Friday, February 27
Juniors Apparel Company Set for South Bay Move
KNL Inc., the Commerce, Calif.–based manufacturer of juniors lines Big Flirt and Heart & Soul, is moving to a larger facility in Gardena, Calif., next month....
Retro Lingerie
Inspired by the pinup girls of the ’40s and ’50s, Lucy B. lingerie combines retro style with modern fabrics and fit. The line, which originally began as a swimwear collection sold at T...
MAGIC Fashion Show
Biker babes, denim, retro looks, sweat suits and masculine/feminine styles will dominate Fall 2004 looks, according to WWDMAGIC’s runway s...
Scout, Erica Tanov Celebrate Openings
The distance between Third Street’s newest boutiques is just a few storefronts, yet the two Los Angeles shops might as well have been on different planets when both held grand-opening parties on Feb. 1...
Petro Zillia: Designing Local Color
Nony Tochterman is as colorful as the designs that make up her Petro Zillia ready-to-wear collection....
Giorgio the Hotelier
Giorgio Armani is planning a chain of boutique hotels that will bear his name and his style. The Italian designer signed a letter of intent with Dubaibased real estate developer Emaar Properties to open 10 ho...
Jonesing Maxwell
New York–based Jones Apparel Group Inc. has offered to buy Boston-based Maxwell Shoe Co. Inc. for about $300 million in stock, equal to $20 per share. Maxwell’s portfolio of footwear brands includes Joan & ...
Levi's Goes Racing
San Francisco–based Levi Strauss & Co. is sponsoring NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson, who will tout Levi Strauss Signature, a denim line aimed at the mass market. Johnson is one of NASCAR’s premier personalitie...
Joe's Licensing Deal
Commerce-based Joe’s Jeans is going for more international appeal. Its parent company, the Innovo Group Inc., signed an agreement with Beyond Blue Inc. to distribute the Joe’s apparel brand internationally. The apparel...
New Shopping Magazine Covers L.A. Boutique Scene
Henry M. Shea Jr. is one of the many publishers who have bet that Americans will never get tired of shopping....
Retailers Optimistic at the Start of Trade Shows in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS—Heavy rain storms delayed many flights into Las Vegas, causing a slow start to MAGIC International and the concurrent satellite apparel trade shows, but retailers were optim...
Orange Men
Orange was the color on the runway at MAGIC International’s “Style File”
Efforts Underway to Shift Market Dates
A serious move is afoot to bump up by one or two weeks all of next year’s Los Angeles market weeks....
Putting the Fun inquot;Funderwearquot;
Lingerie designer Flo Scagliotti was so enamored of her new boyshort-style panties she had to show them to everyone she met....
RFID Bill Heads to Calif. State Capitol
California Sen. Debra Bowen (D–Redondo Beach) introduced a new state Senate bill proposing privacy standards for the use of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) on Feb. 24 in Sacramento. Bo...
Wet Seal, Bebe in Legal Tussle Over CEO
Two of the West Coast’s leading apparel specialty stores appear to be headed for a courtroom battle....
Fashioning Film's Look
In the days leading up to the 76th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 29, the entertainment and fashion industry is abuzz with speculation about what the nomin...
Household Income, Debt Up
Real estate investments have kept the finances of American households in good shape, but consumers have built up mountains of debt and bankruptcy filings have surged, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Gre...
Act Two: Can Tiffany Alana Continue Her Overnight Success?
Tiffany Alana just lost several thousand dollars, and the chagrin resonates in her voice. She rushed the crucial patternmaking stage of production and now has hundreds of flawed skirts and double the ...
Curves, FabulAss Move to Century City and Milan
Los Angeles designer Sami Mahdavi has moved her design studio from downtown Los Angeles to Century City, Calif., where she will headquarter her lingerie label, FabulAss, and her women...
Wedding Bells Launched Undiemoon
Mary Beth Ramsey had no idea that making a few wedding gifts for her family and friends would turn into a lingerie business. After being prompted by friends who had received some of her custo...
Friar Tuck Provides Formalwear for Awards Show Crew
For most formalwear retailers, February is the time to start thinking about prom season. For Friar Tuck, based in Anaheim, Calif., February means it’s time to start thinking about the lights, ...
L.A. Company's Textile ID System to Track Fabrics' Origins
Applied DNA Sciences Inc. of Los Angeles is gaining ground in its effort to market its anti-counterfeit DNA-based identification system. The company recently struck a number of deals with pub...
