Ketchup, it has gone to the kids.
Fashion Party in the Hollywood Skyline for LAFW Opening Reception!
The rooftop of the W Hotel, Hollywood was the scene of the March 16 opening reception for L.A. Fashion Week, one of the producers of Los Angeles Fashion Week events.
Buhler Yarns Acquired
Textiles
U.S. yarn spinner Buhler Quality Yarns has been acquired by Samil Spinning Co. Ltd. in an all-cash deal for an undisclosed amount.
Tuesday, March 21
Sewbots, 3D Printing- FGILA On Future of Fashion
Sewbots? 3D printing? Get ready for the new machines of fashion production, according to a Fashion Group International of Los Angeles panel.
Thomas Wylde’s Luxe Rock 'n' Roll Chic
Los Angeles luxury label Thomas Wylde drew a celebrity-filled crowd at its March 12 runway show at Style Fashion Week at the Pacific Design Center.
Monday, March 20
Courtney Allegra’s Fashion Week Party
Los Angeles Fashion Week March 2017 seems to be over, but is it too late to raise a glass to a fashion week party that started the recent shindig? Meet Courtney Allegra.
DTLA’s Please Do Not Enter Hosts ‘King & Queens’
Please Do Not Enter, the one-of-a-kind curated store in the heart of downtown L.A., presented the mixed media art of Karen Bystedt on March 9 at the store, located in the historical PacMutual building across from Pershing Square.
Friday, March 17
ModCloth Acquired by WalMart’s Jet.com
Retail
After a few days of heavy media speculation, it was announced March 17, that ModCloth, a San Francisco–headquartered e-commerce retailer with a focus on independent women’s fashions was acquired by Jet.com, a division of one of the world’s biggest retailers, WalMart.
Thursday, March 16
Rooftop Party at the Gerry Building Draws a Crowd
Los Angeles Market Week
Buyers get together for a sunset party with drinks, food and lots of dancing.
Sean Scott’s Levitation Activewear
Sean Scott is getting started in fashion early. Currently, he studies at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles. But this student is introducing a fashion line. It’s called Levitation Activewear.
Byer California Closes Northern California Warehouse to Concentrate on Southern California Distribution Center
Manufacturing
Byer California, the long-time juniorswear manufacturer headquartered in San Francisco, is laying off 99 employees as it consolidates its Northern California warehouse with its Los Angeles distribution center.
Co-Working Creative Space to Open This Summer in the California Market Center
Trade Shows
Construction workers are just starting to put up the walls for a new co-working area by IgnitedSpaces, which will take up an entire floor in one of the California Market Center buildings.
Sene Brings Tech-Enabled Suits To District La Brea
Retail
The secret to making the perfect suit involves a certain harmony; it balances how a suit fits the wearer, the materials used in the suit and its overall design/look, according to Ray Li.
Schoenfeld Exits PacSun
Retail
Gary Schoenfeld, the chief executive who steered mall retailer Pacific Sunwear of California through a massive restructuring post–Great Recession and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016, has left the company.
First Fashion Setters Award Show Takes a Bow
Fashion Setters
With colorful, celebratory touchdown dances, Terrell Owens made headlines during his NFL career.
Safavi Joins Caruso
Retail
Reza Safavi recently joined Caruso, the real estate development company that owns and manages prominent retail centers such as The Grove in Los Angeles, according to a Caruso statement.
City of Hope Honors Oneworld Star International’s Luo and Sneider
Events
Members of the apparel and textile community gathered on Feb. 25 at Hyde Sunset Kitchen in Hollywood to honor the founders of Oneworld Star International Holdings Limited.
Sprawling LA Market Draws Wide Range of Buyers
LA Market
For many buyers and exhibitors, the March 13–16 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market was the last stop in a long trade-show season that included shows three weeks ago in Las Vegas and New York.
Wednesday, March 15
Fashion Rally for Immigrants
The Trump administration plans to change immigration rules, and some fashion brands have entered the brewing political debate with T-shirts.
Fashion Photography in 3-D
Reisig and Taylor….Urban Poetry
Leeza Taylor and Chris Reisig are 25-year veterans in the photography and art world. The dynamic dual have spent their careers been shooting fashion campaigns and celebrities around the world. Their latest series, titled “NAKED,” they document their circle of family friends around their LA home over a 10-year period.
Tuesday, March 14
Apparel Manufacturer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Hiding Income in Israeli Banks
Legal
Masud Sarshar, known for taking a heritage workwear brand and converting it into a colorful pants collection under the Dickies Girl label, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for hiding more than $21 million in income and $2.5 million in interest in Israeli banks and avoiding U.S. taxes.
Mario De La Torre's Into The Darkness
Mario De La Torre's Into the Darkness collection took the Style Fashion Week runway with a celebration of vinyl and latex styles for women of all sizes.
Moods of Norway at Style Fashion Week
About a five minute drive away from its flagship on Melrose Avenue, the Moods of Norway brand produced a Style Fashion Week show at Pacific Design Center March 10.
