California Apparel News

ORLANDO, Fla.—Kicking off the 2005 apparel trade show circuit, Surf Expo proved that the big brands were growing bigger, the juniors market was still hot and an increasing number of companies were showing their Fall and Back-to-School collections early.

Surf Expo, organized by DMG World Media and held Jan. 7–9 at the Orange County Convention Center, drew 15,000 participants from the resort, swimwear, skate and surf sectors. Southern California apparel companies and retailers at the event ranged from Billabong and Speedo to Paul Frank Industries Inc. and Jack’s Surfboards. Rip Curl, Volcom Clothing, Quiksilver Inc. and Aaron Chang were among those presenting Fall and Back-to-School lines at the trade fair, traditionally considered a Summer showcase. Rip Curl, based in Carlsbad, Calif., also unveiled its sneaker line, debuting in Summer 2005, and said it will break into the booming denim market as early as Spring 2006.

Despite the one-week separation between Surf Expo and Action Sports Retailer, which is held Jan. 14–16 in San Diego, most California apparel makers said they wanted to meet with East Coast customers here. “It’s an opportunity to put a face to the name,” said Steve Lake, president of San Diego’s Sector Nine, who said the East Coast accounts for one-third of the company’s skateboard and apparel sales. Dick Baker, president of Warnaco Group Inc.’s Ocean Pacific division in Irvine, Calif., said that, compared with ASR, Surf Expo has a broader retail contingent.

Mary Nelson, sales manager for Los Angeles–based American Apparel, said, “We’re here to support the surf industry,” but her colleague noted that no more than 5 percent of the people who dropped by the booth placed orders.

Bobby Abdel placed many orders for Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach, Calif. Stocking roughly 100 lines, he has been going to Surf Expo for at least four years. “There is no way I can finish my buying in two or three days at ASR,” he said.

In addition to filling orders for Lost Enterprises, Ezekiel Clothing and others, he met with a few private-label companies and discovered some new brands, including Manhattan, from whom he ordered 50 dozen beach towels.

Visitors roamed the 240,000- square-foot venue, passing from the quiet compartments for resort and swimwear to the rowdy ones for surfwear and skate brands. A crowd packed the area between Volcom’s booth and a skate ramp, and models in pink wigs tossed a beach ball in the special “She” section for juniors.

“The surf industry has more momentum now than resort,” said Pua Rochlen, president of Honolulu–based Surf Line Hawaii Ltd., which was grouped with resort because 80 percent of its business comes from resort accounts. Still, Rochlen said he booked 54 percent more appointments over last year.

Surf Expo Marketing Director Dan Darby said he expected attendance to be even with that from January 2004. He said some Florida retailers stayed home because they were still recovering from the hurricanes that hammered the state in September. Nonetheless, there was a 3 percent increase in retailers, suggesting that Surf Expo attracted more buyers from the Northeastern United States, Puerto Rico and Brazil as well as first-time attendees from Canada.

One exhibitor put a charitable angle on business. Jeff Turpin, president of 2J Group Inc.—the Vista, Calif.–based licensor of Aaron Chang, Girl Star and other brands—said that for every order received at the event, he will donate $100 to UNICEF to aid the Indian Ocean tsunami recovery.

Getting the jump on Fall

Some companies got a head start for Fall. “A lot of other brands are showing Summer here, but we also have our Fall line because it’s ready,” said Rip Curl Marketing Director Mike Makos.

Rick Banta, East Coast regional sales manager for Huntington Beach–based Quiksilver, said the company showed Back-to-School so that it can gain more of a production lead time. Plus, having recently finished the Holiday season, the retailers are “really in tune with what they just sold,” he said.

Tom Ruiz, national sales manager at Volcom, said buyers were interested in the “72 Wash” denim ($38 wholesale) and hooded zip fleece jackets ($28–$32 wholesale) from the Fall men’s line. Richard Woolcott, president of the Costa Mesa, Calif.–based company, said he and his reps met with some 300 retailers at the show.

Juniors business keeps growing

The juniors category is on fire. Adam Sharp, a vice president at Rip Curl, said the company’s juniors business showed “solid compound growth year after year.” Rima Khoury, national sales manager at Irvine–based Element, said the manufacturer’s juniors segment had “double-digit growth” in the past year.

Gina Rolle, sales manager for Rusty Girls in Irvine, Calif., met with about 200 retailers, approximately 20 percent more than last year. She said each store she met with will place an order, either at the show or within 10 days. A popular item for Summer 2005 is a black pin-striped string bikini with hot-pink trim ($38 wholesale).

Dickies Girl, however, noticed a slowdown from last year. Sandy Bostrom, manager of product and visual merchandising at Los Angeles licensee Apparel Limited Inc., said the company is still making money at the event but will discuss whether it should scale back in the future to make the show more cost-effective.

Buyer Michelle Corbitt was at the show purchasing for eight branches of the Orlando-based Inland Ocean Surf Shop. Although she did not place any orders at Surf Expo, she said she will submit the paperwork before deadline. “It will take me a week to write Roxy for all stores,” she said.

Other big sellers for her are Quiksilver, Billabong, O’Neill and Reef. “All my top dogs are still top dogs,” she said.