NEWSPAPER 2ND CLASS $2.99 VOLUME 75, NUMBER 18 MAY 3–9, 2019 THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY FOR 74 YEARS COURTESY OF HALSTON DESERT WINDs The Los Angeles–based Halston label looked to the desert for some of its pre-Fall 2019 inspiration. For more from the collection, see page 8. Designers Calvin Klein and INSIDE: M.Fredric at 40: Donna Karan Talk About Their Where fashion gets down to business SM Brands at Annual Beverly Hills Looking for New Vistas Finance Conference in Bricks and Mortar By Deborah Belgum Executive Editor By Andrew Asch Retail Editor In 1968, Calvin Klein founded his self-named fashion com- 6 7 Bricks-and-mortar retail has taken a lot of hits in the past pany and spent years building up a brand that became renowned decade. for style, sophistication, and sexy jeans and underwear ads. VF spins off denim ... p. 2 Struggling against changing consumer habits and ways He sold that company to PVH Corp. in 2002 for $435 mil- New True Religion artistic director ... p. 2 of doing business, many shops have closed. But a handful of lion, but fashion is ever on his mind as he watches social media high-end Los Angeles retailers stayed in the game and domi- and the Internet change the landscape for creating brands and Guerilla Atelier moves west ... p. 4 nated the Los Angeles boutique scene in the late 1970s and clothing. early 1980s. Some of these shops, such as Ron Robinson “Social media and the Internet changed everything,” Klein Made in L.A. Resources ... p. 9 and Ron Herman, pioneered retail on some of Los Angeles’ Calvin Klein page 3 www.apparelnews.net M.Fredric page 3 01,3.cover.indd 1 5/2/19 5:21 PM NEWS VF Corp. Separates Denim Labels Into a Separate Business, Including Rock & Republic VF Corp. announced it is separating VF ed Rock & Republic. Brands common stock will not be distributed. & Republic brand as a premium-denim label Jeanswear from its parent company and After the market closes on May 22, VF Such fractional shares of Kontoor Brands’ during the high-end jeans craze of the early making it a part of a new company called Corp., based in Greensboro, N.C., will dis- common stock that are otherwise issuable 2000s. In 2010, Rock & Republic filed for Kontoor Brands, Inc. tribute 100 percent of Kontoor Brands’ shares to a VF shareholder will be sold in the open bankruptcy following the company’s inabil- It will be an independent, publicly traded to holders of VF common stock, according to market. This sale will be conducted on be- ity to repay its debts. entity following distribution of its common a press release from the company. For every half of the shareholder, who will receive a That same year, VF Corp. bought the stock on May 22. seven shares of VF common stock sharehold- cash payment for the fractional share based brand name, which resulted in a licensing The new company’s brands will in- ers have by the close of business on May 10, on the pro-rata portion of net cash proceeds deal with the department-store chain Kohl’s. clude the VF Outlet business in addition to they will receive one share of Kontoor Brands from all fractional-share sales. The retailer remains a seller of Rock & Re- Wrang ler, Lee and the Los Angeles–found- common stock. Fractional shares of Kontoor In 2002, Michael Ball launched the Rock public apparel.—Dorothy Crouch UpscaleHype Co-founder Named Artistic Director of True Religion Los Angeles apparel brand True Religion the retirement of former chief executive John to reestablish a brand people can associate in 2002. The company offers apparel for men, announced the hire of luxury-streetwear ex- Ermatinger and permanently accepted the role with in this new age of streetwear.” women and children and has a partnership pert Allen Onyia as its artistic director. The in early 2019. “I am excited to work with Al- True Religion, a leader in streetwear and with the professional English football club University of Hous- len to return True Reli- premium denim, was founded in Los Angeles Manchester United.