Sourcing California

SOURCE international 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% With our newly installed spinning Supima and 100% Micro Modal ring spun yarns. machines in our USA facility, we now Also included in our production is a 50/50 blend offer customized slub yarns to take of Supima/MicroModal ring spun yarns. advantage of the fashion trends. For those looking to upgrade your quality, our Royal Spun yarns will provide this benefit. Contacts: 1881 Athens Highway Werner Bieri, CEO, wbieri@buhleryarns.com Jefferson, GA 30549 David Sasso, Sales, dsasso@buhleryarns.com Office: 1 706 367-3934 Victor Almeida, Sales & Tech. Service, valmeida@buhleryarns.com Fax: 1 706 367-9837 Linda Newton, Customer Service, lnewton@buhleryarns.com www.buhleryarns.com

Locally Grown BY DENA SMOLEK Aviator Nation competitive edge compared to ½-year-old label are $2 million retail sales, so I am using innova- those companies that produce for 2009. tions in the designs to attempt to overseas, but overall, the advan- www.aviatornation.com decrease some of our cost with- tages outweigh the disadvan- out sacrificing luxury.” tages,” she adds. Beth Springer www.bethspringer.com www.aaronashe.com Handbag designer Beth Springer has produced her line California Rising Aviator Nation in Southern California since the With the name California Designer Paige Mycoskie brand’s launch six years ago. She Rising, it should come as no translated her love for surfing notes that most findings and surprise that the brand has been and the California lifestyle into fabrics used in the designs are produced in California since its a comfortable, vintage-inspired sourced locally, and some are launch in 2006. Comprising collection of hoodies, tees and even custom-made in California. comfortable basics for men and sweats that quickly caught the When she uses eco-friendly fab- women, the line will also launch attention of trend-setting bou- rics, she makes every effort to use a baby collection soon. tiques such as Fred Segal, Planet local companies. Husband-and-wife team Blue, Blonde and Intuition. The Springer echoes the senti- Joshua Lloyd Fischer and Jules line is sourced and produced ment of many California-based Blaine Davis take pride in the entirely in California. Mycoskie companies. “Better quality con- fact that all production is done California Rising also uses sewing machines from trol is the biggest advantage [to in Los Angeles. Most of their Aaron Ashe the ’60s and ’70s, ensuring that California production], as well as eco-friendly fabrics are sourced even the stitch work is done shorter lead times,” she says. locally, some from Enviro Tex- locally and “you must work exactly as in years past. Regarding the current eco- tiles in Los Angeles, and some harder to achieve certain quali- Aaron Ashe “I get to personally check on nomic climate, Springer says: fibers are grown in California’s ties that are historically better in Designer Ellie Spring of my production daily, and the “I have always wanted to be a Central Valley. Partnering with areas like Japan or Italy,” they newcomer Aaron Ashe has been turnaround time is much quick- 100 percent American-made SG Knits in Los Angeles, Cali- are dedicated to producing with producing her label in California er,” says Mycoskie, speaking brand. Thankfully, the fornia Rising has also produced a conscience while also making since its launch in Fall 2008. about the benefits of producing Beth Springer brand is specialty fabrics. items affordable. The line comprises solid-hued in California. understood to be very Producing in California, “We are not willing to com- dresses, jumpers and feminine She says the current state of high-quality with Davis says, gives them “a smaller promise our ethics and relation- tops. All materials are sourced the economy has in some ways innovative design. footprint and better control.” ships by going overseas unless we in California, including the eco- been good for the company. “As As of yet, I have “We like to support absolutely need to and are very friendly silk used in many of the a smaller company, it is some- not changed the the California economy comfortable with those sources,” designs. times difficult to find contrac- brand due to and use less oil to move Davis says. “The three main advantages tors and manufacturers to meet economic products,” she says. The company projects sales of manufacturing in California smaller minimums. But with conditions. “Moreover, the com- of $1 million wholesale and $1.5 versus overseas are product con- the