Home Shopping Network is Being Acquired by QVC
Retail
Two big television shopping cable networks will now be one.
Patagonia’s Bikinis and Board Shorts Hit the Fair Trade Trail
Swim/Surf
Patagonia, the California outdoor-apparel company known as one of the first U.S. clothing companies to embrace the environment, is taking bikini and boardshorts production to a new level.
Solid Economic Growth Pushes Online Sales With Traditional Stores Revamping Their Fleet
Finance
Retail sales are inching forward this year with a strong nudge by online purchases fueled by millennials who prefer shopping on their smartphones and computers.
True Religion Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Manufacturing
True Religion, once a high-flying premium denim brand so popular its blue jeans were constantly being knocked off by counterfeiters, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 5 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
Shoemaker Donald Pliner Is Back
Retail
Event coming up to buy shoes on sale by Right Bank Shoe Co. of Beverly Hills.
BedHead Acquired by Komar
Manufacturing
BedHead Pajamas, the nearly 20-year-old Los Angeles sleepwear company, has been acquired by Komar for an undisclosed price.
APM Terminal at Los Angeles Port Returns to Normal After Shut Down Following Cyber Attack
Import/Export
A global cyber attack that affected hundreds of companies and their computer systems crippled operations at A.P. Moller-Maersk, the world’s largest container carrier, headquartered in Denmark. Operations returned to close to normal.
Retailers Revamp Inventory at Fashion Market Northern California
FMNC
Retailers, stuck with cold-weather inventory during a soggy winter, were sticking their heads out of their doors and filling in orders for a better season brought on by fairer weather.
Banana Republic Hits the Wedding Aisle
Retail
Weddington Way, an online site for bridesmaids dresses and accessories, is opening a physical space inside the Banana Republic in Santa Monica.
Skechers Goes Big With New Outlet Store
Retail
You won't have a problem finding a pair of shoes at this outlet store.
Bankruptcy Court Approves Stalking Horse Bid for BCBG Max Azria
Weeks after an offer was made to take BCBG Max Azria out of bankruptcy as a shell of its former self, a U.S. bankruptcy court has approved the $165 million offer.
Stitch Fix Names New CFO
Retail
Stitch Fix, the online subscription clothing service based in San Francisco, has a new chief financial officer.
LA Designer Michael Costello Expanding into Retail from His Downtown Post
Michael Costello
The numbers tattooed on Michael Costello’s arm—12614—say it all. On Jan. 26, 2014, Beyoncé wore the designer’s white lacy and semitransparent gown to the Grammy Awards, and in just one night she pushed the former “Project Runway” contestant to the top of the celebrity-designer map.
LeSportsac to Make Mario Bros. Travel Accessories
Fashion
Look for new Mario Bros.-inspired gear in time for the Holiday season.
Budget Bump in the Works for USTR
Import/Export
The Trump administration wants to beef up the U.S. Trade Representative’s budget by nearly 6 percent, add staff and launch bilateral negotiations with several major trading partners.
Volcom Launches New Collection With Mick Jagger's Daughter
Fashion
Georgia May Jagger hits downtown Los Angeles for unveiling of Volcom collection.
U.S. Textile Industry Outlines Changes Needed in NAFTA
Import/Export
With a Washington, D.C., hearing coming up on June 27 to discuss possible changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S. textile industry has put together a wish list of items it would like to see implemented.
BCBG Max Azria Receives Bid to Take It Out of Bankruptcy
Negotiations that started in May lead to a bid that will take the Los Angeles label out of bankruptcy.
UCLA Anderson Forecast Sees a Stable Economy for Next Few Years
The UCLA Anderson Forecast says Trump's prediction of 3 percent GDP growth probably won't happen.
A New NAFTA Is Having a Ripple Effect in Los Angeles
Import/Export
With changes in the North American Free Trade Agreement in the wind, Los Angeles blue-jeans factories have been fielding more inquiries from denim labels thinking about switching production from Mexico to California.
Quiet June Market Draws Focused Buyers Ready to Spend
LA Fashion Market
June market in Los Angeles is typically a quiet affair with buyers arriving to wrap up Fall orders and start looking at Holiday goods. Sandwiched between the larger Fall markets in March and the massive Las Vegas trade shows in August, June tends to draw lighter traffic comprised of mostly regional buyers.
Bebe Sells Distribution Center and Puts LA Design Center Up for Sale
After closing all 168 stores, Bebe sells distribution center and now wants to get rid of its LA design studio.
St. John Knits Gives Pink Slips to More Than 100 Workers
Manufacturing
In an effort to cut production costs, St. John Knits is laying off 130 workers effective on June 26.
Emerald Expositions Adds SIA Snow Show to Its Stable of Trade Exhibitions
Trade Shows
Weeks after raising $264 million in a public offering, Emerald Expositions turned around and acquired for $16.4 million the SIA Snow Show, organized by SnowSports Industries America.
