Source California

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SOURCE
ApparelNews special section
December 2008
California
A
major pillar supporting the tenth largest
economy in the world, the California
apparel industry has it all. From gifted
creative talent conjuring cutting-edge fashions
sought by the global marketplace, to a skilled
workforce and state-of-the-art manufacturing
sector that make Los Angeles the nation’s largest
fashion capital, to dedicated farmers producing
top-quality cotton in the fertile San Joaquin
Valley, no nation-state has more to offer, nor
sponsored by
does it better. California’s fashion industry sets
the standard, drawing design and business talent
from the four corners of the globe. It is no wonder
California is the international source of choice for
inspiration and innovation.
Quality
...from start to finish.
➡
Your supply chain is only as strong as your weakest link. Buhler sources the best raw materials in
the market to provide superior quality on a continuous basis. JG Boswell supplies us with Supima®,
“The World’s Finest Cotton,” and Lenzing supplies the MicroModal® fiber, all natural cellulose
based micro fibers 0,9 denier.
Fiber selection is the most important step to provide top quality.
PARTNERSHIP
MATTERS
Having the best yarns
does not guarantee
fabric quality. We work
with the best fabric
producers in the USA.
If you are a brand or
a retailer and need to
know who these mills
are, please contact us.
➡
SUSTAINABLE NATURAL FIBERS
We spin 100%
Supima and 100% Micro Modal ring spun yarns.
Also included in our production is a 50/50 blend
of Supima/MicroModal ring spun yarns.
With our newly installed spinning
machines in our USA facility, we now
offer customized slub yarns to take
advantage of the fashion trends. For
those looking to upgrade your quality, our
Royal Spun yarns will provide this benefit.
Contacts:
Werner Bieri, CEO, wbieri@buhleryarns.com
David Sasso, Sales, dsasso@buhleryarns.com
Victor Almeida, Sales & Tech. Service, valmeida@buhleryarns.com
Linda Newton, Customer Service, lnewton@buhleryarns.com
1881 Athens Highway
Jefferson, GA 30549
Office: 1 706 367-3934
Fax: 1 706 367-9837
www.buhleryarns.com
Locally
Grown
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OKIA!=HEBKNJE=?KIL=JEAOBEJ@
PDANA‘OJKLH=?AHEGADKIA
BY DENA SMOLEK
Aviator Nation
competitive edge compared to
those companies that produce
overseas, but overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages,” she adds.
www.aaronashe.com
Aaron Ashe
Aaron Ashe
Designer Ellie Spring of
newcomer Aaron Ashe has been
producing her label in California
since its launch in Fall 2008.
The line comprises solid-hued
dresses, jumpers and feminine
tops. All materials are sourced
in California, including the ecofriendly silk used in many of the
designs.
“The three main advantages
of manufacturing in California
versus overseas are product control, faster production and low
minimums. Also, when you are
starting out, California-based
companies are more willing to
work with lower minimums,”
Spring says.
“Producing in California
sometimes can give you a less
Aviator Nation
Designer Paige Mycoskie
translated her love for surfing
and the California lifestyle into
a comfortable, vintage-inspired
collection of hoodies, tees and
sweats that quickly caught the
attention of trend-setting boutiques such as Fred Segal, Planet
Blue, Blonde and Intuition. The
line is sourced and produced
entirely in California. Mycoskie
also uses sewing machines from
the ’60s and ’70s, ensuring that
even the stitch work is done
exactly as in years past.
“I get to personally check on
my production daily, and the
turnaround time is much quicker,” says Mycoskie, speaking
about the benefits of producing
in California.
She says the current state of
the economy has in some ways
been good for the company. “As
a smaller company, it is sometimes difficult to find contractors and manufacturers to meet
smaller minimums. But with
the lack of work out there, contractors are more likely to work
with smaller minimums. Also,
it seems we are not competing
nearly as much for the time
and attention of the contractors
anymore. Our work seems more
valuable to them.”