lack of work out there, con- However, munity is stron- million in online retail for 2009. trol, faster production and low tractors are more likely to work cost is a ger when resources www.californiarising.com minimums. Also, when you are with smaller minimums. Also, current are kept close.” starting out, California-based it seems we are not competing factor Though Edie-France companies are more willing to nearly as much for the time in Fischer and Nicole Magnifico-Parker of work with lower minimums,” and attention of the contractors Davis admit the label Edie-France says her Spring says. anymore. Our work seems more it is more entire line is produced in Cali- “Producing in California valuable to them.” expensive fornia, even down to the novelty sometimes can give you a less Projected sales for the 1 Beth Springer to produce belts added to the collection this Continued on page 6 DECEMBER 2008 CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS / SOURCE INTERNATIONAL 3

advertisement 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. 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 com- mit 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 T he California cotton industry has built up an outstanding reputation these plant, the seed. Boswell has its own plant-breeding operation, a joint venture with Dow days—think of the fluid, sinuous offerings of Michael Stars, Ella Moss, Agrisciences, called Phytogen, whose aim is to produce the better mousetrap or, in this and Splendid, to name just a few. What these designers share is knitted case, the longer, stronger ELS cotton fiber. From the pima cotton crop just recently har- textiles from California’s leading knit houses, Design Knit, Texollini, vested by Boswell, 90 percent was PHY 800 and the balance divided among several experi- Antex/Matchmaster, Colorway, and Shara-tex, among them. What these mental varieties. Developing better cotton is an eight-year process, four to crossbreed the knit houses share is the fruit of a very special relationship between two companies, each desired characteristics and four to propagate enough seed to sow a crop. dedicated to producing only the highest quality product, the best of the best. What the bioengineers, farmers, spinners, knitters, designers, and, ultimately, the Buhler Quality Yarns Corporation, the Ameri- consumers want in cotton is essentially the same: can offshoot of a 150-year-old Swiss yarn com- strength, durability, dyeability, softness, and drape. pany, has been spinning raw cotton into superb “Cotton in general is a net energy The farmers and spinners, however, are also look- yarn here since 1996. Based in Jefferson, Georgia, ing for something else. “The most important char- Buhler began by providing yarn to the southeastern gain. You get more energy out acteristic of yarn is consistency,” Elder says. “If it is United States’ once-dominant weaving industry. strong in some places but weak in others, it is weak. Today, Buhler spins most of its yarn for Califor- of the fiber, seed, and oil than it If it is thick and thin, stripes won’t be even.” nia knitters—and not just any yarn. Buhler spins Buhler vice president of sales David Sasso ex- only extra-long staple cotton, or ELS, which makes took to grow it. Cotton fiber is 40 plains that one of Buhler’s great strengths, accord- up less than 5 percent of all cotton grown in the world. But Buhler takes it a step further by spinning percent carbon. It takes CO from 2 ing to its customers, is that “our yarns are very consistent over the long term. It’s important for them the best of the global ELS supply—American-grown Supima cotton. The company produces two main the air and releases oxygen into the that the product they produce in January is the same in December.” The reason for Buhler’s remarkable yarn products: 100 percent combed Supima cotton, atmosphere. When that cotton shirt consistency, Bieri says, is buying exclusively from about 75 percent of its product, with the remainder Boswell. “They are one farmer who grows the cot- a 50/50 Supima cotton and micro-Modal blend. Its stays together for a long time, ton, gins it, and sells it. That has enabled us to have prices are high, its impeccable standards unwavering, a consistent supply of the same quality over a crop and its client base select. “We want to be known as it’s trapping carbon.” year. If you buy one day from one farmer, another the expensive guys,” says Buhler president and CEO day from another, you won’t have consistency in Werner Bieri. “We do not compromise. We