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Von Maur Inc. plans to expand Dry Goods, its fledgling fast-fashion format, with a store at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg this summer.
The family-run department store from Davenport, Iowa, opened its first Dry Goods store last fall at Fox Valley Mall in Aurora. Get the full story »
Los Angeles-based retailer American Apparel Inc. warned that it could seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, or even be forced to liquidate under Chapter 7, as its financial woes deepen. Get the full story »
American Apparel owner Dov Charney at a rally in Los Angeles in 2009. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni/Files)
A woman who brought a $250 million sexual harassment lawsuit against American Apparel Inc. Chief Executive Dov Charney could be forced to take the case to arbitration, rather than pursue it in court.
A Brooklyn, N.Y., judge said at a hearing Friday that she may dismiss the lawsuit, which accused Charney of keeping a teenage saleswoman at the company as a sex slave. Get the full story »
Skechers USA Inc. Tuesday said it filed a lawsuit against Sears Holdings Corp., alleging the retailer sells footwear that infringes some of the shoe company’s products.
The footwear design and marketing firm alleged Sears sells products at its namesake and Kmart retail stores that infringe Sketcher’s Shape-ups, Twinkle Toes and Z-Strap product lines. Skechers is the market leader in the toning segment — shoes that promise to burn calories and firm muscles. Get the full story »
With cotton prices hitting all-time high Thursday, clothing sellers are challenged to do everything they can to avoid passing the cost on to shoppers.
“T-shirts may get thinner,“ said Chris Callieri, principal with A.T. Kearney’s retail and consumer practice. Callieri said some of his clients are playing around with the “density“ of cotton fabric, to see how they can use less of it. “But you have to be careful with that approach so that it doesn’t affect the quality of the garment,“ he said. Get the full story »
Impatient over the slow pace of its sales recovery, Gap Inc. said the head of Gap North America will step down, as the apparel brand tries to reinvigorate its merchandise and flagging stock price.
Marka Hansen, president of Gap North America since 2007, is leaving Feb. 4, and will be replaced by an insider to be named soon, Gap said Tuesday. Get the full story »
The Kardashian sisters are launching a line of clothing at Sears as the moderate department store chain continues to revamp its women’s apparel business.
The clothing line, called the Kardashian Kollection, is set to arrive in August at 400 Sears stores nationwide. The brand is exclusive to Sears, Roebuck and Co., a unit of Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings Corp. Get the full story »
Crain’s Chicago Business | Chicago fashion designer Ikram Goldman, known for her ties to First Lady Michelle Obama, is moving her boutique from Rush Street to larger quarters on Huron.
Bloomberg News | A J. Crew shareholder has sued the retailer and TPG Capital over a $3 billion plan to take the clothier private.
Gap Inc.’s fiscal third-quarter profit fell 1.3 percent, though share repurchases boosted the the casual-apparel retailer’s per-share earnings.
But shares of Gap, which affirmed its fiscal-year outlook, were down 2.1 percent, at $20.47, after hours as margins fell and the company said it would close fewer stores than previously planned. Get the full story »
Bloomberg News | The Hell’s Angels have sued Alexander McQueen and Saks, charging trademark infringement over use of the club’s death-head mark on fashion accessories.
New York Times | London’s Kinder Aggugini will be the first designer to participate in a new program at Macy’s, which will rotate designer collections at 250 stores, including in Chicago, every two months to lure young shoppers. The collaborations begin in February.
ANY retailer on earth would just about die to create the kind of consumer craze that takes place when H & M introduces a discount designer collaboration (like the heavily touted one from Lanvin coming on Nov. 20). The high-low concept has worked well for Target, Gap and Uniqlo, but the latest store to delve into fast fashion is a bit unexpected in that it is the classically mainstream Macy’s.
Kinder Aggugini, pictured with his mood board, is collaborating on a line for Macy’s.
Kinder Aggugini’s inspiration board.
Macy’s is expected to announce today that it will sell a series of limited-edition designer collections, beginning in February. Each will be on sale for about two months, until the next collaboration is announced. The first is by
Teen apparel retailers led generally stronger-than-expected same-store sales in September, with a late start to the back-to-school season helping those chains beat Wall Street forecasts.
Department stores and luxury chains also posted forecast-beating results, though retail experts warn the gains could be short-lived as consumers draw up budgets for the holiday shopping season. Get the full story »
Caution remained the name of the game for U.S. consumers in September, but there was an upswing in spending on back-to-school supplies and less expensive electronics, according to a report by MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse.
Clothing, electronics and online retailers all saw sales gains in September, SpendingPulse said, supporting Wall Street’s view that they got a boost from late back-to-school shopping that pushed sales from August. Get the full story »