Friday, February 20
Chica's Brand Push
Los Angeles–based Chica Inc. is looking for fresh ethnic faces to be featured in a $150,000 ad campaign set for Spring/Summer 2004....
Paul Clarke New VP at Tukatech
Veteran technology executive Paul Clarke has been named vice president of operations for Los Angeles CAD/CAM company Tukatech Inc. ...
Textile's New Tech
Technology investments in the textile market may revive the struggling sector, said experts at the recent Emerging Issues forum, held on the campus of North Carolina State U...
Converse Fashion
North Andover, Mass.–based shoe maker Converse Inc. will roll out a collection of women’s fashions through a licensing deal with New York–based Cemistreware LLC, which holds the license for the Converse men’s app...
Home James' Style on the Go
Who looks handsome in a shiny chrome helmet and a tailored black canvas jacket over a white shirt and black chino pants? That would be James, Home James....
Scam-Co's Novel Tees
New T-shirt line Scam-Co is inspired by novelties, pranks, jokes and fraudulent acts....
Arden B. President Named Bebe CEO
Greg Scott, the veteran retail executive responsible for making Arden B. one of the few consistently high-performing divisions owned by Foothill Ranch, Calif.–based...
Gadzooks Closures
Chicago-based asset management firm Great American Group announced the immediate liquidation of 127 under-performing Gadzooks stores. The liquidations will continue through early April. Dallas-based Gadzooks ...
Doubly Organic
The Organic Trade Association and the International Conference on Organic Textiles (Intercot) have joined forces to manage the fourth annual Intercot, set for May 2005 in Chicago. The OTA will host its All Th...
Gotcha's T&N Tour
Swim-and-surfwear label Gotcha has signed on with Tooth & Nail Records to sponsor the Tooth & Nail Tour, which will feature alternative bands such as Mewithoutyou, Further Seems Forever, Watas...
Surf Manufacturers Hang 10 Into Retail
Quiksilver Inc. will ride a big wave into Las Vegas when it holds its grand-opening party for a new 3,200-square-foot store on Feb. 23. When the company reaches shore, it will find a retail world tha...
Action Girl-The TV Show
Corona, Calif.–based action-sports trade show Action Girl has put its New York debut on hold and instead is preparing a reality-based television show that will document the girls’ action-sports...
Surfwear Makers Push Demand for O.C. Real Estate
Southern California apparel companies are finding it’s cool to be in the O.C....
Harveys: From Classic Cars to Girly Girls
All things pink and girly—that’s the design philosophy of husband-and-wife design team Dana and Melanie Harvey, creators of the Harveys brand of apparel and lingerie and the signature ...
MAFI Award to Return to CMC
Los Angeles–based accounting and consulting firm Moss Adams LLP and the California Market Center will once again present the Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award dur...
Heart & Soul: Teen Fashion With Spirit
Heart & Soul, a juniors-related separates resource known for its high-spirited heart-and-star-shaped logo, is on track to hit $40 million in revenues this year, thanks in part to quick-tu...
Inland Center Mall Sold for $63 Million
Inland Center, one of the Inland Empire’s most established shopping centers, has been sold for $63.3 million to an investment group led by the Macerich Co. of Santa Monica, ...
IMG Lays Fashion Week Plans After Smashbox Merger
Los Angeles designers are expecting better press coverage and more organization during the upcoming Los Angeles Fashion Week now that Smashbox Studios and...
Self Esteem's Urban Flavor
Self Esteem is getting in touch with its urban side with a $500,000 ad campaign set for spring 2004....
LF Sportswear to Open Retail Chain
Los Angeles manufacturer LF Sportswear confirmed it will jump into the retail game this March by opening the first in a chain of boutiques named LF, which will sell the private labe...
Melrose Avenue Maintains Indie Cool
Partyers from across America swept through Melrose Avenue buying jeans and T-shirts during the NBA All-Star Game weekend in mid-February. They gave the venerable shopping enclave’s retailers a banner sales we...
Ashworth's Educational Alliance
Carlsbad-based golf apparel maker Ashworth Inc. has formed an educational alliance with the Association of Golf Merchandisers to assist AGM members with visual merchandising strategies. Through the al...