are 100 your yarns, and that manifests itself in the garment. percent committed to not going left or right of the path of quality. That’s the difference Boswell has enabled us to really fulfill the very high expectations.” between good and top.” With the hot, dry San Joaquin Valley a perfect environment to grow cotton A silk purse, we know, does not come from a sow’s ear, as Bieri well appreciates. and—critical to the process—perfectly time its irrigation, Boswell is well situated to pro- Even as he extols the Buhler product, he is quick to swing the topic around. “We need to vide quality goods. “It’s one particular soil type, one farming practice, all the same gins, mention our relationship with Boswell,” he says. “Boswell” would be J.G. Boswell Co., and that gets you less variables, less inconsistencies,” Elder says. This year in particular, he growers of high-grade cotton in California’s San Joaquin Valley for the past 80 years. “Re- says, the crop will be slightly smaller, but “one of the strongest crops ever grown.” Water ally, the success of the product starts with the fiber,” Bieri continues. “Boswell is our fiber shortages have reduced crop sizes generally, but Boswell doesn’t look to push Mother Na- supplier of choice. Boswell for us is very, very critical.” ture. “From a Boswell standpoint, the idea that we would not be sustainable is laughable The partnership between the California farmer and the Georgia spinner, with result- to us,” Elder goes on. “We manage our crops on what’s best for the ground, not on market ing benefits to the California knit and design industries, is a tale of how to do everything decisions.” Boswell also prides itself on the essential carbon negativity of cotton. “Cotton

advertisement Major Supima Resources AG Jeans Three Dots www.agjeans.com www.threedots.com The AG Jeans brand offers not only An evolving concept in lifestyle dressing premium, vintage-inspired denim based on great fabrics, inspired design, for men and women, but also an fastidious construction, and perfect fit, extensive contemporary collection of Three Dots features exclusive knitwear, tees, tops, pants, shorts, outerwear, cashmere, and wovens for women, men, and dresses. and maternity. Agave Jeans Zooey www.agavejean.com www.zooeytees.com Premium brand Agave’s luxury, Zooey, a leader in contemporary quality denim lines for men and apparel and the women’s and men’s women has expanded to include t-shirt market, offers diversified, selvage denim, luxury fine gauge lifestyle-driven, premium knitwear and Supima cotton jersey knits, collections known for quality fabrics non-denim jeans, and casual pants. and sophisticated details. All jeans are cut, sewn, and hand- finished in California. Antex Knitting Mills www.antexknitting.com Buhler buys 100 percent of its Supima from Boswell, who, for its part, hand-selects each of the approximately Ella Moss Antex is a vertical knitting, dyeing, www.ellamoss.com printing, and finishing company that 20,000 bales that it sends to Buhler annually. Known for bright color palettes, produces approximately 1.5 million simple shapes, soft, wearable yards of fabric per week. Established of the high quality of the fiber and cottons, and tonal stripes, Ella in Los Angeles in 1973, it provides Moss features casual, comfortable, fashionable knitted fabrics to the its consistency, the consumer en- junior, contemporary, and children’s contemporary collection that radiates joys the benefits of a garment that effortless style. markets as well as technical fabrics to keeps its form, keeps its color, has the outdoor and activewear markets. beautiful sheen and an incredible drape.” GoldSign Jeans The two companies are in www.gold-sign-jeans.com Colorway, Inc. constant communication. Boswell Designer Adriano Goldschmied has (323) 264-6080 shares its cotton crop quality profile created a distinct, debut collection of Colorway, Inc. manufactures striking, premium denim that offers technical innovative print designs on a vast with Buhler Quality Yarns as soon expertise, directional design, quality, and variety of upscale fabrics including as it is available, Elder explains. He fit using superfine denim, revolutionary its signature Supima cotton/micro- also travels to the Buhler spinning hand-wash techniques, hand-stitched modal, luxurious silks, and ultra-soft plant. Buhler and Boswell know seams, and careful wash processes. 