The Wet Seal Goes on the Auction Block
Retail
Another California clothing venture is selling its brand after declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Nasty Gal Shuttering Los Angeles Operations With Sale to BooHoo
Retail
Online clothing vendor Nasty Gal will be spending the next two to three months winding down its Los Angeles operations after British-based fashion online retailer BooHoo won a $20 million bid to buy the company’s intellectual-property assets, trademarks and customer lists.
Yarns and Viscose Rayon Fibers Get Tangled in EU-U.S. Tariff Fight
Textiles
A trade war over Europe limiting U.S. beef imports led the Obama administration last year to propose a set of retaliatory tariffs on mostly food-related goods coming from Europe.
BCBGMaxAzria Outlines Store Closing Plan
Retail
Los Angeles–based brand BCBGMaxAzriaGroup, which has been weathering some tough financial times lately, has outlined its strategy for closing nearly 400 stores in its retail chain of 570 outposts.
Allen Schwartz Revamps His Company With a New Name and New Business Model
Manufacturing
Los Angeles apparel guru Allen Schwartz is back at it, changing his business model.
Monrow Opens Store in Venice
Retail
Los Angeles-centric Monrow decides to hit the retail road with a new store.
Dov Charney: From American Apparel to Los Angeles Apparel
Manufacturing
If the business plan sounds the same, it is. Dov Charney is more determined than ever to make his second stab at apparel manufacturing more successful than the first.
Fashion Market Northern California Buzzes With Activity
Trade Shows
Buyers attending Fashion Market Northern California were lined up one hour before the doors opened at the San Mateo County Event Center on the first day of the show, exhibitors said.
New CFO Named to Hudson Jeans Parent Company
Manufacturing
Differential Brands Group has named Bob Ross its new chief financial officer, effective Jan. 30.
Designers from the 1950s at FIDM Museum in Orange County
Fashion
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Orange County has an exhibit showing the works of five designers who influenced California's 1950s-era fashion.
Home of American Rag Owner Up for Sale
Fashion
Mark Werts puts his house near Griffith Park up for sale.
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.
Ontario Mills Gets Ready for Chinese New Year
Retail
Ontario Mills will have a host of activities for the start of Chinese New Year.
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.
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.
Hong Kong Fashion Week Opens With 1,500 Exhibitors
Fashion
The long-running Hong Kong Fashion Week celebrates its 48th edition.
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.
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.
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.
American Apparel Acquired by Gildan Activewear
Manufacturing
Gildan ups its offer and wins the bid for American Apparel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nasty Gal Gets Bid from British Online Fashion Site
Retail
Boohoo.com makes $20 million bid for Nasty Gal's intellectual property assets.
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.
Kellwood Co. Sold to Hong Kong Investor Group
Hong Kong group acquires Kellwood and brings back David Falwell as CEO.
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.
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.
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 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.
