Baby Boom at the CMC

Contemporary childrenswear helps fill California Market Center’s 6th floor

The hot L.A. fashion market is warming up to a new demographic—children.

Popular denim brands such as Antik and True Religion, as well as edgy contemporary lines including 2 B Free, James Perse, Von Dutch and others, are finding their labels to be hot commodities for the toddler and grade-school crowd. Of course the driving force behind the trend is the hip moms who buy these labels for themselves.

“Of course it’s the moms. They know the best names, but there’s also a cuteness factor,” said Philippe Naouri, co-designer for Antik Denim, based in Los Angeles.

Antik is rolling out its first children’s line next month. It will feature 18 styles, including the company’s trademark embellished denim, along with T-shirts and skirts, priced to retail just under $100. Naouri said orders have been placed with Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys, among others. About 12,000 pieces are on order, he said.

Antik joins a growing list of West Coast brands looking to capitalize on contemporary fashion for kids. Others include Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Paul Frank Industries, which has been expanding its Small Paul line into more general distribution channels.

“It’s all hot, hot, hot,” said Lisa Sato of the trend. Sato and partner Debbie Shapiro sell contemporary L.A. brands including 2 B Free and Splendid in their expansive Dressing Room showroom, which carries about 40 lines, in L.A.’s California Market Center.

The contemporary labels provide a newness that buyers are hungry for, said Jennifer Jordan, director of leasing for the CMC.

Traditionally, childrenswear has been driven by such kid-specific brands as OshKosh and Carter’s and tyke-sized versions of adult lifestyle and activewear brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Reebok and surf labels such as Quiksilver/Roxy.

With new players Paul Frank, Antik Denim, True Religion, Miss Sixty and others, the kids’ market has a new look.

“For the most part, they’re buying the names,” explained Jennifer Moss, showroom manager for Diane’s Designs Los Angeles, which sells Italian labels Miss Sixty and Energie for kids, among others, in the CMC. “I think they would still do well regardless, but the people who are buying these know fashion.”

Full house

Evolving demographics have also helped to loosen up dollars for higher-end goods.

“Women are having kids later in life, so they have more disposable income to spend on higher-priced clothes for their kids,” said CMC spokeswoman Karli Heineman.

“They’re also much more savvy today,” said Jordan, who has helped steer growth for the last 10 years on the children’s floor of the CMC, which has become the prime showcase for kids’ clothing on the West Coast, with more than 50 showrooms and 500 lines.

For the first time in 15 years, the children’s wing is leased up. There are plans to expand into a new children’s wing in the near future, Jordan said.

Brand extensions have helped recent business, but showroom owners like Sato and Shapiro said it also takes a lot of hard work.

“We help to pioneer some of these names,” Shapiro said. “We get more of a high when the buyers trust us and we are able to see it sell through. The insight we have is important.”

Many of the CMC’s childrenswear showrooms are open daily and are well stocked with samples, Jordan said. A number of improvements are on tap, including newly resurfaced flooring and freshly painted walls. Conception and other showrooms plan to triple their showroom space in the coming weeks.

“The kids’ floor is increasingly becoming more of an important focus in the building, thanks to the current popularity of children’s high-end clothing in the apparel business,” said John Kim, CMC’s general manager. “The need for more children’s showroom space is evident, and we are currently in the process of figuring out next steps to accommodate the tremendous demand.”

Cross-merchandising

Kim added that growth among specialty retailers has created more of an open environment, which has prompted store owners to cross-merchandise their product mix, and that has worked well with the CMC’s combination of gift, home and apparel showrooms. The building has been encouraging cross-category buying since it added gift and home deacute;cor showrooms in 2002. Later this month, the CMC will host a gift, fashion and deacute;cor show, Glow, to be held Jan. 19–22, concurrently with the Gift and Home Market Week, set for Jan. 17–24.

“The CMC strives not only to be the largest children’s wholesale apparel mart in the nation, but the most relevant,” Kim said. “There is a natural synergy between children’s apparel and the gift and home marketplace that is helping retailers capture a larger consumer audience. Our goal is to provide buyers with the most cutting-edge lifestyle resources to help them shop throughout the year in CMC’s permanent showrooms and also during our show, Glow, which was created in response to the growing popularity of fashion, gift and home cross-merchandising.”