100% cotton vegetable dyed knits. Styles resonate with a unique, refined that they each have a story to tell sentiment. that would be incomplete without the other. When Sasso takes to the James Perse road to meet with designers and www.jamesperse.com James Perse offers low maintenance Design-Knit, Inc. retailers, Bieri says, “he convinces high fashion that emphasizes www.designknit.com them that to be successful, they elegance and comfort in several knit A leading manufacturer of knit-to- need a product made from Boswell collections that include high-quality order high quality designer and basics and ready-to-wear items for better contemporary knit fabrics, Los Cotton classers ensure the fiber’s quality and consistency. cotton and Buhler yarn.” Angeles–based Design Knit, Inc. women, men, children, and infants. “Our yarns do make a differ- specializes in sheer and lightweight in general is a net energy gain,” explains Elder. “You get ence,” Sasso adds, “in whether a product is chosen or fabrics and provides European quality more energy out of the fiber, seed, and oil than it took to not by the final consumer,” which has been proven by a and designs for affordable prices. Michael Stars grow it. Cotton fiber is 40 percent carbon. It takes CO2 major retailer on a large-scale test. www.michaelstars.com from the air and releases oxygen into the atmosphere. “We like to promote the idea that we have a spe- A pioneer in casual couture since 1986, the When that cotton shirt stays together for a long time, cial relationship,” Elder says. “Combined, we’re able to Los Angeles–based, family-run Michael Shara-Tex it’s trapping carbon.” do something no one else in the world is able to do. It Stars company is a leader in the women’s www.shara-tex.com contemporary market, distinguished Shara-Tex is a premiere knitting Buhler and Boswell, not surprisingly, share a busi- gives our company a great sense of pride getting to know by its contoured fit, unique colors, and mill for innovative and high quality ness vision that does not focus on non-stop growth. the brands and the retailers who use our cotton.” comfortable fabrics in tees, maternity, fabrics capable of both designing and “I’m asked by bankers and all, how do you grow your cashmere, and dress collections. manufacturing virtually any knitted business?” Bieri says. “Our first goal is not to grow the fabric to specifications. It offers an SUPIMA GROWING COUNTIES extensive open line of fine novelty business every year but to have a very profitable busi- knits and also works with customers ness. Size doesn’t matter; profitability and reinvestment Estimated 2008 Supima production Sharon Segal to develop custom programs. of the profits matter. That’s what makes you a better is 400,000 bales from six counties. Sharon Segal uses the highest quality company. Then you grow the business. We are flying in fabrics, which are tubularly woven so its t-shirts won’t twist. The signature the back seat of the commercial planes and putting our Colusa fit features a longer body and slightly Texollini money into the plant.” more length in the sleeves. The www.texollini.com Boswell, similarly, is focused on quality, not quan- garment dyed tees are offered in Vertically integrated knitting mill approximately 30 colors each season. Texollini provides fabric development, tity. “Because we’re a farmer, we’re not interested in knitting, dyeing, finishing, fabric growing market share,” Elder explains. “We sell exactly print design, and printing capabilities what we produce every year. What we want is a bet- for small, custom orders to large ter, high-quality customer. Buhler is the epitome of that Splendid program business. A leader in knitted www.splendid.com textile fabrications, stretch fabrics, customer. They want the best, and they want to produce Splendid is the culmination of and print design and application, its the highest quality yarn by using the best raw material. founder and designer Moises lines include sportswear, bodywear, That reflects on us.” Emquies’ quest for the softest fabrics activewear, performance wear, intimate With Boswell fiber in hand, Buhler uses state-of- and most color-absorbing yarns apparel, and swimwear. available to create the ultimate t-shirt. the-art equipment combined with a long company ex- The extensive collection of tees, All brands listed have stated perience, as Bieri describes it, “to turn that top fiber into tanks, thermals, dresses, shorts, and Supima either in 100 percent or the very best yarn and to have a very consistent yarn more reflects his clean, simple, and blended form, or in pima/Modal. supply to our knitters, who turn it into fabric. Because effortless aesthetic.