Max Azria Named CEO of Bug-Zapping Light Company
Manufacturing
More than one year after being forced out of his Los Angeles clothing company, Max Azria has been named chief executive of ZappLight and its parent company, Clean Concept.
Why Manufacturers Are Turning to Central America for Quick-Turn Apparel
Trade Shows
The demise of a free-trade agreement between the United States and several Asian countries is breathing new life into the Guatemalan apparel industry.
Bella+Canvas Starts YouTube Channel
Fashion
T-shirt maker Bella+Canvas will have YouTube content change weekly.
Max Azria Named CEO of Bug-Zapping Light Company
More than one year after leaving his Los Angeles clothing company, Max Azria has been named chief executive of ZappLight and its parent company, Clean Concept.
Emerald Expositions Adds SIA Snow Show to Its Stable of Trade Exhibitions
Weeks after raising $264 million in a public offering, Emerald Expositions turned around and acquired for $16.4 million the SIA Snow Show organized by SnowSports Industries America.
Leading the Los Angeles Fashion District in a New Era
LA Fashion District
Every day, seven tons of trash are collected in the Los Angeles Fashion District, up from six tons a day last year.
Shop & Dine
Shop & Dine
The trade-show season is a year-round circuit that is like a movable feast when it comes to hunting for new styles and fashions.
Creativity Abounds in California’s Economy
Finance
In 2015, some 747,600 people in California were directly employed in creative-industry jobs, a 13.5 percent increase from 2010, according to the “2017 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California,” released on May 18 by the Otis College of Art and Design.
New U.S. Trade Representative Will Have a Busy Schedule
Import/Export
Days after being sworn in as the new U.S. Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer will be traveling to Vietnam to attend a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries.
A Free-Trade Agreement Between the U.S. and Europe Waiting in the Wings
Import/Export
Trade experts were expecting a free-trade agreement between the United States and Europe to be signed, sealed and delivered by the time Barack Obama left the White House. But things didn’t turn out as planned as the political winds in Europe and the United States shifted recently from pro free trade to increased protectionism.
High-end Sunglass Store Coming to Fashion District
Retail
A South Korean eyewear company is opening its first West Coast store in downtown LA.
Imports Will Grow Nicely Through the Fall
Import/Export
With unemployment hitting extremely low levels and workers’ wages rising, the nation’s ports should see a decent uptick in cargo-container volumes through at least September.
Hundreds of Guests Attend the Annual Otis College of Art and Design Fund-raiser and Fashion Show
Otis Fashion Show
A fashionable collection of 800 people crowded into a large ballroom at the Beverly Hilton for the annual Otis Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show, which raises money for students and highlights the fashion collections designed by the junior and senior classes of the fashion design department.
New Key Buyer Program Established at WWIN
Trade Shows
In an attempt to identify new attendees and buyers, the twice-a-year Womenswear in Nevada show held in Las Vegas has appointed Lynn Visser as the new key account manager.
The Auction Is On for Fashions Created by Otis' Students
Fashion
Students from Otis College of Art and Design put their mentor-inspired creations up for auction.
Capital Business Credit Gets a Name Change
Finance
Five months ago, White Oak Global Advisors acquired Capital Business Credit, known for its asset-based lending portfolio. Now White Oak Global is renaming Capital Business Credit to White Oak Commercial Finance.
Bebe Stores Resolves Store Leases and Skirts Bankruptcy
Retail
Bebe Stores settles store lease problems with landlords to move forward.
Deciding Where Your American Apparel T-shirt Is Made
Manufacturing
Consumers will soon be able to decide where their American Apparel T-shirt is made - in the U.S. or in Central America.
Sister Act in Creating the Fenini Collection
Fenini
When Fei Yang was a little girl growing up in Taiwan, she was constantly drawing on anything that had a flat surface—napkins, notebooks, newspapers and walls.
Bachrach Clothing Stores File for Bankruptcy Protection in Los Angeles
Retail
In the wake of several recent retail bankruptcies, the wave of clothing store troubles just keeps coming.
Paula Schneider Steps Down as CEO of Three Contemporary Brands
Manufacturing
Paula Schneider no longer CEO at 7 For All Mankind, Splendid and Ella Moss.
West Coast Longshore Workers to Vote on Three-Year Contract Extension
Import/Export
With political and economic change in the wind, longshore workers have agreed to vote on a three-year extension of their current contract expiring July 1, 2019.
Marchers Gather in Downtown LA in Fashion District
May Day
More than 100,000 people are expected to be marching into downtown Los Angeles today for May Day protests.
Time to Vote in Student-Designed Vans Shoe Contest
Fashion
Some 3,000 high schools across the country participated in the Vans design contest to create a wild and crazy shoe with an artistic sense.
Retailers Dry off From a Wet Winter to Attend Fashion Market Northern California
FMNC
Retailers weary of a soggy winter in Northern California were in a positive mood at the recent Fashion Market Northern California as they looked forward to a brighter summer and fall to entice customers through the do