New at Cherokee
Van Nuys–based Cherokee Inc. has hired Russell Riopelle as chief financial officer. Riopelle succeeds Kyle Wescoat, who left the company to pursue other interests. Riopelle’s background includes stints ...
Friday, February 13
Fashion Center Dallas Sold on Contemporary Apparel
Fashion Center Dallas, the new $21 million apparel market at the Dallas Market Center, will open March 25 with a sold-out contemporary section....
New Ron Herman Store Set For Malibu
Legendary Los Angeles retailer Ron Herman confirmed he will open a store at the Malibu Country Mart in April, and the theme of this store, named Ron Herman, will be a big co...
China's Future
China is poised to take over the lion’s share of global textile and apparel production come 2005, according to a recently released report by the U.S. International Trade Commission. The report forecasts change...
Boots, Bags and Rock 'n' Roll
Accessories company Tylie Malibu is preparing to debut a women’s clothing line for Fall 2004 that will convey the same Malibu attitude as the company’s rock ’n’ roll–style handbags....
Judge Settles Roxy Case
Both David and Goliath came out winners in the trademark trial over the Roxy label....
Innovo Taps Levy
Innovo Group Inc., the Los Angeles-area company that makes women’s and men’s apparel under its own Joe’s Jeans, Da-Nang and Yanuk brands and sells products wi...
Color Forecast: Bright, Very Bright
“Pink is the new black, yellow is the new pink,” said Oren Shepher, owner of O Boutique at Los Angeles’ Sunset Plaza....
One Price Files
South Carolina retailer One Price Clothing Stores Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection citing liquidity problems and allegations of misrepresentations made by the company’s former chief fina...
LAEDC Forecast Calls for Economic Momentum in 2004
The economy in Southern California will roughly mirror the national picture in 2004 as consumer spending, increased imports and exports, and a strong tourism sector help build momentum for economic re...
Lectra Doubled Profits in 2003
Paris-based technology provider Lectra posted an 8 percent gain in revenues and doubled its profits in 2003 thanks to growth in Asia and the United States....
DOL to Review New Allegations at Mexican Factories
The U.S. Department of Labor’s National Administrative Office (NAO) has agreed to review allegations by two advocacy groups claiming the Mexican government has failed to enforce its law protecting the ...
Lisa Kline Opens Two More Stores
It’s only February, but 2004 is already shaping up to be one of the busiest years in Lisa Kline’s life....
3-D Tools Speed Up Production for Apparel Companies
Emerging 3-D technology isn’t just improving visuals for garment producers. It’s helping them get products to market faster....
Leonard Employs Porini's Development and ERP Systems
Paris-based fashion label Leonard is using the business management and product development software of Westlake Village, Calif.–based technology provider Porini....
Remote Control Technology Helps Retailers Manage From Afar
Los Angeles retailer Lisa Kline was in a bind a couple of years back. Her edgy Robertson Boulevard stores were taking off because she was staying on top of trends and keeping a pulse on her customers’...
Gloviak New VP at PAD
Montreal-based CAD firm PAD System Technologies has promoted Kristine Gloviak to vice president of U.S. sales and marketing. Gloviak was formerly director of sales and implementation...
Online Apparel Retailers Have Themselves a Merry Big Christmas
Total online Holiday spending, measured from Nov. 1 to Dec. 19, 2003, reached $15.8 billion—up 37 percent over last year, according to the “eSpending Report...
Babystyle Expands
Babystyle is preparing for a population boom....
Taking Charge of Charge-backs
Manufacturers who do business with mid-sized to large retailers have learned to expect charge-backs. For a company e...
Von Dutch Settlement Reached
The two-year struggle over the ownership of the $33 million Von Dutch Originals brand has been resolved. On Feb. 6, Von Dutch Chief Executive Officer Tonny Sorensen reached an out-of-court se...
Bluetorch's Airwalk Line
Los Angeles–based extreme-sports apparel company Bluetorch Inc. announced it will begin selling Bluetorch and Airwalk branded apparel through its subsidiaries, Unboxed Distribution and Total Sports Dis...
January '04 Surprise-Particularly for Department Stores
If buoyant Holiday sales delighted retailers, January’s economic picture should give them confidence for the rest of the year, said Michael Niemira, chief economist of the New York–bas...
Company Sets Up Financing Alternative for L.A. Market
Kenneth L. Wengrod has spent more than 30 years working in the textile, apparel and commercial finance industries with companies including Los Angeles–based juniors manufacturer Ram...