Locally Source California Resource Guide Grown Buhler Quality Yarns Corp. is a leading supplier signature casual women’s wear centered on the of the highest quality yarns to the apparel artistry of everyday life to appeal to the fashion industry in the Americas. By using only top forward woman. grade, extra-long staple Supima® cotton fiber, I.D.I offers intricate to see that mer- other shops, the minimalist all grown in California, Buhler ensures the designs, eye catch- chandise is made collection attempts to “blur consistency of ing colors, and in the USA.” the boundaries between its yarns. A year fresh, innovative Minimums casual and designer wom- ago, the company styles that stand and pricing are enswear.” began spinning out from the crowd. Being a domestic producer Lenzing’s Micro Modal sustainable cellulose allows I.D.I. designers to pay close attention to Edie-France’s Designer Enza Costa fiber, available as 100% Micro Modal or a detail and create a premium brand at afford- challenges “since uses California resources 50/50 blend of Micro Modal and combed able prices. The company accommodates everything has whenever possible to pro- extra-long staple Supima® cotton. The latest specialty boutiques as well as large-volume gone overseas,” duce the label, including yarn offering is a 50/50 blend of Supima® and orders for high-end retailers and catalogs. Call Magnifico-Parker yarns from California’s Outlast Viscose. This is an adaptive thermal (323) 277-0500 or visit www.eyedeye.com. says. Central Valley. Some property product for improved comfort in hot and cold environments. For more information, ■■■ But the down cashmere and silk yarns are visit www.buhleryarn.com. economy does imported from Italy, but Tatiana Lacheny, designer and owner of Eu- have its silver lin- they are knit and produced ■■■ roboutiques in Westlake Village, Calif., special- ing, she notes. in Los Angeles. And all cut- izes in high-quality evening wear and special “Production has ting, sewing, dyeing and Los Angeles–based Design-Knit, Inc. produces occasion outfits for private clientele. Lacheny been better since finishing is done locally, designer and better contemporary knit fabrics uses couture-quality silks, laces, and velvets from sheer to heavy weight. New items include purchased from France, Turkey, and India as Edie-France a bunch of our primarily using indepen- novelty and basic fabrics with cashmere, silk, well as from competitors have dent contractors. wool, rayon, local sup- probably gone While it’s more expen- Modal blends, pliers. Her Continued from page 3 out of business, and we are sive to produce domestically organic cotton, custom work finding more houses that than overseas, Costa says: organic Supima focuses on perfect fit, hand-beaded details, cotton, organic and feminine authentic designs. Lacheny works holiday season. will have time now to do “[There’s] quicker turn- Supima/micro Modal, Supima blends, hemp, with independent Los Angeles contractors pro- Produced in Orange our production. Plus, their around and faster delivery recycled poly, bamboo/cotton, yarn-dye solids ducing ready-to-wear dresses, separates, and County, Calif., and down- pricing has gone down.” dates. We can react when and stripes, garment-dyeable stripes, and an accessories, which can be ordered through her town Los Angeles, Edie- (213) 622-9160 something does well for extensive collection of fabrics made with eco- website www.tatianalacheny.com. In addition, France employs many fab- reorders. By being close to friendly fibers. Custom work is available. Offer- she has recently introduced Kushaks, a line rics, trims and embroideries Enza Costa Rogue the facilities, we can better ing new and innovative fabrics every season is of hand-crafted detachable belts. Lacheny’s their competitive edge. For more information, custom services are available by appointment sourced from California. Los Angeles brand Enza watch the quality of our call Shala Tabassi at (213) 742-1234 or visit only. Call (805) 405-4797. The label has also entered Costa Rogue, a