Apparel

The trickle down from the Pac-12Conference's new television deal is already being felt at UCLA, which has invested heavily in its football staff. Head Coach Jim Mora received a five-year, $11.235-million deal when he was hired in December. Former coach Rick Neuheisel received a five-year, $6.25-million contract in 2008. Athletic department officials expect UCLA to take in $17.6 million this year from television contracts, multimedia rights and apparel sales. The Pac-12 has a $3-billion television deal with Fox and ESPN.

Ofelia Lopez scrutinizes the hem on a hot-pink shirt fresh off the assembly line, making sure the stitching is just right. All around her, rows of workers rapidly attach sleeves, adhere labels and churn out piles of garments. FOR THE RECORD: The headline in an earlier online version of this article said American Apparel CEO Dov Charney recently talked of importing products. As the article indicated, the company currently has no plans to move operations offshore. What he said was: "At this time our business concept is to make everything here.

A trio of Beverly Hills trophy estates once owned by Guess co-founder Georges Marciano are being sold through a bankruptcy proceeding. Marciano, 65, was countersued for defamation in 2008 by seven former employees who he alleged had embezzled millions of dollars. A jury awarded the employees $470 million, which the judge later reduced to $260 million. The sales are subject to court approval. The most expensive property is the former home of Columbia Pictures honcho Harry Cohn and, later, talk-show host Mike Douglas.

For journalists casting around for yet another take on the Facebook IPO, online retailer Betabrand's executive pinstripe hoodie was like manna from the gods. Pictures of the pinstripe hoodie -- a zip-up hoodie made of superfine worsted merino wool -- had been floating around Betabrand's site since Febraury, but the company did not put it on sale until Wednesday of last week, two days after Mark Zuckerberg ruffled sartorial feathers by arriving at a pre-IPO roadshow in New York wearing a hooded sweat shirt to meet with investors in New York.

Los Angeles clothier American Apparel Inc. reported a narrower financial loss and improved sales in its first quarter of 2012, but it continued to struggle. For the quarter that ended March 31, the retailer reported a loss of $7.9 million, or 7 cents a share, an improvement from the loss of $20.7 million, or 28 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales totaled $132.7 million, a 14% jump from $116.1 million in the year-earlier period. "We're beginning to see the results of greater efficiency in merchandise planning, systems for delivery to markets and inventory control," said Peter Schey, a lawyer for American Apparel.

Southern California designer jeans maker True Religion Apparel Inc. has won a $864-million court judgment against online Chinese counterfeiters, but actually getting that money will be a battle. The Vernon company, whose jeans can go for nearly $500, sued 282 websites originating from China and accused them of lifting company trademarks and peddling fake goods. The websites had names such as TrueReligion4Cheap.com and ForTrueReligionJeans.com. The defendants were a no-show in court, so the New York federal judge handed down a default judgment this month.

Nike and Reebok, two of the largest players in the sports gear industry, are embroiled in an unholy spat over who gets to make and sell products featuring the name of newly minted New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow. Late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan granted Nike Inc. a temporary restraining order that will prohibit Reebok International from profiting from jerseys and other paraphernalia stamped with the football star's moniker. The order also requires Reebok to recall all Tebow-related Jets gear currently on shelves.

Nike and Reebok, two of the largest players in the sports gear industry, are embroiled in an unholy spat over who gets to make and sell products featuring the name of newly minted New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow. Late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan granted Nike Inc. a temporary restraining order that will prohibit Reebok International from profiting off of jerseys and other paraphernalia stamped with the football star's moniker. The order also forces Reebok to recall all Tebow-related Jets gear currently on shelves.

Shoppers hit the malls in February with their wallets open and handed retailers a robust start to the spring season amid another sign of a recovering economy. Strong retail sales and other good news about unemployment claims and consumer spending helped push the stock market up Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrial average rising 28 points to 12,980 points. Retail analysts were upbeat about the coming months but cautioned that soaring gasoline prices could potentially damp consumer spending.