Projected sales for the 1
½-year-old label are $2 million
for 2009.
www.aviatornation.com
Beth Springer
Handbag designer Beth
Springer has produced her line
in Southern California since the
brand’s launch six years ago. She
notes that most findings and
fabrics used in the designs are
sourced locally, and some are
even custom-made in California.
When she uses eco-friendly fabrics, she makes every effort to use
local companies.
Springer echoes the sentiment of many California-based
companies. “Better quality control is the biggest advantage [to
California production], as well as
shorter lead times,” she says.
Regarding the current economic climate, Springer says:
“I have always wanted to be a
100 percent American-made
brand. Thankfully, the
Beth Springer brand is
understood to be very
high-quality with
innovative design.
As of yet, I have
not changed the
brand due to
economic
conditions.
However,
cost is a
current
factor
in
Beth Springer
retail sales, so I am using innovations in the designs to attempt to
decrease some of our cost without sacrificing luxury.”
www.bethspringer.com
California Rising
With the name California
Rising, it should come as no
surprise that the brand has been
produced in California since its
launch in 2006. Comprising
comfortable basics for men and
women, the line will also launch
a baby collection soon.
Husband-and-wife team
Joshua Lloyd Fischer and Jules
Blaine Davis take pride in the
fact that all production is done
in Los Angeles. Most of their
eco-friendly fabrics are sourced
locally, some from Enviro Textiles in Los Angeles, and some
fibers are grown in California’s
Central Valley. Partnering with
SG Knits in Los Angeles, California Rising has also produced
specialty fabrics.
Producing in California,
Davis says, gives them “a smaller
footprint and better control.”
“We like to support
the California economy
and use less oil to move
products,” she says.
“Moreover, the community is stronger when resources
are kept close.”
Though
Fischer and
Davis admit
it is more
expensive
to produce
DECEMBER 2008
California Rising
locally and “you must work
harder to achieve certain qualities that are historically better in
areas like Japan or Italy,” they
are dedicated to producing with
a conscience while also making
items affordable.
“We are not willing to compromise our ethics and relationships by going overseas unless we
absolutely need to and are very
comfortable with those sources,”
Davis says.
The company projects sales
of $1 million wholesale and $1.5
million in online retail for 2009.
www.californiarising.com
Edie-France
Nicole Magnifico-Parker of
the label Edie-France says her
entire line is produced in California, even down to the novelty
belts added to the collection this
Continued on page 6
CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS / SOURCE INTERNATIONAL 3
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Supima:
The world’s finest cotton,
grown and sown in California
J.G. Boswell Co., growers of high-grade cotton in California’s San Joaquin
Valley, is Buhler’s fiber supplier of choice.
T
he California cotton industry has built up an outstanding reputation these
days—think of the fluid, sinuous offerings of Michael Stars, Ella Moss,
and Splendid, to name just a few. What these designers share is knitted
textiles from California’s leading knit houses, Design Knit, Texollini,
Antex/Matchmaster, Colorway, and Shara-tex, among them. What these
knit houses share is the fruit of a very special relationship between two companies, each
dedicated to producing only the highest quality product, the best of the best.
Buhler Quality Yarns Corporation, the American offshoot of a 150-year-old Swiss yarn company, has been spinning raw cotton into superb
yarn here since 1996. Based in Jefferson, Georgia,
Buhler began by providing yarn to the southeastern
United States’ once-dominant weaving industry.
Today, Buhler spins most of its yarn for California knitters—and not just any yarn. Buhler spins
only extra-long staple cotton, or ELS, which makes
up less than 5 percent of all cotton grown in the
world. But Buhler takes it a step further by spinning
the best of the global ELS supply—American-grown
Supima cotton. The company produces two main
yarn products: 100 percent combed Supima cotton,
about 75 percent of its product, with the remainder
a 50/50 Supima cotton and micro-Modal blend. Its
prices are high, its impeccable standards unwavering,
and its client base select. “We want to be known as
the expensive guys,” says Buhler president and CEO
Werner Bieri. “We do not compromise. We are 100
percent committed to not going left or right of the path of quality. That’s the difference
between good and top.”
A silk purse, we know, does not come from a sow’s ear, as Bieri well appreciates.