division garments.” them on the web at www.designknit.com. the eco market: “We love of J Brand, launched for (213) 749-3500 our [prepared-for-dye] Spring 2008. Stocked at ■■■ This listing is provided as a free service to organic baby jersey we get Ron Herman, Tracey Ross Heather Hawkins our advertisers. We regret that we cannot be responsible for any errors or omissions within from Neman Bros. down- and Wendy Foster, among Designer Heather Established in 1987 by designer Matthew Hek- mat, Los Angeles–based label I.D.I. produces the Source California Resource Guide. town,” Magnifico-Park- Hawkins crafts her line er raves. “We also dye it of stylish satchels from with organic dyes.” Italian leather, but she Magnifico-Parker keeps production strictly has worked for large local. The line has been and small companies produced by an indepen- and seen both sides dent contractor in down- of production. “The town Los Angeles since advantage of local pro- its launch in 2004. duction is definitely Hawkins chose Los time,” she says. “You Angeles because she can catch mistakes a lot has “better control over faster and/or make last- production” and does minute decisions much not have to worry about quicker, avoiding head- delays in customs. aches. Plus, time equals Enza Costa Rogue While Hawkins says it money. People also love is much cheaper to Creative Marketing Director Publisher/ Apparel News Group LOUISE DAMBERG General Manager MOLLY RHODES 64 Director of Sales and Marketing TERRY MARTINEZ MnM Publishing Corp.: National Advertising Manager Co-CEOs BARBARA WOO TERI FELLMAN Account Executives CARL WERNICKE LISA KOFF DANIELLA PLATT Publisher/Chairman/CEO AMY VALENCIA MARTIN WERNICKE Sales Assistants 1922–2000 AMY CHANG DANIELLE SMITH PUBLISHED BY Marketing Assistant MnM PUBLISHING CORP. Sixty-four years of news, LAUREN CAMPEDELLI APPAREL NEWS GROUP fashion Classified Account Executives Publishers of: and information ZENNY R. KATIGBAK California Apparel News JEFFERY YOUNGER Waterwear Executive Editor Jr. Service Directory ALISON A. NIEDER Account Executive Fashion Editor JUNE ESPINO EXECUTIVE OFFICE N. JAYNE SEWARD LOS ANGELES: Production Manager Senior Editor KENDALL IN California Market Center DEBORAH BELGUM 110 E. Ninth St., Suite A777 Editorial Designer Technology Editor Los Angeles, CA 90079-1777 DOT WILTZER ROBERT MCALLISTER Production Artists 5707 Retail Editor RANDY DUNBAR Classified Advertising Fax (213) ANDREW ASCH JOHN FREEMAN FISH 623-1515 Manufacturing Editor RUSSELL LEE www.apparelnews.net ERIN BARAJAS Web Production webmaster@apparelnews.net ZUKE OSHIRO Associate Editor PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. RHEA CORTADO Controller Editorial Manager JIM PATEL JOHN IRWIN Credit Manager Copy Editor RITA O’CONNOR KRISTINHA ANDING Accounting Clerk Web Editor ROSALINDA BRIEVA CONNIE CHO Advertising Administrator/ Webmaster Office Manager GREG WILKER DIANNE RINI 6 CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS / SOURCE INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 2008

McHale says she T Lacheny atiana is committed to $GGUHVV /DNHYLHZ &DQRQ 5G producing locally because it allows :HVWODNH 9LOODJH &$ her to be “more 86$ hands-on with the entire 7HO

process of creating the line.” &RQWDFW WODFKHQ#KRWPDLOFRP Cost is a factor, she :KHUH HDFK FRXWXUH SLHFH says, “but it LV H[FOXVLYH LQ FUHDWLYLW doesn’t out- TXDOLW DQG FUDIWVPDQVKLS weigh the quality :KHUH HDFK H[SHULHQFH Heather Hawkins available [by produc- Stella & Jamie LV H[FHSWLRQDO ing locally]. produce overseas, benefits “The economy has :HEVLWH ZZZWDWLDQDODFKHQFRP include the ability to order affected the entire market,” if I produced out of Cali- smaller quantities and check she says. “But our customer fornia.” the quality of materials wants fit and quality, and Vigil says there are huge before producing goods. that’s what we deliver. Our advantages to producing “Also, production times are product is designed and locally when the economy much, much shorter,” she produced to stand the test is slow. “Stores are working