Friday, March 26
Tukatech to Launch New CAD Product
Los Angeles–based CAD/CAM provider Tukatech Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire an Indian software company that will produce Tukatech’s next generation of CAD software, T...
A.V.I.D. Opens L.A. Facility
Sublimation printer A.V.I.D. Inc. opened a Los Angeles office and printing facility in mid-February as a satellite to the company’s headquarters in Corona, Calif....
Chicago's Pulse
The Merchandise Mart in Chicago is launching a new urban, streetwear and contemporary show concept called Pulse at the June 23–25 run of its Holiday market week. Confirmed exhibitors include Rocawear, ...
SIMA Taps Slater, Quiksilver Picks Up DC Shoes
SIMA to Honor Slater...
Teen Value
Teen shoppers are on the hunt for bargains at discount retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target. So says Port Washington, N.Y.–based research firm The NPD Group, which found that three out of four teens s...
Ares Buys Maidenform
Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund LP, the private equity division of Los Angeles–based Ares Management LLC, announced plans to purchase Maidenform Inc., subject to closing conditions. The lingerie gian...
Ellusions
Gerry Buildingsuite 504(213) 489-3310 ...
Fashion Week Preview
Los Angeles Fashion Week arrived a bit early and on the Eastside when local designer Andrae Gonzalo introduced his latest Andraegonzalo collection on March 20 at his Chinatown store, Forget It Jake...
PAD Jumps the Learning Curve
CAD/CAM provider PAD System Technologies Inc. is learning that education can lead to a profitable path for technology companies and their customers....
Fashion's Future Leaders
About 800 fashion design and merchandise students from Southern California community colleges turned out for the California Community College Fashion Symposium on M...
McCracken's New Gig
Steve McCracken, who served as president of Invista before the DuPont textiles and interiors division was sold to Koch Industries, has been named president and chief executive officer of Owens-Illinois. The T...
Ten Shops to Watch
Los Angeles is a great boutique town—there are iconic specialty stores spread across the city and throughout the Southern California region....
Technology Making the Grade at Fashion Schools
The next generation of apparel designers and merchandisers emerging from California’s fashion colleges and trade schools should be more technically skilled than ever if recent investments in new techno...
Afterburn Sales
California Market Centersuite B1189(213) 629-2235...
AFL's Take on China
The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest trade union, in partnership with the Industrial Union Coalition, a group of 14 industrial unions, has filed a petition with the U.S. Trade Representative asking the Bush admin...
Studio West
Cooper Design Spacesuite 220(213) 622-3736 ...
New Web Service Caters to Closeouts
A new outlet for distressed merchandise has hit the Internet....
Ron Herman to Speak at FBI
Veteran upscale retailer Ron Herman will speak in April at the Fashion Business Incorporated’s speakers series. FBI is a nonprofit organization that helps young designers and others in the fas...
CCA Honors Industry Leaders
The Central City Association will honor apparel industry executives Stanley Hirsh and Jack Needleman posthumously for their efforts on behalf of downtown Los Angeles at the ...
B.U.M. Equipment Shoes
B.U.M. Equipment has signed a licensing deal with the Brown Shoe Co. for a line of Bum Equipment men’s, women’s and children’s shoes. The B.U.M. brand, founded in Seattle and later based in Los Angeles, is now o...
L.A. Fashion Week Showrooms
In addition to the Los Angeles Fashion Week runway lineup, there are several showrooms previewing up-and-coming and young designers....
CMC's Street Couture
The California Market Center in Los Angeles kicked off its new street couture concept on the 11th floor with a party and art exhibition on March 20. The art show was held in the space that will house...
Joanne Fiske Showroom
The New Martsuite 1011(213) 891-1131...
Proposed Fashion Museum Gains Support of L.A. Cultural Affairs Dept.
The Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, which last week narrowly escaped the city’s budget axe, has pledged support for a longplanned fashion industry museum in downtown Los Angeles....
