2017 Newsmaker: A New Clothing Chapter for Dov Charney, American Apparel Founder
Manufacturing
Irreverent Los Angeles clothing manufacturer Dov Charney picked up this year right where he was decades ago.
2017 Newsmaker: Hitting the Denim Blues, True Religion Reorganizes After Bankruptcy
Manufacturing
Los Angeles premium-denim companies that sold their expensive dungarees to fashionistas for hundreds of dollars were flying high until a few years ago when many companies saw sales slide precipitously.
2017 Newsmaker: Bebe Closes All Its Stores After Selling Half Its Label
Manufacturing
For decades, Bebe Stores struggled as its losses mounted every year. Top executives came and went but still no solution.
2017 Newsmaker: After Decades on the Contemporary Clothing Scene, BCBGMaxAzria Declares Bankruptcy
Manufacturing
When Max Azria established his BCBGMaxAzria brand in 1989, he was immediately off to the races in the world of women’s contemporary clothing.
UCLA Economists Predict a Healthy 2018 With Clouds on the Horizon
UCLA economists are optimistic about the U.S. economy in 2018 and then see it cooling in 2019.
Denim Production in the United States Hit With Another Blow
Textiles
One of the last mills in the United States to make denim fabric has decided to shutter its denim production and concentrate on technical fabrics.
Trade Observers Fear Trump May Pull Out of NAFTA Negotiations
Import/Export
With little progress in the last negotiating round for the North American Free Trade Agreement, trade experts believe it is becoming more likely that President Trump will follow through on his threat to withdraw from the talks.
Jennifer Lopez the Next Face of Guess Jeans
Retail
Guess launches its Spring 2018 jeans campaign with a superstar.
Guess Inc. Faces Challenges in U.S. Market With Europe and Asia Taking the Lead
Manufacturing
Guess?, Inc. was founded in Los Angeles nearly 40 years ago with its eye on the U.S. consumer, but its weakest market now is the United States and the Americas region.
Paula Schneider Takes Over as Head of Susan G. Komen
Manufacturing
After decades of working in the apparel industry, Paula Schneider is moving her career in a different direction by taking over as president and chief executive of Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest breast-cancer organization.
Los Angeles Denim Factories Are Struggling to Stay Alive
Manufacturing
Los Angeles has always been the epicenter for manufacturing blue jeans in the United States. Major labels such as True Religion, Lucky Brand, Hudson and 7 For All Mankind built their reputations on that “Made in the USA” cachet, which signaled quality and prestige in their premium-denim products.
Forever 21 Sets Up Marathon Shopping on Thanksgiving Day
Retail
If you need an outfit for Thanksgiving Day, Forever 21 will be open for you.
Owner of Hudson Jeans and Robert Graham Sees Net Loss in Third Quarter
Manufacturing
Differential Brands, the Los Angeles parent company of Hudson Jeans, Robert Graham and SWIMS, reported that its third-quarter net loss was $183,000, down from a net loss of $2.82 million for the same time last year.
Apparel Marts Across the Country Are Figuring Out How to Adapt to Changing Times
Manufacturing
Six months after Brookfield acquired a controlling interest in the California Market Center in Los Angeles, plans are still swirling around about how the half-century-old complex will be modernized and updated.
Which Retailer Is Adding Stores Across the Southwest?
Retail
First launched as a catalog company and then expanding online, Sundance is on a retail roll-out binge.
Woodbury Students Design Outfits for Burbank Philharmonic
Fashion
For the fourth time, Woodbury University fashion students design attire for musicians playing with the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra.
New Show Director Named for Womenswear in Nevada
Trade Shows
The Womenswear In Nevada show, which takes place twice a year in Las Vegas, has been undergoing a number of changes recently. The decades-old show was sold two years ago to trade-show organizer Urban Expositions, and since then it has seen a revolving door of show directors.
Will Tax-Free Online Sales Die With Newest Challenge?
Retail
The issue of whether e-commerce retailers have to charge sales tax for out-of-state purchases could be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shop & Dine
Trade Show
New restaurants and shops are popping up all the time, but here’s a selection of some of the latest hot spots that will help you make your trade-show foray in the nation’s major cities even more of an adventure.
Santa Monica Place Being Refinanced by Owner
Retail
As the mall world continues to spin with winners and losers, The Macerich Co. reported solid financial results for the third quarter and said it is refinancing its high-end Santa Monica Place.
Eataly Finally Debuts at Westfield Century City
Retail
The conglomeration of eating zones takes a bow on Nov. 3.
True Religion Exits Bankruptcy With Smaller Footprint
Manufacturing
True Religion, the Los Angeles company whose jeans were constantly being knocked off by Chinese counterfeiters when the label was a must-have brand, exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a smaller retail footprint and cash to move forward.
Egypt’s Duty-Free Apparel Production Making a Comeback After Years of Political Turmoil
Import/Export
As President Trump starts whittling away at the various free-trade agreements the United States has with different countries, Egypt is revving up its promotion of its special industrial zones where apparel can be made and exported duty-free to the United States.
Buyers Navigate Sprawling LA Market
LA Market
The recent Los Angeles Fashion Market was a sprawling affair with permanent showrooms and temporary exhibitors showing at trade shows showcasing everything from Immediate goods to Spring merchandise to a group of buyers that were predominantly local.