Even as he extols the Buhler product, he is quick to swing the topic around. “We need to
mention our relationship with Boswell,” he says. “Boswell” would be J.G. Boswell Co.,
growers of high-grade cotton in California’s San Joaquin Valley for the past 80 years. “Really, the success of the product starts with the fiber,” Bieri continues. “Boswell is our fiber
supplier of choice. Boswell for us is very, very critical.”
The partnership between the California farmer and the Georgia spinner, with resulting benefits to the California knit and design industries, is a tale of how to do everything
the right way. Theirs is a two-member mutual-admiration society. Buhler
buys 100 percent of its Supima from Boswell, the only Boswell client to commit so unswervingly to its goods. Boswell, for its part, hand-selects each of
the approximately 20,000 bales of top-grade Supima—about 10 percent of its
annual crop—that it sends to Buhler, ensuring that the spinner receives only
the very best of that year’s crop. “We are using only the cream on the top of
the milk,” Bieri says simply. “Boswell says, ‘I couldn’t have another customer
like you, so unbelievably picky.’”
The Boswell Company could not be more dedicated to making Bieri
and, thus, Buhler, happy. “For our company, the relationship is unique,”
says Jeff Elder, vice president of cotton marketing. He is speaking from the
company’s Pasadena office, a bit of a drive from Boswell’s three major San
Joaquin Valley ranches, comprising some 135,000 acres in total. “Buhler is
one of the few spinning companies to buy all its cotton from one grower, so
Werner gets the best of the best,” Elder adds with evident pride. “Buhler is
recognized around the world as one of the best spinners in the world.”
The quality product begins, of course, with the plant itself, and even before the
plant, the seed. Boswell has its own plant-breeding operation, a joint venture with Dow
Agrisciences, called Phytogen, whose aim is to produce the better mousetrap or, in this
case, the longer, stronger ELS cotton fiber. From the pima cotton crop just recently harvested by Boswell, 90 percent was PHY 800 and the balance divided among several experimental varieties. Developing better cotton is an eight-year process, four to crossbreed the
desired characteristics and four to propagate enough seed to sow a crop.
What the bioengineers, farmers, spinners, knitters, designers, and, ultimately, the
consumers want in cotton is essentially the same:
strength, durability, dyeability, softness, and drape.
The farmers and spinners, however, are also looking for something else. “The most important characteristic of yarn is consistency,” Elder says. “If it is
strong in some places but weak in others, it is weak.
If it is thick and thin, stripes won’t be even.”
Buhler vice president of sales David Sasso explains that one of Buhler’s great strengths, according to its customers, is that “our yarns are very consistent over the long term. It’s important for them
2
that the product they produce in January is the same
in December.” The reason for Buhler’s remarkable
consistency, Bieri says, is buying exclusively from
Boswell. “They are one farmer who grows the cotton, gins it, and sells it. That has enabled us to have
a consistent supply of the same quality over a crop
year. If you buy one day from one farmer, another
day from another, you won’t have consistency in
your yarns, and that manifests itself in the garment.
Boswell has enabled us to really fulfill the very high expectations.”
With the hot, dry San Joaquin Valley a perfect environment to grow cotton
and—critical to the process—perfectly time its irrigation, Boswell is well situated to provide quality goods. “It’s one particular soil type, one farming practice, all the same gins,
and that gets you less variables, less inconsistencies,” Elder says. This year in particular, he
says, the crop will be slightly smaller, but “one of the strongest crops ever grown.” Water
shortages have reduced crop sizes generally, but Boswell doesn’t look to push Mother Nature. “From a Boswell standpoint, the idea that we would not be sustainable is laughable
to us,” Elder goes on. “We manage our crops on what’s best for the ground, not on market
decisions.” Boswell also prides itself on the essential carbon negativity of cotton. “Cotton
“Cotton in general is a net energy
gain. You get more energy out
of the fiber, seed, and oil than it
took to grow it. Cotton fiber is 40
percent carbon. It takes CO from
the air and releases oxygen into the
atmosphere. When that cotton shirt
stays together for a long time,
it’s trapping carbon.”