Friday, March 19
Richard Tyler to Relaunch Eve in Dallas
Los Angeles designer Richard Tyler will relaunch Richard Tyler Eve, his bridge-priced eveningwear label, March 25–29 at the grand opening of Dallas’ new apparel wholesale mart...
CMC Plans Heaven Showroom, Lingerie Pavilion
The California Market Center is rolling out several new categories and showroom concepts for the April 1–6 run of Los Angeles Fashion Week....
Liz at Home
New York–based apparel giant Liz Claiborne Inc. is putting its well-known brand on a furniture collection that will bow this fall. The company signed a licensing deal with furniture maker Lexington Hom...
Golden Needle Awards Issues Call for Designers
Organizers of the Golden Needle Awards are looking for emerging designers and established companies to participate in the first ...
Burlington + Cone
North Carolina– based textile giants Burlington Industries and Cone Mills are merging to create the International Textile Group, which will have an estimated combined revenue of $900 million. The two companies will me...
Juicy Dives In
Los Angeles–based Juicy Couture, one of New York–based Liz Claiborne Inc.’s contemporary labels, will launch a swim collection at the Miami Swim Show in July. Juicy struck a partnership deal with Swimwea...
Quiksilver's Big Screens
“Any way you slice and dice it, they’re expensive,” said Steve Jones, vice president of visuals for Huntington Beach, Calif.–based surfwear manufacturer and retailer Quik...
Blue Cult to Open at CMC
Contemporary denim apparel maker Blue Cult will open its first West Coast showroom during Los Angeles Market W...
Tarrant Plans American Rag Retail Rollout
American Rag CIE, which has a flagship store on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, is going national....
True Religion Heads North
El Segundo–based denim line True Religion Apparel Inc. struck a deal with Canadian-based A.N.V. Clothing, which will act as the exclusive distributor and provide warehousing for the True Religion Brand Jeans p...
Verdad, Mercedes and Cantu & Castillo on Bill for Museum Show
“Latin Elegance,” a fashion show and fund-raiser highlighting the works of Latino designers, will return on April 3 to the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) in downt...
Another Day in Court for Forever 21
There will be another round in the Castro v. Forever 21 case....
Peggy Moffitt-Still Inspiring Fashion
Peggy Moffitt will be both the subject and the guest when the Otis College of Art and Design presents the second seminar in its “Inside the Designer’s Studio” series on ...
Many Styles, One Retail Hot Spot
“Los Angeles is a big place, but there are a handful of streets where you’d want to have a store,” said Chuck Dembo, a partner with the retail real estate firm Dembo & Associ...
Imported Sweaters Tangled in Customs
First it was socks. Now it’s knit sweaters....
Otis to Honor Swim's Key Players, Buchalter
The Otis College of Art and Design will honor two key members of the Southland’s swimwear industry—Susan Crank, president and chief executive offi...
Tadashi Set for South Coast Plaza
Designing elegant eveningwear for the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants took a backseat for Tadashi Shoji early this week. Instead, the designer concentrated on dressing windows fo...
Mossimo Dispute Ends
The dispute between Santa Monica-based Mossimo and Van Nuys-based Cherokee is over. The California Supreme Court rejected Mossimo’s petition to appeal a lower-court ruling in Cherokee’s favor regarding a finder’s fees a...
Chip & Pepper at Bloomingdale's
Actor Jason London was rumored to be at the Beverly Center’s Bloomingdale’s, but it was Chip and Pepper Foster, founders of the Chip & Pepper denim line and owne...
Apparel Registration Declines as Contractors Face Rocky Road Ahead
California’s apparel manufacturing base has dropped dramatically in recent years, and the tough economic times are forcing the state’s contractors to wage a game of tug of war with local apparel makers ...
Friday, March 12
Courting the Teen E-Shopper
Capturing the teen market for online buying has always been a problem. While many teens have cash, most have to rely on borrowing mom’s or dad’s credit card to make online purchases, which often involve...
Richard Tyler Hosts Moving Sale
It’s a time-honored tradition: If you’re moving, you must have a moving sale....
