Fashion and Survival; Five Retailers Talk
Retail success often means hitting the right trends before they peak and avoiding a minefield of fashion mistakes that can sink even experienced boutique owners.
Several Los Angeles retailers revealed survival tips and what’s right and wrong about doing business in Los Angeles at the Fashion Group International of Los Angeles’ “Fall 2005 Runway Report & Retail Roundtable,” held April 7 at The New Mart’s fashion theater.
Veteran fashion retailers Shauna Stein, owner of On Sunset, and John Martens, retired vice president and general manager of Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, compared notes with up-and-coming boutique owners, including Jeannie Lee and Sophia Banks of Satine and Darren Gold, co-founder of men’s store Alpha.
The retailers all agreed that Los Angeles designers and their streetwear looks are of crucial importance to their stores’ fashion mixes. They all said they often trust their gut feeling in buying the right labels for their stores. “My rule is: If I’m losing sleep over it, if I can’t live without it, that’s when I buy it,” Lee said.
The panel members were highly supportive of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, but they said it needed work.
“It’s too late for buyers compared to many large runway shows,” Gold said, adding that many buyers have already made their purchases for the year before Los Angeles designers show during fashion week. Banks called for more support from city government for the fashion week.
The retailers also encouraged designers to send them look books as a way to introduce lines.
The retailers ended the night with fashion forecasts. Said Banks: “I see a lot of influence from Morocco and Nepal. I love menswear for women. We like the British equestrian look.”
“I think that full skirts will continue, not so much 1950s shapes, but different interpretations,” Stein said. “I think the whole category of skirts will be important. I think fur will continue to be a major thing. It will be on everything from T-shirts to skirts.”
Stein said tunics and velvet also will be a trend. —Andrew Asch