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Major Supima Resources
Buhler buys 100 percent of its Supima from Boswell, who, for its part, hand-selects each of the approximately
20,000 bales that it sends to Buhler annually.
of the high quality of the fiber and
its consistency, the consumer enjoys the benefits of a garment that
keeps its form, keeps its color, has
beautiful sheen and an incredible
drape.”
The two companies are in
constant communication. Boswell
shares its cotton crop quality profile
with Buhler Quality Yarns as soon
as it is available, Elder explains. He
also travels to the Buhler spinning
plant. Buhler and Boswell know
that they each have a story to tell
that would be incomplete without
the other. When Sasso takes to the
road to meet with designers and
retailers, Bieri says, “he convinces
them that to be successful, they
need a product made from Boswell
cotton and Buhler yarn.”
Cotton classers ensure the fiber’s quality and consistency.
“Our yarns do make a differin general is a net energy gain,” explains Elder. “You get ence,” Sasso adds, “in whether a product is chosen or
more energy out of the fiber, seed, and oil than it took to not by the final consumer,” which has been proven by a
grow it. Cotton fiber is 40 percent carbon. It takes CO2 major retailer on a large-scale test.
“We like to promote the idea that we have a spefrom the air and releases oxygen into the atmosphere.
When that cotton shirt stays together for a long time, cial relationship,” Elder says. “Combined, we’re able to
do something no one else in the world is able to do. It
it’s trapping carbon.”
Buhler and Boswell, not surprisingly, share a busi- gives our company a great sense of pride getting to know
ness vision that does not focus on non-stop growth. the brands and the retailers who use our cotton.”
“I’m asked by bankers and all, how do you grow your
business?” Bieri says. “Our first goal is not to grow the
SUPIMA GROWING COUNTIES
business every year but to have a very profitable busiEstimated
2008 Supima production
ness. Size doesn’t matter; profitability and reinvestment
is 400,000 bales from six counties.
of the profits matter. That’s what makes you a better
company. Then you grow the business. We are flying in
the back seat of the commercial planes and putting our
money into the plant.”
Boswell, similarly, is focused on quality, not quantity. “Because we’re a farmer, we’re not interested in
growing market share,” Elder explains. “We sell exactly
what we produce every year. What we want is a better, high-quality customer. Buhler is the epitome of that
customer. They want the best, and they want to produce
the highest quality yarn by using the best raw material.
That reflects on us.”
With Boswell fiber in hand, Buhler uses state-ofthe-art equipment combined with a long company experience, as Bieri describes it, “to turn that top fiber into
the very best yarn and to have a very consistent yarn
supply to our knitters, who turn it into fabric. Because
Colusa
AG Jeans
www.agjeans.com
The AG Jeans brand offers not only
premium, vintage-inspired denim
for men and women, but also an
extensive contemporary collection of
tees, tops, pants, shorts, outerwear,
and dresses.
Three Dots
www.threedots.com
An evolving concept in lifestyle dressing
based on great fabrics, inspired design,
fastidious construction, and perfect fit,
Three Dots features exclusive knitwear,
cashmere, and wovens for women, men,
and maternity.
Agave Jeans
www.agavejean.com
Premium brand Agave’s luxury,
quality denim lines for men and
women has expanded to include
selvage denim, luxury fine gauge
and Supima cotton jersey knits,
non-denim jeans, and casual pants.
All jeans are cut, sewn, and handfinished in California.
Zooey
www.zooeytees.com
Zooey, a leader in contemporary
apparel and the women’s and men’s
t-shirt market, offers diversified,
lifestyle-driven, premium knitwear
collections known for quality fabrics
and sophisticated details.
Ella Moss
www.ellamoss.com
Known for bright color palettes,
simple shapes, soft, wearable
cottons, and tonal stripes, Ella
Moss features casual, comfortable,
contemporary collection that radiates
effortless style.
GoldSign Jeans
www.gold-sign-jeans.com
Designer Adriano Goldschmied has
created a distinct, debut collection of
premium denim that offers technical
expertise, directional design, quality, and
fit using superfine denim, revolutionary
hand-wash techniques, hand-stitched
seams, and careful wash processes.