COO with Sole
Lake Forest–based footwear maker Sole Technology has hired Paul Migaki as its new chief operating officer after a two-year search. Migaki spent more than 10 years with Beaverton, Ore.–based footwear giant Nike, serving...
Buyers Dive Into Back-to-School Trends at ASR Trade Show
Several hundred retail buyers turned out for the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo’s Fall/Back-to-School edition, which took place March 9–10 at the Hyatt Regency Res...
Consumer Confidence Made Lovely Valentine's Day
February’s job growth was anemic—only 21,000 positions were created across the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. However, cash registers rang in the most impressive February ret...
New at YKK
Zippers and sewn products fastener company YKK Corp. has named E. Alex Gregory group officer of the global company, based in Tokyo. Gregory is currently the president and chief executive officer of th...
Fornarina, Las Vegas
Fornarina, the Italian shoe and apparel company with U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles, opened a new store in Las Vegas at Mandalay Place. This is one of several store openings planned by the company t...
Asian Apparel Mart Planned for Las Vegas
Want to find a Chinese apparel manufacturer without hopping on a jet for a body-numbing journey to Hong Kong or Shanghai?
BCBG Bags
Vernon-based BCBGMaxAzria has launched a signature handbag collection for Spring/Summer 2004. The signature handbag is available in three sizes: large tote, medium tote and clutch. The leather bags co...
Gaining Easier Access to Technology at FBI
Technology can sometimes be an intangible resource for small and start-up apparel companies, given its cost and often high learning curve. Los Angeles–based apparel industry association Fashio...
BCBG Opens on Melrose
BCBGMaxAzria has come to Melrose Heights. The Vernon, Calif.–based contemporary manufacturer opened a new store on March 6 at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Laurel Street in Los Angeles....
New York Lingerie Shows Draw New Lines, Familiar Names
NEW YORK—Betsey Johnson made an appearance, but Jennifer Lopez and Anna Sui just sent their lingerie. It was all part of the scene at the Feb. 29–March 2 run...
Art Shoes
Los Angeles–based accessories label White Trash Charms has teamed with artist and graphic designer Scott Herskovitz to create a line of limited-edition shoes. The shoes will be created in partnership with Santa Fe Spr...
Study Finds California Consumers Optimistic
California consumers haven’t been this upbeat in almost two years....
Fifi Collection Plans Retail Chain
Fifi Collection will open its first retail store on March 13 at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif....
RFID Store Helps Retailers and Manufacturers See Technology in Action
Point-of-sale systems provider Wincor Nixdorf Inc. has opened an RFID (radio frequency identification) future store and lab at its Austin, Texas–based headquarters to showcase how the...
Nano-Tex in Deal With Avondale Mills
Emeryville, Calif.–based Nano-Tex LLC has licensed its nanotechnology stain repellant treatments to ...
Stephen Sprouse, 50
New York designer Stephen Sprouse died on March 4 of heart failure at the age of 50. Sprouse rose to fame in the early 1980s by blending high-end fashion with punk and pop culture into a style describ...
Tech Conference Moves to L.A.
The third annual Apparel Tech Conference will move to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles on Nov. 11. The event was previously held in North C...
Tukatech Launches Internet-based Sample Making
Los Angeles–based Tukatech Inc. has launched a sample-making service through its TukaWeb Internet division....
Survey Shows Plus Sizes on the Upswing
Cary, N.C.–based research company TC2 has completed SizeUSA, a national sizing survey. The results confirm what a lot of apparel outfitters already know: The American populat...
Lectra Signs On Item-Eyes
Atlanta-based technology provider Lectra has teamed up with New York–based sportswear company Item-Eyes to provide design and production software for the company’s showroom and offices...
Friday, March 5
Indies Will Have Their Own Catwalk
A handful of independent fashion designers will be featured in a series of runway shows called “The Champagne Catwalk.” The fashion shows and afternoon brunches will take place ...