Monday, March 13
David Tupaz at Style Fashion Week
David Tupaz Couture took the runway Style Fashion Week March 10.He outfitted elegant styles with bouclé and silks. Take a look.
Malan Breton at Style Fashion Week
Malan Breton kicked off Style Fashion Week March 9 with a presentation of his Fall Winter 2017 line “The 7 Deadly Sins.” Take a look.
Friday, March 10
Lubov Azria Exits BCBGMaxAzria as Company Restructures
Manufacturing
With the BCBGMaxAzria Group trying to restructure its business after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection days ago, the Los Angeles contemporary clothing company has replaced its chief creative director, Lubov Azria, whose husband founded the company.
Books and Looks
The LA Art Book Fair
The LA Art Book Fair brings together book and art catalog sellers, collectors, buyers and enthusiasts to one gigantic, creative arena that proves that LA is one of the most important cities in the world for art, culture and style.
Thursday, March 9
True Religion’s Non-Conforming Ambassadors
The faces of True Religion's This is True campaign; Nikkie Lane, Tommy Lee and Herizen F. Guardiola.
Denim Days Coming to the U.S.
Denim Days, the week-long denim festival in Amsterdam, will touch down in the U.S. this fall.
Retailers Anxious over Travel Ban
Retail
Anxiety over a “Trump Slump” in tourism to the United States has become an issue, and California retailers have wondered if a travel ban initiated by the Trump Administration could affect them.
Fall/Winter 2017 Activewear Insight by Trendstop
Activewear Insight
Global fashion forecasting agency Trendstop gave us the insider lowdown into the latest activewear trends impacting the industry for the Fall/Winter 2017–18 season.
What’s Going On With Westfield Massive Topanga Project?
Westfield's Topanga Project
In September 2015, Westfield unveiled a $350 million The Village at Westfield Topanga project adjacent to its luxe Westfield Topanga mall, 26 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. While wrapping up this project, the international mall giant was in the midst of planning an even bigger project in the Topanga area.
Shahid to Lead LAMM Trade Show
Trade Shows
Longtime assistant show director Sannia Shahid was recently named show director for the Los Angeles Men’s Market. She will run the upcoming LAMM, which is scheduled for March 28–29 in the California Market Center showroom building in downtown Los Angeles.
Jacobson’s FashionLink Showroom Moves to New Mart
FashionLink
Peter Jacobson is putting the finishing touches on his new FashionLink showroom on the 10th floor of The New Mart.
Sunrise Brands Partners With Eva Longoria for New Collection
Sunrise Brands
Eva Longoria, the actress known for her years on the TV series “Desperate Housewives,” is no stranger to fashion. Her role in the long-running nighttime soap opera portrayed her as a former model who was always elegantly dressed—even when she was living in the suburbs.
Apparel Sales Stall at 3 Percent, Athleisure Remains Influential, NPD Says
Retail
U.S. apparel industry sales increased 3 percent to $218.7 billion in 2016, according to market researchers The NPD Group in a March 6 statement.
New Owners Lay Off More People at 7 For All Mankind, Splendid and Ella Moss
Manufacturing
Eight months ago, Israeli-based Delta Galil acquired three Los Angeles premium brands from VF Corp. and then laid off 105 people.
Swarovski Looks to Spring/Summer 2018 for ‘New Perspectives’ Trend Forecast
Swarovski
The macro-trend for the Spring/Summer 2018 season is “disruption.” That was the word from Austrian crystal maker Swarovski, which presented its Spring/Summer 2018 forecast—titled “New Perspectives”—on March 8 at the Tuck Hotel, a newly opened boutique hotel in downtown LA’s fashion district.
Style Fashion Week Extravaganza with Zumanity & Insomniac
Style Fashion Week has produced runway events for events for years, but its upcoming LA Fashion Week group of shows, it partners with Zumanity and Insomniac to put on a big party.
Wednesday, March 8
Quiksilver Gets a New Name After Bankruptcy
Retail
With new owners running the show at Quiksilver Inc., it only seemed appropriate for a name change to go along with a revamped business model for the surfwear and skatewear retailer.
What Do Shoppers Want This Spring?
Fashion
Poshmark reveals its five biggest trends among millennials.
Rising Employment, Interest Rates and Inflation Set the Economic Tone for the Next Few Years
Finance
A new Trump administration should be good for the U.S. economy over the next couple of years, but there might be some bumps in the road for California, according to a UCLA report released March 8.
Tuesday, March 7
Hermès’ Walks in DTLA
A hit song from the 1980s claimed “No One Walks In L.A,” but heritage brand Hermès does.
Naked Princess Moving Out of Flagship
Retail
The Naked Princess lingerie, loungewear and beauty label will be moving out of its sprawling West Hollywood, Calif., flagship, according to a statement from the brand.
Monday, March 6
Los Angeles Fashion Week Calendar: Fall 2017
Events
Los Angeles Fashion Week events begin on March 8 and run through March 19.