James Perse
www.jamesperse.com
James Perse offers low maintenance
high fashion that emphasizes
elegance and comfort in several knit
collections that include high-quality
basics and ready-to-wear items for
women, men, children, and infants.
Michael Stars
www.michaelstars.com
A pioneer in casual couture since 1986, the
Los Angeles–based, family-run Michael
Stars company is a leader in the women’s
contemporary market, distinguished
by its contoured fit, unique colors, and
comfortable fabrics in tees, maternity,
cashmere, and dress collections.
Sharon Segal
Sharon Segal uses the highest quality
fabrics, which are tubularly woven so
its t-shirts won’t twist. The signature
fit features a longer body and slightly
more length in the sleeves. The
garment dyed tees are offered in
approximately 30 colors each season.
Splendid
www.splendid.com
Splendid is the culmination of
founder and designer Moises
Emquies’ quest for the softest fabrics
and most color-absorbing yarns
available to create the ultimate t-shirt.
The extensive collection of tees,
tanks, thermals, dresses, shorts, and
more reflects his clean, simple, and
effortless aesthetic.
Antex Knitting Mills
www.antexknitting.com
Antex is a vertical knitting, dyeing,
printing, and finishing company that
produces approximately 1.5 million
yards of fabric per week. Established
in Los Angeles in 1973, it provides
fashionable knitted fabrics to the
junior, contemporary, and children’s
markets as well as technical fabrics to
the outdoor and activewear markets.
Colorway, Inc.
(323) 264-6080
Colorway, Inc. manufactures striking,
innovative print designs on a vast
variety of upscale fabrics including
its signature Supima cotton/micromodal, luxurious silks, and ultra-soft
100% cotton vegetable dyed knits.
Styles resonate with a unique, refined
sentiment.
Design-Knit, Inc.
www.designknit.com
A leading manufacturer of knit-toorder high quality designer and
better contemporary knit fabrics, Los
Angeles–based Design Knit, Inc.
specializes in sheer and lightweight
fabrics and provides European quality
and designs for affordable prices.
Shara-Tex
www.shara-tex.com
Shara-Tex is a premiere knitting
mill for innovative and high quality
fabrics capable of both designing and
manufacturing virtually any knitted
fabric to specifications. It offers an
extensive open line of fine novelty
knits and also works with customers
to develop custom programs.
Texollini
www.texollini.com
Vertically integrated knitting mill
Texollini provides fabric development,
knitting, dyeing, finishing, fabric
print design, and printing capabilities
for small, custom orders to large
program business. A leader in knitted
textile fabrications, stretch fabrics,
and print design and application, its
lines include sportswear, bodywear,
activewear, performance wear, intimate
apparel, and swimwear.
All brands listed have stated
Supima either in 100 percent or
blended form, or in pima/Modal.
Source California Resource Guide
Buhler Quality Yarns Corp. is a leading supplier
of the highest quality yarns to the apparel
industry in the Americas. By using only top
grade, extra-long staple Supima® cotton fiber,
all grown in California, Buhler ensures the
consistency of
its yarns. A year
ago, the company
began spinning
Lenzing’s Micro Modal sustainable cellulose
fiber, available as 100% Micro Modal or a
50/50 blend of Micro Modal and combed
extra-long staple Supima® cotton. The latest
yarn offering is a 50/50 blend of Supima® and
Outlast Viscose. This is an adaptive thermal
property product for improved comfort in hot
and cold environments. For more information,
visit www.buhleryarn.com.
■■■
Los Angeles–based Design-Knit, Inc. produces
designer and better contemporary knit fabrics
from sheer to heavy weight. New items include
novelty and basic fabrics with cashmere, silk,
wool, rayon,
Modal blends,
organic cotton,
organic Supima
cotton, organic
Supima/micro Modal, Supima blends, hemp,
recycled poly, bamboo/cotton, yarn-dye solids
and stripes, garment-dyeable stripes, and an
extensive collection of fabrics made with ecofriendly fibers. Custom work is available. Offering new and innovative fabrics every season is
their competitive edge. For more information,
call Shala Tabassi at (213) 742-1234 or visit
them on the web at www.designknit.com.