notes. “Instead of waiting of time.” much closer to deliveries, three to four months for Projected sales for the and being able to respond your merchandise to arrive first year are $1.6 million. quickly has really helped by boat, you can get most www.katemchale.com our business,” he says. “I orders produced within also don’t have to com- about four to six weeks, mit to inventory, so I have sometimes faster, if neces- much less risk.” sary. Projected sales for 2009 “Quality control is also are $2.8 million. easier to do here because www.revolver-losange- everything can be checked les.com one item at a time, and if there are mistakes, they can Stella & Jamie be fixed locally.” Designer April Mun has Heather Hawkins sales been producing her label, are $300,000 annually. Stella & Jamie, in Califor- www.shophh.com nia since she launched the brand in Spring 2007. With Kate McHale the exception of cashmere Launched for Fall 2008, sweaters, which make up women’s pants line Kate a very small portion of the McHale is 100 percent line for the Fall/Holiday California-made by an season, all goods are pro- off-site contractor in Los duced in California. Almost Angeles. All materials for all knits are from California, the collection are sourced and many eco-friendly cot- locally, as well. tons are sourced in-state, Revolver Melding the best attri- Los Angeles as well. butes of premium jeans— Mun says she is proud to fit, comfort and attention to be helping the U.S. econo- detail—with the sophistica- my by using local resources, tion and style of a beautiful Revolver Los Angeles and cites fast turnaround trouser, McHale has set out Since launching Revolver and better quality control to bridge the gap between Los Angeles in 2003, Steven as distinct advantages of denim and slacks. Vigil has produced his line domestic production. in California via an off-site “Customers usually contractor. Furthermore, write their orders at once 90 percent of the fabric per season, but, nowadays, Kate McHale is produced locally. The a lot of them are scared to small percentage that is not write three to five months usually comprises specialty in advance,” Mun says. All groups such as findings and customers want the prod- trimmings. Most fabric pur- ucts next month because chased from California sup- we cannot predict what will pliers is also eco-friendly. happen in three months. “The biggest advantage But it actually benefits us [to producing in California} a little bit because we can is being able to create new turn around the production styles very quickly,” Vigil faster for their needs.” says. “Sometimes I finish Stella & Jamie sales are 75 percent of a collection $4 million annually. the week of market. There www.stellaandjamie. would be no way to do this com ■ DECEMBER 2008 CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS / SOURCE INTERNATIONAL 7

Quality in every single fiber. US Supima Ringspun Our yarn spun from ﬁnest, extra long staple Supima®-cotton allows for an outstanding fabric appearance, softness, drape and color brilliance. Top yarn quality will guarantee an excellent performance in subsequent processing. US Supima Micro Modal Silky sheen, softness, high water absorbency and breath-ability are typical characteristics of our luxurious blend. In perfect combination, combed Supima®-cotton and Lenzing Micro Modal create an exceptional look and comfort. US Modal Micro An incredible softness with a cool hand feel, the ability for deep color intake and an outstanding drapeabiltiy are characteristics that make textiles from this yarn an incomparable experience. Micro Modal, a cellulose ﬁber formed from beech wood, is very gentle and soothing to the skin. Buhler Quality Yarns Corp. 1881 Athens Hwy/ PO BOX 506 Jefferson, GA 30549 USA Phone: (706) 367 9834 Fax: (706) 367 9837 e-mail: sales@buhleryarns.com internet: www.buhleryarns.com

Sourcing California

by David Sasso on Dec 19, 2008

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Sourcing California — Document Transcript

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