Shanghai – Utility bedding manufacturer Perfect Fit has a new owner based in China.

The longtime bedding maker has been acquired by Shanghai Shenda Co. Ltd, an international textiles company. According to a Reuters report, the publicly traded company is spending roughly $36.3 million on the acquisition.

Global Brands Group Holding Limited (“Global Brands”; SEHK Stock Code: 787), one of the world’s leading branded apparel, footwear, fashion accessories and lifestyle product companies, today announced its subsidiary has acquired substantially all of the assets of PS Brands, LLC, doing business as Planet Sox, a leader in designing, marketing and distributing hosiery products across multiple categories, including socks, legwear, baby shoes and related accessories. The acquired business will be a core addition to Global Brands’ accessories business.

Hong Kong-Global Brands Group said Friday that its U.S. subsidiary has agreed to purchase hosier company PS Brands for a total outlay of no more than $130 million in a bid to boost its presence in the sock industry.

More than 700 people came out Wednesday night to support K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers at the American Museum of Natural History, raising more than $1.7 million at the annual gala.

Two of the most respected names in luxury specialty store retailing in the U.S. are joining forces.

The Mitchell Family of Stores has created a venture with Marios of the Pacific Northwest — a partnership that will bring the Mitchells’ systems and e-commerce expertise to Mario Bisio’s stores in Portland, Ore., and Seattle while giving Mitchells a further foothold on the West Coast.

J.Mendel has found a new majority investor, Stallion, Inc., a privately held New York family business. Stallion acquired the stake from Gores Group, the L.A. private equity company.

Stallion will join existing shareholder Gilles Mendel, chief creative officer and fifth-generation family member, who will retain a significant stake in the fashion house.

The contemporary handbag market has had a bummer of a summer.

With 2015 now in its second half, major handbag players are citing an increased downturn in sales, particularly within the contemporary arena. The softening of the market was never more apparent than with the most recent financial results from three major U.S. players — Coach, Michael Kors and Kate Spade New York — reported this month. On Aug. 6, Michael Kors said for the first quarter ended June 27, net income fell 7.1 percent to $174.4 million, or 87 cents a diluted share, on a 7.3 percent gain in revenues to $986 million. A day prior, Coach reported that for the quarter ended June 27, profits declined by 84.4 percent, following an 11.6 percent decrease in sales. Kate Spade fared slightly better, with second-quarter results swinging a profit — a net income at $8.5 million, or 7 cents a diluted share, versus the year-ago net loss of $4.4 million, or 3 cents.

The Apple Watch goes on sale in stores Friday. Whether you can just walk into an Apple Store and buy one is another matter.

The debut of Apple Inc.'s first new device in five years is looking more like an event from the fashion world rather than the tech world. This time, there won't be long lines of faithful gadget lovers waiting for hours and days to buy the latest product from the Cupertino, California-based company.

The global watch industry is about to get an Apple in its eye.The long-awaited, and much-dissected, Apple Watch is due to appear in April. While initially dismissed as a novelty by traditional watch brands, the product now has many of them — such as Swatch Group and Tag Heuer — rushing to introduce their own smart-watches. The change of heart comes down to one simple reason: numbers. Projections are that Apple could sell up to 20 million Apple Watches this year alone, with about five to six million of those ordered even before the product goes on sale.

New York--With the Scott Kay brand now under its belt, executives at Frederick Goldman Inc. are planning to propel the business’s bridal and fashion lines into a more high-end arena and access an expanded base of consumers.

In the clothing and accessories business alone, eight big-name bankruptcies and closures have hit the retail industry the last two months, shutting more than 1,000 stores. The closed doors are symptoms of a bigger problem: America simply has too many stores.

Dov Charney wants back in at American Apparel Inc. — and he might have found a friend who can help in Jay Schottenstein.

Sources said that Charney has held some preliminary discussions with Schottenstein about trying to regain control of the company he founded. Michael Broidy, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Schottenstein Stores Corp., declined to comment on the matter. But the retail veteran could be a powerful ally for Charney. Schottenstein is head of SB Capital Group and Schottenstein Stores Corp. and chairman of American Eagle Outfitters Inc.

In part one of this series, we laid out the case for financing the growth of your small fashion business by taking on a strategic partner who’s already established within the industry. To put that in context, it’s difficult for young businesses to secure financing to grow their businesses. Private equity is not generally an option as PE firms usually come in when the company is more established.

The right strategic match can provide multiple skill sets, in addition to capital, to help a younger company reach the next level. In this article, we’ll talk about what you can give up without diluting your brand’s core values, and when to walk away.

Like the last of the dead Christmas trees finally being cleared off city sidewalks, retailers’ hopes for the holiday selling season are all dried up.

Last Wednesday, the Commerce Department reported a steep 0.9 percent drop in overall retail sales for December, with declines in almost every category. Without a compelling fashion trend to spark sales, revenues at clothing stores dropped 0.3 percent, while even the hottest gadgets of 2014 couldn’t prevent a 1.6 percent slide in electronics.

Nanette Lepore has finally said "I do."

The contemporary sportswear designer has agreed to sell majority ownership of her brand to Bluestar Alliance LLC, marking the industry’s first merger and acquisition deal of the new year.

The two parties have been negotiating on and off since 2013. Bluestar and Lepore were introduced by The Sage Group LLC, a Los Angeles-based investment banking boutique, which initiated the transaction. The parties declined to reveal the terms of the deal, which is expected to close today.

Jewelers and market observers anticipate a more competitive year in 2015, in what is already an ultra-competitive retail climate. The high and low ends of the business will grow at the expense of the middle, and jewelers will face continued competition from other categories, especially electronics.