California Apparel News

NEW YORK—Lingerie Americas, the 2-year-old lingerie and swimwear trade show held Aug. 1–3 at the Altman Building and the Metropolitan Pavillion in New York, was packed with about 2,500 buyers shopping a mix of national and international labels.

Lines including Arianne Lingerie, Betsey Johnson Intimates, Blumarine, DanaProfili, Eileen West, French Kitty, Hanky Panky, Jane Woolrich Design, Jerry Hall Collection, JLo by Jennifer Lopez, Max Mara, Nicole Miller, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta Intimates USA, Puma Bodywear, Roberto Cavalli, Shan, Versace, Voilagrave;! and Zazi—as well as California brands Amourette, Arobatherapy, Claire Pettibone, GiGi, Jonquil, Mary Green, Parisa, Underwriters, Vitamin A and Yemee—drew retailers from across the country and around the globe.

Retailers included Alla Prima, Bellamore, Bodyhints, Bravo Intimates, Chesa Rae, La Petite Coquette, Le Corset, G Boutique, French Lessons, Mixona, My Boudoir, Top Drawer, Tropical Affair and Whispers.

Two major brands debuted new lingerie lines at Lingerie Americas this year: Shan and Oscar de la Renta Intimates USA. The Kellwood Co., the $2.3 billion manufacturer of branded and private-label apparel and consumer soft goods, acquired the license for Oscar de la Renta Intimates USA from Federated Department Stores Inc. earlier this year. According to Sales Manager Pam Jackson, the new line offers consumers luxury at affordable prices.

“Based on the success of Oscar de la Renta Intimates as a Federated licensee, we are opening up distribution to better specialty and department stores,” Jackson said. “The line has been well received. Oscar has a nice name cachet across the board, and at the given price point, it has a nice, broad consumer reach.”

Shan—a Canadian-based manufacturer specializing in men’s and women’s beachwear, coordinates and luxury accessories—also selected Lingerie Americas for its lingerie debut. According to representative Catherine Rivet, people liked the company’s neutral-toned, printed-lace lingerie concept.“The line is comfortable, simple and chic—truly classic,” Rivet said. “We are predicting it has a run of about two years. After that, because we have exclusivity of print and design, we’ll go forward with updated fabrications.”

This was also the first time showing at Lingerie Americas for San Francisco–based lingerie designer Mary Green, maker of silk lingerie popular with celebrities. The 20-year design veteran said she was drawn to the international flair of the show.

“The show has been very strong for us,” Green said. “We’re seeing a lot of interest in our silk toile line.”

Another new collection at the show was Blumarine, produced by Italy’s Voga Trading Co. Representatives said the show confirmed all their expectations for the success of the company’s intimate apparel and bathing suit lines.

“We’ve had a lot of traffic from both department stores and independents,” said Sales Manager and President Ricky Riva. “So far, we’ve learned that we have great potential here in the U.S.”

Retailer Taylor Summit, owner of Dani, a boutique in Manhasset, N.Y., said attending the show contributes to her ability to educate customers.

“We are a teaching store: how to wear, how to coordinate color, how to fit. I get so many ideas coming here,” Summit said. “It’s great because the show is so well organized, and it’s all under one roof.”

Lingerie Americas drew 2,579 buyers, slightly more than last August, and featured 245 brands from 14 countries. Seventy new brands joined the North American majority. According to organizers, U.S. companies were the big trendsetters this year—quite a departure from the show’s inception two years ago, when European makers were predominant.

Intima America

The scene was less hectic at Messe Frankfurt Inc.’s long-standing Intima America show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Intima America ran concurrently with four other fashion trade shows at the Javits Center: Accessories The Show, Moda Manhattan, Fashion Avenue Market Expo (FAME) and Children’s Club.

While organizers said they expected a major pull from the anticipated crossover traffic and their numbers reflected traffic consistent with previous shows, some attendees said the show was slow and cited the inconvenience of traveling between Lingerie Americas and Intima America as the reason.

Organizers said the show included more than 150 brands and 50 first-time exhibitors. Twenty-four countries were represented. Canada, Italy and Japan had strong showings, and the greatest turnout came from the United States.

Buyers numbered 2,093—including department stores, specialty stores, boutiques and online retailers—with textile and trim suppliers rounding out the exhibition hall.

Among the exhibitors were Amoena, Aviana and Aviana Plus Sizes, Cookies, Cotton Sisters, DreamSack, Expose Beauty Inc., Femina, Hanro, Leilieve by Manicardi, Lulu’s Secrets Paris, Magic Lingerie International Pte. Ltd., Maripaz, RocketWear, Sassy Scents, Shinkong Spinning Co. Ltd., Telebrands, Under Construction and Van Tisse Inc. California companies included AFAP, Bedhead, Classy Bride, Desire Fashions, Honeydew Intimates and Pack Happy.

Third-time exhibitor Sharon Singer, vice president of operations for Miami-based foundation maker Annette International, said she has seen Intima busier.

“I’ve heard a lot of buyers complaining about traveling between the two shows,” Singer said. “I think it’s made a definite impact on traffic.”

Benny Zafrani, vice president of sales for Los Angeles–based Honeydew Intimates, called the drop in traffic “horrendous” but still found a silver lining.

“We were locked into a contract with Intima, but it actually ended up working to our advantage,” Zafrani said. “I wrote business with all of my major accounts anyway. People will go anywhere to see the right product.”