The U.S. Free-Trade Agreement With Central America Is Next in Line for a Makeover
Import/Export
Experts are meeting for their fourth round of NAFTA trade talks in Washington, D.C., this week with the idea of wrapping up negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement by the end of this year if President Trump doesn’t derail the deal.
Forever 21 Teams Up With Taco Bell For New Collection
Fast Fashion
Taco Bell and Forever 21 hit the runway with their new collection.
OC Mix’s Easy Format Draws Regional Buyers
Trade Shows
In the trade-show world, small can be beautiful.
Jones Apparel Founder Selling Former House of Famous Talk-Show Host
Expensive Real Estate
Four acres of land next to the ocean in Malibu, complete with big house and tennis courts, is on the market.
Denim Dominates on the Runway at Directives West Trends Forecast
Directives West
Directives West put the spotlight on Spring/Summer 2018 trends at the retail consultancy’s Oct. 2 runway show at the California Market Center. Trends included plenty of denim and feminine details such as ruffles, floral embroidery and off-the-shoulder silhouettes.
CMC Hosts Series of Seminars During LA Fashion Market
Events
Retailers not only get a chance to peruse the latest Spring/Summer collections at the upcoming LA Fashion Market, but they get the chance to listen to a number of seminars being held at the California Market Center on subjects ranging from upcoming trends to how to improve profits.
Goat to Open Pop-up Store in Culver City for Sneakers
Retail
The pop-up store debuts at Platform in Culver City this Saturday and runs through the end of the year.
Citizens of Humanity Management Buys Back Company From Private Equity Investors
Manufacturing
Citizens of Humanity’s executive management team and private investors pooled their money together to buy back the portion of the company owned by private-equity investor Berkshire Partners and cofounder Jerome Dahan.
How the Factoring Industry Has Adapted to a Changing Retail World
Finance
As the retail industry has changed into a split personality of online and offline shopping, so too has the factoring industry that finances manufacturers’ production and sales to clients.
UCLA Anderson Forecast Shines a Light on the Troubled Retail Industry
Finance
In one year, retail employment declined by 29,000 jobs. What had been the second largest private-sector employer in the United States has dropped to the fourth largest, according to the recently released UCLA Anderson Forecast.
Vitamin A Partners With Beek for Sandal Collection
Fashion
Swimwear label Vitamin A designs a sandal collection with SoCal Beek.
Top Fashion Student Grads Walk Down the Runway at Supima Design Competition
Supima Design Competition
The idea behind the fashion show was this: Recent graduates from seven fashion design schools across the United States were given the assignment to take Supima cotton fabric and whip up capsule collections of women’s eveningwear for Supima’s 10th annual design competition, seen on the runway in New York on Sept. 7.
Students from the Academy of Art University Hit the Runway
AAU @ NYFW
For some 12 years now, the recent graduates from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco have displayed their designs on the runway during New York Fashion Week.
Kandy Kiss Alleges a Former Executive Stole Its Business With Target
Legal
The clothing business can be a cutthroat industry, especially in these times of retail challenges and shifting consumer shopping habits.
Fabletics Strides for More Business With Shoes
After four years of online sales, Fabletics adding shoes to activewear.
Eating Hall Opens in LA Fashion District
Fashion Foodies
A hip new food hall opens on the edge of the Los Angeles Fashion District.
Mojix and CXignited Announce Merger
Los Angeles–based Mojix, a provider of RFID systems and IoT platform solutions, has merged with CXignited, a European company that is a leader in delivering real-time product and consumer data to retailers.
Christian Audigier Documentary Coming Next Year
Fashion
Next year, a documentary about Christian Audigier, founder of Ed Hardy, will be available to watch on video-on-demand platforms.
Los Angeles Apparel Manufacturers Fined for Labor Violations
Manufacturing
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited 14 Los Angeles garment manufacturers and contractors for labor law and garment registration violations following inspections last month in the Los Angeles area.
Style Fashion Week Sees Three Days of Runway Shows During NYFW
Fashion
Style Fashion Week opened its three-day event on Sept. 7 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, located aboard the aircraft carrier Intrepid at Pier 86 in New York.
LA Designer Tadashi Shoji Unveils Spring/Summer ’18 at NYFW
Spring Is In The Air
Los Angeles designer Tadashi Shoji went with a more informal vibe for his Spring/Summer ’18 collection, which was seen on the runway during New York Fashion Week.
Containerized Imports Headed for a Record in the United States
Import/Export
Consumer confidence keeps shoppers buying as the economy chugs along.
CIT Group Names New Chief Strategy Officer
Finance
Commercial lender CIT Group has named Kenneth McPhail as executive vice president and chief strategy officer, effective immediately.
Athletic Wear Maker Prana Names New President
Manufacturing
Prana has named a replacement for its longtime president, Scott Kerslake, who left last month to become the chief executive of Nixon watches.
Taiwanese Citizen Held in San Francisco on Charges of Bringing in Millions of Counterfeit Footwear and Apparel
Import/Export
A former Taiwanese national living in New York was charged with smuggling and conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods that ranged from high-priced Nike shoes and Ugg boots to True Religion blue jeans after he tried to board an international flight in San Francisco.