■■■
Established in 1987 by designer Matthew Hekmat, Los Angeles–based label I.D.I. produces
signature casual women’s wear centered on the
artistry of everyday life to appeal to the fashion
forward woman.
I.D.I offers intricate
designs, eye catching colors, and
fresh, innovative
styles that stand
out from the crowd. Being a domestic producer
allows I.D.I. designers to pay close attention to
detail and create a premium brand at affordable prices. The company accommodates
specialty boutiques as well as large-volume
orders for high-end retailers and catalogs. Call
(323) 277-0500 or visit www.eyedeye.com.
Locally
Grown
■■■
Tatiana Lacheny, designer and owner of Euroboutiques in Westlake Village, Calif., specializes in high-quality evening wear and special
occasion outfits for private clientele. Lacheny
uses couture-quality silks, laces, and velvets
purchased from France, Turkey, and India as
well as from
local suppliers. Her
custom work
focuses on perfect fit, hand-beaded details,
and feminine authentic designs. Lacheny works
with independent Los Angeles contractors producing ready-to-wear dresses, separates, and
accessories, which can be ordered through her
website www.tatianalacheny.com. In addition,
she has recently introduced Kushaks, a line
of hand-crafted detachable belts. Lacheny’s
custom services are available by appointment
only. Call (805) 405-4797.
This listing is provided as a free service to
our advertisers. We regret that we cannot be
responsible for any errors or omissions within
the Source California Resource Guide.
Edie-France
Continued from page 3
holiday season.
Produced in Orange
County, Calif., and downtown Los Angeles, EdieFrance employs many fabEnza Costa Rogue
rics, trims and embroideries
Los Angeles brand Enza
sourced from California.
Costa Rogue, a division
The label has also entered
of J Brand, launched for
the eco market: “We love
Spring 2008. Stocked at
our [prepared-for-dye]
Ron Herman, Tracey Ross
organic baby jersey we get
and Wendy Foster, among
from Neman Bros. downtown,” Magnifico-Parker raves. “We also dye it
with organic dyes.”
Magnifico-Parker
has worked for large
and small companies
and seen both sides
of production. “The
advantage of local production is definitely
time,” she says. “You
can catch mistakes a lot
faster and/or make lastminute decisions much
quicker, avoiding headaches. Plus, time equals
Enza Costa Rogue
money. People also love
Apparel News Group
64
&!!%
Sixty-four years of news,
fashion
and information
Executive Editor
ALISON A. NIEDER
Fashion Editor
N. JAYNE SEWARD
Senior Editor
DEBORAH BELGUM
Technology Editor
ROBERT MCALLISTER
Retail Editor
ANDREW ASCH
Manufacturing Editor
ERIN BARAJAS
Associate Editor
RHEA CORTADO
Editorial Manager
JOHN IRWIN
Copy Editor
KRISTINHA ANDING
Web Editor
CONNIE CHO
Webmaster
GREG WILKER
6 CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS / SOURCE INTERNATIONAL
DECEMBER 2008
to see that merchandise is made
in the USA.”
Minimums
and pricing are
Edie-France’s
challenges “since
everything has
gone overseas,”
Magnifico-Parker
says.
But the down
economy does
have its silver lining, she notes.
“Production has
been better since
a bunch of our
competitors have
probably gone
out of business, and we are
finding more houses that
will have time now to do
our production. Plus, their
pricing has gone down.”
(213) 622-9160
Creative Marketing Director
LOUISE DAMBERG
Director of Sales and Marketing
TERRY MARTINEZ
National Advertising Manager
BARBARA WOO
Account Executives
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KENDALL IN
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Office Manager
DIANNE RINI
other shops, the minimalist
collection attempts to “blur
the boundaries between
casual and designer womenswear.”
Designer Enza Costa
uses California resources
whenever possible to produce the label, including
yarns from California’s
Central Valley. Some
cashmere and silk yarns are
imported from Italy, but
they are knit and produced
in Los Angeles. And all cutting, sewing, dyeing and
finishing is done locally,
primarily using independent contractors.
