California Apparel News

Black Design Collective will present a virtual panel discussion moderated by Loren LoRosa and featuring Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss and Reebok and Cross Colours co-founder TJ Walker on Dec. 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. PST. Named “Pull Back the Curtain: A Conversation with TJ Walker and Kerby Jean-Raymond,” the panel will feature guest appearances by celebrities as well as musical performances. “Black Design Collective is excited to present an intelligent conversation 30 years in the making,” Kevan Hall,co-founder of Black Design Collective, said. “We will take a close look at how TJ Walker of Cross Colours shifted fashion and culture in 1989 to inspire the next generation of Black designers including Kerby Jean-Raymond, founder of Pyer Moss in 2016 and global creative director of Reebok in 2020.” Supporting the Black Design Collective Scholarship Fund, the event will include an announcement regarding the TJ Walker Scholarship, which will be awarded to an urbanwear designer in early 2021. Additional information can be found at BlackDesignCollective.com/Category/Events.

Los Angeles retailer Fred Segal is entering the shopping-channel space with Fred Segal Live on the video-streaming commerce platform TalkShopLive. On Nov. 23, Fred Segal will premiere its eight-week livestreaming shopping experience, which includes the fashion, home, beauty and wellness categories. The program will stream weekly on Mondays at 4 p.m. PST as it celebrates the “Power of Diversity” through a showcase of Black-owned, women-owned and small businesses and those led by underrepresented groups. The Black-owned jewelry brand Adore Adorn and the female-founded sustainable jewelry brand Serendipitous Project will be featured in the inaugural episode. Through the www.fredsegal.com/pages/live-shopping platform, viewers will be offered incentives to make purchases of the products, which will be featured for 72 hours.

Mycelium-materials company MycoWorks has closed $45 million in Series B financing, the company recently announced. In addition to securing the funding, which will be devoted to scaling its Reishi natural, non-animal leather material, the San Francisco–headquartered MycoWorks also announced the opening of a new production plant in Emeryville, Calif. This location will provide a production capacity that is 10 times greater than its previous capabilities as the company focuses on expanding its presence across industries with its proprietary Fine Mycelium platform.

Ecobags, the nearly 32-year-old Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., resource for eco lifestyle goods, most notably shopping bags, announced that it recently introduced 30 percent Global Organic Textile Standard organic and recycled cotton. By January 2021, the company will increase this figure to 50 percent Global Organic Textile Standard organic and recycled cotton. Ecobags aims to offer 85–100 percent organic and recycled fabrications by the third quarter of 2021. “Building a profitable business based on our motto of ‘cleaning up the planet one bag at a time’ and our belief in doing no harm requires a lot of love,” said Ecobags founder and Chief Executive Officer Sharon Rowe. “You don’t have to be big to create a culture shift, you just have to be honest about what you’re not willing to compromise.”