California Apparel News

LYON, France—As Lyon, Mode City prepares to turn 20, the trade show is getting a little younger.

In recent years, the event—which highlights swimwear and lingerie lines as well as swimwear textiles—has added several new exhibitors, including a handful of wellknown California surf and swim labels that appeal to a young crowd.

The show this year drew more than 16,600 attendees, up 2 percent over last year. They packed the Eurexpo exhibition hall on the outskirts of Lyon, France’s second-largest city and main silk-producing region.

Mild weather and the exceedingly quaint city helped draw crowds to the annual show. Lyon, which sits between two rivers, has elaborate 19th-century parks, a 17th-century city hall and a 15th-century village in the center of town.

But at Lyon, Mode City, things were strictly 21st century.

The newest area of the Lyon show, organized by Promosalons, is called “So Fun.” It features young, edgy Southern California labels such as Quiksilver’s Roxy and Raisins brands, O’Neill, and Authentic Fitness Corp.’s Nautica Blue line.

“We want to expand this area,” said Steacute;phanie Franccedil;ois of Promosalons, explaining that lifestyle accessories such as bags, hats, flipflops and casual apparel would be logical future additions.

The Interfiliegrave;re show, which features textiles, also plans to expand to include more producers of sports fabrics and textiles for urban- streetwear apparel makers.

Urban and action-sports apparel are key areas of growth for the show and are growing in popularity among French consumers, said Allegra Cramb, trade-show coordinator for Promosalons North America. “People here are more and more interested in urban activewear,” she said.

Indeed, the trade show hosted a public exhibition of action-sports exhibitions and a swimwear fashion show at the close of the second day.

So. Cal. in Southern France

Last year, Los Angeles–based Authentic Fitness sent members of its design team to the show to scout for new trends and fabrics. This year, the company also rented a booth and brought its sales staff along.

The company tested the waters with just two brands, Anne Cole and Nautica. It brought portions of the Anne Cole Collection, the new upscale Nautica Signature line, the new lifestyle line Nautica Beach and the younger beach-themed Nautica Blue line.

“We’re committed to building our business internationally,” said Kathy Van Ness, president of designer swimwear for Authentic Fitness. “We think we should be here.”

Van Ness said the show is the ideal venue for the company’s newly acquired licensed swim line for Calvin Klein.

Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Quiksilver has an office in Cedex, France, that oversees the company’s European business. This was the third time Quiksilver attended Mode City, according to Joelle Hontas, the company’s trade-show manager.

Quiksilver took just two swimwear lines, Roxy and Raisins, and showed in a small booth rather than orchestrating the full presentation it puts on for larger shows such as the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo.

“We get more swimsuit specialists here than at the other shows,” said Sophie Nicolet, Quiksilver’s brand manager.

“It’s a nice complement—we’re not seeing the same people,” she said, noting she typically meets with a few department stores but sees mostly boutiques.

This was the first time at the show for O’Neill Europe, the European licensee for California surf label O’Neill. The Amsterdambased company has held the license for the company for more than 20 years, said Marketing Director Laurent Pacaud.

The company brought about one-third of the full collection to Lyon, concentrating on lifestyle offerings rather than surf products.

“We increased the number of styles and cuts in the beachwear collection,” Pacaud said. “We want to work with new clients and different channels of distribution.”

The company did bring a few surf pieces, including its newly launched stitchless boardshort, which uses friction technology to fuse the seams of the short for added comfort.

Still, California companies were in the extreme minority at the show. Even U.S. companies were rare. Companies that took up the biggest real estate on the show floor included Paris-based 6ixty 8ight, Canada-based Gottex and Italian lines Pin-Up Stars and Cotton Club.

Interfiliegrave;re

DuPont is a long-time partner in the Lyon show.

“We are one of the leading suppliers to the [intimate-andswimwear] industry, and it’s important to demonstrate that leadership,” said Fiona Paul, the Genevabased public-relations manager for Europe for DuPont’s apparel– and–interior fabrics division.

The company had a huge booth in the lingerie section of the show beneath signs featuring its latest marketing campaign.

The Wilmington, Del.–based chemical company recently spun off its apparel– and–interior fabrics division as a wholly owned subsidiary called Invista, which includes Lycra and Tactel. At the show, Invista introduced its newest fabric development, Body Care by Lycra. The Body Care by Lycra line is a collection of microencapsulated fibers that can deliver cosmetic or wellness benefits to garment wearers.

Showing in the fabrics section of the show was Gardena, Calif.–based Unimark, a division of Kyoto, Japan–based Matsui International Co. Inc. Unimark manufactures heat-transferred tagless labels for brands such as Sara Lee’s Hanes, Russell Athletic and Nike. Domestic Sales Manager Dale Gant said the show was specifically tailored to the company’s target market.

“This is probably the one show we will continue to do,” he said. “Our customer is here.”

Indeed, those walking the show tended to be exclusively retailers and manufacturers of lingerie and swim apparel.

Carol Malony and Jim Poleski, who design Victoria’s Secret lingerie out of Carol Malony Designs in Pacific Palisades, Calif., have been shopping the show for approximately 10 years.

The two met with suppliers for lace, underwire, embroidery and trim.

Malony said among the most helpful areas of the show were the forums, where key trends in lingerie and swimwear were outlined and illustrated with pieces from exhibiting collections.

They noted the Lyon show targets the needs of lingerie makers. “We don’t need buttons and zippers,” Poleski said.

Added Malony, “Unless they have rhinestones.”