Wet Seal was an American fast fashion retailer, headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The retailer specialized in selling clothing and accessories. The company was founded in Newport Beach, California, by Lorne Huycke in 1962 as "Lorne's". The "Wet Seal" name is derived from a comment Huycke's wife made during a fashion show that a model wearing a bathing suit looked like a "wet seal."[1][2] The company was incorporated as Wet Seal in 1990.[3]
History
1995–2014
In 1995, Wet Seal acquired 237 'Contempo Casuals stores from the Neiman Marcus Group. Contempo Casuals would continue to use its own name until 2001 when the remaining stores were converted into Wet Seal stores.