Nasty Gal Founder’s Girlboss Rally
During a season of women’s marches and political actions, Sophia Amoruso put together the first Girlboss Rally
Thursday, March 2
Art…. Above and Below Ground in Los Angeles
Art, Fashion, Inspiration
Art Below, the London-based public art collaborative, recently arrived in Los Angeles for the first time to “Turn Ad Space into Art Space.”
Meet Dapper Boi
There's a new subculture; Bois. San Diego's Dapper Boi plans to outfit some of them.
Obituary: Los Angeles Manufacturer Jerry Leigh, 94
Manufacturing
Jerry Leigh, founder of Jerry Leigh of California, died on Feb. 8. He was 94.
Post Oscar, Colleen Atwood at Beverly Center’s Snoopy Fashion Exhibit
Pen and ink is not good enough for some cartoon characters. Some have Academy Award winning costumers like Colleen Atwood designing clothes for them.
Billabong Joins Forces With Warhol for New Collection
Fashion
Looking to Andy Warhol for surf inspiration.
Sourcing at MAGIC Shines a Light on Africa
Trade Shows
The 56 booths in the African pavilion were filled with bright bursts of color where countries such as Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia displayed their various products.
Stitch Levels Out to Blend With Other Shows
Trade Shows
Stitch, the show for women’s ready-to-wear fashions, found its groove.
Attendance Climbs at WWIN
Trade Shows
The several ballrooms that make up the Women’s Wear In Nevada show at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas were packed to the gills with booths that sold everything from large colorful hats for church to slip-on sleeves to be worn under sleeveless dresses.
Positive Vibe Floats Through WWDMAGIC
Trade Shows
The energy was high at WWDMAGIC, a vast young contemporary and trend-driven show held Feb. 21–23 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Celebs, Buzzing Business at Project
Trade Shows
It was a time for celebrity endorsements at the Feb. 21–23 run of Project Womens at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Pooltradeshow Remains an Alternative
Trade Shows
Pooltradeshow, which ran Feb. 21–23 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Convention Center, kept its status as a trade show for fashion alternatives.
Agenda Introduces Enclave to Vegas
Trade Shows
The Agenda trade show moved to a bigger hall for its Feb. 20–22 run in Las Vegas, but the spirit of the streetwear-and action sports–focused event remained similar to its past Vegas shows.
Post NY Fashion Week, Good Liberty Show for Krammer & Stoudt
Trade Shows
Print media is still a powerful medium. Just ask the cofounders of the Krammer & Stoudt label.
East Coast Sports Apparel Maker Mitchell & Ness Moving to Irvine
Mitchell & Ness Moving
The North American licensed sportswear business is estimated to be a multi-billion-dollar market, and Philadelphia-headquartered brand Mitchell & Ness is making a gambit for a bigger chunk of it. It is scheduled to open its first West Coast office and a distribution center by mid-March in Irvine, Calif.
Jewelry Show IFJAG Returns in a New Venue
Trade Shows
IFJAG, the jewelry and accessories trade show, returned to Las Vegas one year after hosting its first show in Las Vegas in 2016.
Curve’s Central Location
Trade Shows
This season, for its Feb. 21–23 run, Curve Las Vegas moved from the corner of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center to a central location next to the athleisure exhibitors at Project Womens.
Capsule’s Independent Vibe
Trade Shows
This season, Capsule and Agenda shared space in a ballroom at The Venetian in Las Vegas. The two companies are under the Reed Expositions umbrella, but show organizers made sure to keep each space distinctive and independent with a separate look and music.
Upbeat at Offprice
Trade Shows
The aisles were crowded, the booths were bustling and the exhibitors were upbeat at the Offprice show, held Feb. 19–22 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.
Crowded Trade Show Schedule Cuts in to LA Textile Traffic
LA Textile
Many of the familiar faces walking the aisles at the Los Angeles International Textile Show were missing this season when the longstanding textile show went head-to-head with an apparel trade show in New York.
Gordon Brothers Wins Bid for The Wet Seal
Retail
The Wet Seal, the Southern California teen retail chain that filed for bankruptcy protection in early February, will be sold to Gordon Brothers, who won the bankruptcy bid and beat out Canadian retailer YM.
Las Vegas Trade Shows, February 2017
Vegas Trade Shows
Coverage of the February 2017 trade shows in Las Vegas
Wednesday, March 1
AGOLDE X Opening Ceremony
AGOLDE and Opening Ceremony teamed up to design two capsule collections. The collections, called Carpenter and Graphic, took a bow on Feb. 28.
Brigade LA’s Awards Night Show With Elevate
While movie and red carpet fans were viewing the Academy Awards, more than nine emerging California lines presented a runway show at the Brigade LA boutique in downtown Los Angeles.
Farewell Fashion Bookstore
In another blow to the printed word, The Fashion Bookstore, which has been serving Los Angeles’ fashion industry and the region’s stylish people, is calling it quits.
Nasty Gal Offices to Remain Open in Los Angeles
Manufacturing
After being acquired by British-based online fashion retailer BooHoo.com for $20 million, Nasty Gal is marching forward with its same website and smaller offices in Los Angeles, as well as work spaces in New York, London and Manchester, England.