Indicators Up
The leading economic indicator series increased from 1.3 in the fourth quarter of 2003 to 1.97 in the first quarter of 2004, according to Chapman University’s Anderson Center for Economic Research. The...
Companies Find Solutions for Spam
Spam, or junk e-mail, has become a big problem for apparel companies and other enterprises. It’s estimated that by 2007, more tha...
Quota-Free Trade Part of ASAP Seminar
Trade expert Thomas G. Travis of law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg will discuss global sourcing in the post-2005 world on Feb. 23 at the ASAP Global Sourcing Show in Las Vegas...
Going Supreme
Santa Monica–based Mossimo Inc. has asked the California Supreme Court to review a decision made by the California Court of Appeal. The court decided in favor of Van Nuys–based Cherokee Inc. in a dispute concerning Mossimo’s li...
Los Angeles Initiative Targets Local Apparel Companies
About 35 members and supporters of Fashion Business Inc. turned out for a roundtable discussion between city officials and apparel manufacturers on Feb. 11 at FBI’s ...
Friday, February 6
Oracle, Microsoft Break Into RFID
Technology powerhouses Oracle Corp. and Microsoft Corp. are jumping on the RFID bandwagon. The software providers will incorporate tools for radio frequency identification t...
BCBG Signs New Licenses
The BCBG Max Azria Group—maker of better apparel for women, men and juniors— has added two new licenses to its signature label, BCBG Max Azria....
Strong Signs
Consumer spending rose by 0.4 percent in December following a 0.5 percent rise the month before, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Manufacturing is also on the rise, according to the Insti...
Gerber's New Eye on L.A.
New management and a new West Coast headquarters have given Tolland, Conn.–based Gerber Technology Inc. a new perspective in Los Angeles. The company, which provides design and produc...
Roxy Dispute Goes Before Jury
The trial between surfwear apparel giant Quiksilver Inc. and small apparel manufacturer Kymsta Corp. began on Jan. 27 in U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian’s courtroom at the Royba...
Gadzooks Bankruptcy: Few L.A. Cos. Surprised, Some See Good Future
Retail giant Gadzooks Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Feb. 3, leaving few California suppliers surprised at the latest turn of events for the Carrollton, Texas–based retailer of trendy...
Gerber to Dress Carter's Babies
Atlanta-based babywear maker Carter’s Inc. will manage product development for its lines, distributed to more than 4,500 stores, using the WebPDM (product data management) a...
Westcoast Exclusive L.A. Bows New Lines, Categories
Visitors to the Feb. 1–3 run of upscale menswear trade show Westcoast Exclusive got a glimpse of the future. The show rolled out an expanded roster of men’s apparel that included contemporary a...
AAFA's L.A. Symposium: Taking the Fast Track to Market
The need for speed—and the tools to help speed up the supply chain—topped the agenda at the American Apparel and Footwear Association’s “Speed to Market”...
KFWB Hosts Power Breakfast at CMC
International trade is the engine that keeps the Southern California economy chugging along, and the Los Angeles apparel industry contributes a major share....
Cotton in Fashion
Cotton Inc. has signed on as a sponsor of IMG’s two coastal fashion week events, Mercedes-Benz Shows L.A. in Los Angeles and Olympus Fashion Week in New York, for the next two seasons. The New York–base...
Fighting E-Fraud
Online retailers are boosting their spending on anti-fraud measures, according to a study released by the Merchants Risk Council. The study found that 17 percent of e-tailers boosted their spending on...
FIDM Costume Exhibit Opens
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s 12th annual “The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design” exhibition opened on Jan. 30 at the school’s Museum Galleries in downt...
Suit Celebration
Nonprofit group Dress For Success has launched a nationwide call for donations to the group’s S.O.S.—Send One Suit—program, which the organization will kick off next month. For one week, March 14–20, the group wi...
Anaheim Makeover
Work has started on a $100 million development aimed at reviving downtown Anaheim. The project, called the Center Street Promenade, will cover seven acres and include retail shops, restaurants, office...
Ben Sherman on the Block
British label Ben Sherman will not be moving to California any time soon—at least not as a division of Quiksilver....
4R Releases New Markdown Manager
Wayne, Penn.–based 4R Systems Inc. has released a new markdown management system called MaxOut....