—D.C. ton–Downtown gradu- gion to its rightful place ate received a Bachelor among streetwear lead- of Science degree in ers,” she said. political science and While he built a Reyn Spooner and Southern Tide government, according career around media to his LinkedIn profile, and brand consulting, yet is known for found- Onyia has enjoyed Partner on a Coast-to-Coast Collection ing the online luxury- roles and partnerships lifestyle magazine Up- with the National Bas- Hawaiian–style apparel label Reyn most pieces are available in S to XXL; all scaleHype. The media ketball Association, Spooner has entered into a partnership with are priced at $48 to $110 retail. Children’s outlet was launched in Nivea and Complex Greenville, S.C., coastal lifestyle brand apparel is sized from XS to XL with retail 2008 by Onyia and his Media. In 2018, he Southern Tide. prices ranging from $32 to $59.50. brother Kyle. was named “Mens- By using Reyn Spooner’s expertise in cre- “Southern Tide’s roots may be southern, “We have been driv- wear’s Most Important ating Hawaiian-in- ing toward this water- Instagram Account” by spired prints—most shed moment since I Allen Onyia GQ magazine. notably those used joined the company,” said True Religion Chief “I have always admired True Religion as an to design its famous Executive Officer Chelsea Grayson in a state- iconic brand with deep roots in the streetwear Aloha shirt—South- ment. Grayson was appointed interim CEO of category,” Onyia said in a press release. “I am ern Tide created True Religion in November 2018 following thrilled to join the team and bring my vision the Southern Tide x Reyn Spooner col- lection with its own fabrics, fits and col- ors including Pom- AS YOUR BRAND EVOLVES peii Blue, Roman Red, Classic White and Tidewater, a hue of green. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Southern Tide. Southern Tide has a youthful vibe and adventurous spirit,” Reyn Spooner Chief Executive Officer Lynne Koplin said in a press release. “I am excited to com- bine our iconic prints with their perfor- mance technology to embrace a new gen- eration of customers from coast to coast.” Launched May 1, the Southern Tide x Reyn Spooner collection features men’s sport shirts, polos, T-shirts, swimwear and chil- dren’s styles. “The first time I met Reyn Mc- MAKE YOUR BRANDING SOLUTIONS Cullough, over 30 years ago, I was taken with his warm, inviting manner and Southern Tide x Reyn Spooner PROGRESSIVE inspired by his prod- ucts and story,” Southern Tide CEO Christo- but we will go anywhere, like the Hawaii pher Heyn said in a statement. “Today, CEO coast, to experience new adventures and WWW.PROGRESSIVELABEL.COM Lynne Koplin and Creative Director Doug meet new people,” Heyn explained. “The (323) 415-9770 Burkman have taken the brand’s legacy South is a state of mind, not a destination.” LOS ANGELES • MEXICO • HONG KONG and continue to evolve the Aloha shirt and The Southern Tide x Reyn Spooner col- the brand’s offerings.” lection is available at Southern Tide Signa- LABELS • HANGTAGS • PATCHES • RFID • HARDWARE • LOOKBOOKS • & MUCH MORE Men’s pieces for the collection range ture Stores, wholesale partners and online at in size from XS for certain shirts, while SouthernTide.com.—D.C. 2 CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS MAY 3–9, 2019 APPARELNEWS.NET 02.news.indd 2 5/2/19 6:18 PM NEWS Calvin Klein Continued from page 1 studio. To be successful, you have to be in touch with every- gone by late 2018—eight months before his contract expired. thing that is going on.” Klein noted that the chief executive officers of these big observed. “Instagram replaced fashion magazines. When I Klein remembered when Milken started telling him what he companies are choosing the chief designers for the brands was building the brand, it was print, TV, outdoor billboards and had to do financially to improve his company. “I knew instantly they have acquired, and this doesn’t always work out. “It is buses. Now look at Kylie Jenner. In three years she has built this would be the thing that would save us,” the designer said. a struggle. It is not easy,” he said about protecting a brand’s a $900-million business [Kylie Cosmetics] with seven people Having a creative advertising campaign also helped the DNA. on her team. You could not do that years ago. The game has brand. Klein recalled the famous TV ad featuring a then-15- changed, and the fashion industry hasn’t quite figured it out. year-old Brooke Shields saying that nothing got between her Going Zen That is the real challenge.” and her Calvin Klein jeans. Then there were the underwear ads Klein was speaking at one of the various sessions at the with now-famous actor Mark Wahlberg featuring this muscular On April 29, Donna Karan was on a panel with a number Milken Institute Global Conference held April 28–May young model wearing a pair of Calvin Klein briefs. “I opened of high-powered women speaking about getting to the top 1 at The Beverly Hilton. The conference is a gathering of up my own in-house advertising agency. I knew what the mes- of their profession as a female. She shared the stage with some of the most influential financiers, politicians and ce- sage was, and who could do it better than us?” he said.