California Apparel News - 2010s

Apparel News Group Purchased by Industry Veteran Terry Martinez

In its 68th year of publication, the Apparel News Group, parent company of California Apparel News, is sold to TLM Publishing Inc., owned by Terry Martinez. After purchasing the company from MnM Publishing, Martinez makes the transition from director of sales and marketing, a position she has held since 2001, to chief executive officer and publisher. Martinez joined the California Apparel News in 1998 as an account executive, later receiving a promotion to national advertising manager in 2000. In addition to California Apparel News, the sale includes ApparelNews.net, Waterwear and Decorated.

West Hollywood Fur-Sale Ban Goes Into Effect

On Sept. 21, Los Angeles’ West Hollywood, Calif., neighborhood would become the first city in the United States to enact a ban on the sale of fur apparel and accessories. Passed on Sept. 19, 2011, by a vote of the City Council, the legislation’s date of implementation is pushed back to 2013. Affording time for retailers to adjust to the new legislation, the city allows a 60-to-90-day grace period, though West Hollywood’s Code Compliance Department will issue warnings. After the period is over, businesses would be issued citations, with three of these tickets within a calendar year bringing the potential of a misdemeanor charge.

Dress for Success to Host Fund-raiser Pop-Up Shop

During the October 2014 edition of Los Angeles Fashion Week, a benefit runway featuring brands including Single, Sea of Pearls, FBF by Checka, JHaus and Bri Seeley is held at the W Hollywood hotel in support of Dress for Success. Building on this momentum, the local fashion community strengthens its commitment to the cause Nov. 20–23 with more than 100 apparel brands participating in a pop-up event to benefit the Los Angeles chapter of the international nonprofit organization. Proceeds from the event are used to aid women from disadvantaged backgrounds by preparing them for interviews

Harlem’s Fashion Row Comes West

The Harlem, New York–based advocacy group Fashion Row, which supports designers of color, unveils its first Los Angeles event on Feb. 6, 2015. Hosted during the same weekend as the Grammy Awards and the NAACP Image Awards, the event takes place during a time that affords a high amount of exposure for underrepresented designers. Devoted to the work of African-American designers, the event is held at an estate in Beverly Hills. Los Angeles luxury designer Kevan Hall opens the show with pieces from his eponymous label’s Spring 2015 collection. Additional pieces shown are from a roster of designers that include Kimberly Goldson, Waraire Boswell and Joseph Bethune.

Emerald Expositions Buys Swim Collective, Active Collective Trade Shows

Emerald Expositions LLC, the SanJuan Capistrano, Calif., event producer that owns Surf Expo and Outdoor Retailer, buys sibling trade shows Swim Collective and Active Collective. Former owner and founder Shannon Leggett and his team will join Emerald Expositions. The sale is made for an undisclosed amount. Launched in 2010, Swim Collective is a biannual trade show hosted in Huntington Beach, Calif., that welcomes professionals from the swimwear industry. Active Collective was launched in 2014 to bring a focus to the activewear segment.

Fashion-Retail Boon for Shop Owners in DTLA

Longtime successful apparel retailers and newcomers are building their businesses in downtown Los Angeles. Luxury-fashion retail veteran Carl Louisville launches Guerilla Atelier in 2012 at the downtown Los Angeles Arts District and, in 2017, shifts his multi-brand focus to his private line of the same name. In late 2016, Los Angeles designer Heidi Merrick opens her eponymous brand’s DTLA boutique in the Fashion District selling her cool California-chic styles. In July 2017, Emily Park and Esther Paik build bricks-and-mortar shop Le Box Blanc in downtown Los Angeles’ Luma South building.

Sustainable Fashion Comes Full Circle

Despite its popularity, ecologically sound fashion remains at a premium price point, which doesn’t resonate with mainstream consumers. In June 2018, scientists Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao introduce their Menlo Park, Calif., company BioCellection, whose breakthrough in recycling plastics can be used to produce apparel yarn. A few months later, Los Angeles denim veteran Adriano Goldschmied unveils new, green offerings by his company House of Gold, which also guides brands through fabric sourcing.

BDC Hosts Inaugural Gala

Following its October 2018 launch, the Black Design Collective hosts its inaugural scholarship gala at the downtown Los Angeles campus of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. In addition to the organization’s three iconic fashion founders—Angela Dean of DeanZign; Kevan Hall, known for his high-end eponymous label; and Thomas “TJ” Walker, co-founder of Cross Colours—the guestlist includes an array of well-known faces. During the evening, the BDC honors Academy Award­–winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, whose historic Academy Award win for the film “Black Panther” earlier in 2019 makes her the first African American artist to win an Oscar for best costume design.

Vegan Fashion Week Launches in L.A. With Fashion and Activism

Founder of Le Frenchlab creative agency, Emmanuelle Rienda, sets out on a mission to elevate cruelty-free fashion. In February 2019, Rienda launches Vegan Fashion Week, which seeks to elevate fashion derived from materials that aren’t animal based. The inaugural event includes an industry gala at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, in addition to a marketplace at the California Market Center aimed at shifting vegan fashion from a niche category into the mainstream. A fashion show, also hosted at the CMC, showcases luxury-level vegan apparel with garments created by Matea Benedetti, Chloé Trujillo and Mink Shoes.

Max Azria, Founder of the BCBGMaxAzria Group, Passes Away in Houston

Veteran fashion designer Max Azria, who founded BCBGMaxAzria in 1989, passes away on May 6, 2019, in Houston at the age of 70. Born in Tunisia, Azria was raised in France, where he began his design career for the women’s category in Paris, later immigrating to the United States in 1981. He was most well known for his BCBG clothing label, which was an acronym for the French phrase “bon chic, bon genre.” The Los Angeles brand was a runway regular during the 1990s and became a favorite among Hollywood’s influential women in entertainment.