PacSun to Open 110 Stores in 2004
Anaheim, Calif.–based retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. is the newest member of the Billion Dollar Club. The seller of surf - and urbanwear posted $1.04 billion in sales for its fisc...
Independent Style Fuels Glitz Customer
Glitz, the contemporary line from Kik Wear Industries approaching its one-year anniversary, has gotten off to a promising start....
Dollar Down, Trade Up
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the dollar’s falling value should eventually help curb huge U.S. trade deficits without leading to a major disruption in the economy. Greenspan, speaking on...
Cherokee, Target Deal
Van Nuys–based Cherokee Inc. has extended its licensing agreement with the Target Corp. through January 2006. The Cherokee brand will continue to be featured in the Minneapolis retailer’s stores nationw...
Dukes Axes Lands' End
Duke University has suspended its licensing contract with apparel group Lands’ End Inc., citing complaints about labor practices at the company’s contracted El Salvador factory. The university alleges t...
Dragonfly Stakes Out Melrose Avenue
Dragonfly Clothing, a Fullerton, Calif.–based maker of rock ’n’ roll apparel, is branching out by opening an 1,800- square-foot flagship store on Feb. 9 at 7506 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles....
Sportswear Co. Snags the Catch of the Day
The San Francisco–based Blue Marlin Corp. hired Ian Eburah, the senior designer for Levi Strauss & Co., last week. The hiring was part of an effort to take Blue Marlin fr...
Changing Demographics and Tastes Will Affect Retailers
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The world of retailing is changing so fast that if companies are not familiar with the latest trends and customers’ rapidly evolving tastes, they may as well close their doors immediat...
UNITE, HERE Join Forces
The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE) and UNITE, the clothing, textile and laundry union, have unanimously agreed to merge the two unions. The new union will represen...
Crispy Debuts With quot;El Layquot; Irony
The Pool show in Las Vegas featured plenty of new lines, including Beverly Hills–based T-shirt line Crispy....
Gap to Settle Dress Code Case
Gap Inc. has agreed to settle a classaction lawsuit filed by employees of 500 of the company’s California stores. The workers claim Gap violated labor laws when it required employees to buy co...
Target Sets RFID Mandate
As expected, the country’s fourthlargest retailer, Target Corp., has joined Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in adopting a plan to use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track it...
Fashion Legend Passes
Amy M. Spindler, a longtime fashion journalist for The New York Times and its Sunday magazine, died Feb. 27 at the age of 40 after a long battle with cancer. Spindler was recognized as a tena...
Light Looks, Crowded Aisles at D&A
NEW YORK—Designers & Agents saw a 20 percent year-to-year increase in attendance at its March 1–3 run, held at the bright, lofty Starett-Lehigh Center in New York’s trendy West Chel...
Wet Seal Throws Wet Blanket Over Former Exec
Foothill Ranch, Calif.–based specialty retail chain The Wet Seal Inc. won round one of its legal battle with Gregory Scott, the former president of the company’s Arden B. division....
Fashionable Election
American Apparel and designers Richard Tyler, Isaac Mizrahi and Todd Oldham are participating in Declare Yourself, a nationwide initiative aimed at getting out the young vote. American Apparel is donating T-shirts to the des...
AAFA Fights European Tariff on U.S. Goods
The American Apparel & Footwear Association asked Congress for help this week after the European Union placed punitive tariffs on U.S. products to retaliate against the United States...
Fashion-Focused Buying at Coterie
NEW YORK—A preview of spring weather and clear-cut Fall trends kept business brisk at the recent Fashion Coterie, held Feb. 29–March 2 at the Show Piers in New York....
What's Old Is What's New
After 16 years of running a boutique dedicated to new designers, Wendy Freedman, owner of Polka Dots & Moonbeams Modern at 8381 W. Third St. in Los Angeles, has realized that the...
Cloudy Skies, Sunny Outlook at MAGIC and Satellite Shows
LAS VEGAS—Halfway through the Feb. 23–26 run of MAGIC International and the concurrent satellite shows, the gray skies lifted and the sun came out....
