LIVE LIFE LOVE DENIM
Karl Kani (323-466-3779) got his start in the Brooklyn projects, peddling logo-emblazoned tees and baggy linen suits sewn by his father’s tailor. In 1999, he developed a business plan with his accountants to start his own urban sportswear company, Karl Kani, which currently has revenues of $65 million worldwide. He left the urban market to start a contemporary denim line, LIVE LIFE LOVE DENIM. He connected with Fame Church in Los Angeles, which has an investment fund to help local businesses. With the church’s help, he raised enough money to develop the contemporary denim line. He embraces the challenge of following trends and takes care to not saturate the market so that his jeans are always in demand. His jeans are made from Japanese denim and are produced entirely in California so that he can control the product quality. His celebrity clientele includes Mischa Barton, Jessica Simpson, and Ashlee Simpson. He hopes to triple his revenues as he distributes his denim line to major department stores.

CALLEEN CORDERO DESIGNS, INC
At age fifteen, Calleen Cordero (818-764-0715) began working in a high-end boutique in northern California, igniting her passion for footwear. By age sixteen, she was traveling to Europe, working full time as a buyer. She moved to marketing and sales, helping to create markets for well-known American designers. There was no southern California infrastructure for shoe making, but Calleen strove to realize her passion. She began working in her windowless basement and to finance her work, she took a $5,000 loan, took in boarders, sold her cars, and refinanced her house. Her creations are now all handmade in her factory in North Hollywood, California. She purchases her leather in Italy and produces orthopedic and ergonomic shoes with hand sculpted wooden bottoms and modeled leather soles. She opened her first retail store in 2005 to showcase CALLEEN CORDERO DESIGNS, INC. and is now running a worldwide business. She ships her products within the United States and to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

In Secrets of Success, Belma Johnson (www.belmaj.com) discusses how the fusion of values, the virtues of a company, and value, the services offered to a client, creates a company’s brand.

Studio Guest Ilse Metcheck (213-688-6288) is the Executive Director of the California Fashion Association, which provides the manufacturing and textile community with the opportunity to share information about conducting business in the current global economy.