While it’s more expensive to produce domestically
than overseas, Costa says:
“[There’s] quicker turnaround and faster delivery
dates. We can react when
something does well for
reorders. By being close to
the facilities, we can better
watch the quality of our
garments.”
(213) 749-3500
Heather Hawkins
Designer Heather
Hawkins crafts her line
of stylish satchels from
Italian leather, but she
keeps production strictly
local. The line has been
produced by an independent contractor in downtown Los Angeles since
its launch in 2004.
Hawkins chose Los
Angeles because she
has “better control over
production” and does
not have to worry about
delays in customs.
While Hawkins says it
is much cheaper to
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General Manager
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Heather Hawkins
produce overseas, benefits
include the ability to order
smaller quantities and check
the quality of materials
before producing goods.
“Also, production times are
much, much shorter,” she
notes. “Instead of waiting
three to four months for
your merchandise to arrive
by boat, you can get most
orders produced within
about four to six weeks,
sometimes faster, if necessary.
“Quality control is also
easier to do here because
everything can be checked
one item at a time, and if
there are mistakes, they can
be fixed locally.”
Heather Hawkins sales
are $300,000 annually.
www.shophh.com
Kate McHale
Launched for Fall 2008,
women’s pants line Kate
McHale is 100 percent
California-made by an
off-site contractor in Los
Angeles. All materials for
the collection are sourced
locally, as well.
Melding the best attributes of premium jeans—
fit, comfort and attention to
detail—with the sophistication and style of a beautiful
trouser, McHale has set out
to bridge the gap between
denim and slacks.
Kate
McHale
McHale says she
is committed to
producing locally
because it allows
her to be “more
hands-on with
the entire
process of
creating
the line.”
Cost is a
factor, she
says, “but it
doesn’t outweigh the quality
available [by producStella & Jamie
ing locally].
“The economy has
if I produced out of Caliaffected the entire market,”
fornia.”
she says. “But our customer
Vigil says there are huge
wants fit and quality, and
advantages to producing
that’s what we deliver. Our
locally when the economy
product is designed and
is slow. “Stores are working
produced to stand the test
much closer to deliveries,
of time.”
and being able to respond
Projected sales for the
quickly has really helped
first year are $1.6 million.
our business,” he says. “I
www.katemchale.com
also don’t have to commit to inventory, so I have
much less risk.”
Projected sales for 2009
are $2.8 million.
www.revolver-losangeles.com
Revolver
Los Angeles
Revolver Los Angeles
Since launching Revolver
Los Angeles in 2003, Steven
Vigil has produced his line
in California via an off-site
contractor. Furthermore,
90 percent of the fabric
is produced locally. The
small percentage that is not
usually comprises specialty
groups such as findings and
trimmings. Most fabric purchased from California suppliers is also eco-friendly.
“The biggest advantage
[to producing in California}
is being able to create new
styles very quickly,” Vigil
says. “Sometimes I finish
75 percent of a collection
the week of market. There
would be no way to do this
Tatiana Lacheny
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Stella & Jamie
Designer April Mun has
been producing her label,
Stella & Jamie, in California since she launched the
brand in Spring 2007. With
the exception of cashmere
sweaters, which make up
a very small portion of the
line for the Fall/Holiday
season, all goods are produced in California. Almost
all knits are from California,
and many eco-friendly cottons are sourced in-state,
as well.
Mun says she is proud to
be helping the U.S. economy by using local resources,
and cites fast turnaround
and better quality control
as distinct advantages of
domestic production.
“Customers usually
write their orders at once
per season, but, nowadays,
a lot of them are scared to
write three to five months
in advance,” Mun says. All
customers want the products next month because
we cannot predict what will
happen in three months.
But it actually benefits us
a little bit because we can
turn around the production
faster for their needs.”
Stella & Jamie sales are
$4 million annually.
www.stellaandjamie.
com ■
DECEMBER 2008
CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS / SOURCE INTERNATIONAL 7
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USA
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