Niche Buying at Boutique Lingerie

The Boutique Lingerie show had room to breathe this market thanks to an upgrade to two large showroom spaces in the Gerry Building. Exhibitors were prepared for a slower market, according to Samantha Chang, the organizer of the New York–based trade show, who said the proximity to the Feb. 7–9 run of the Lingerie Americas trade show contributed to the slow in traffic in Los Angeles.

Still, many sales representatives reported a successful show. That was the case for New York–based line Pfiff, whose romantic and highly detailed lace lingerie has been gaining momentum. Sales manager Antonietta Rizzo opened up a number of new accounts and expressed the importance of the Los Angeles market, as the number of lingerie stores on the West Coast outnumbers those on the East Coast.

Chang said the mom-and-pop retailers that turned out to place reorders and Summer orders enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere before the rush of trade shows in February, including the Salon International de la Lingerie Feb. 2–5 in Paris, the Lingerie Americas trade show Feb. 7–9 in New York and the new CurveNV trade show Feb. 13–15 in Las Vegas.

“There is a certain calmness and pace that the buyers come to this market for,” said Chang. The show picked up healthy traffic and sales on the last day.

The French lingerie company Barbara and the line Ravage introduced its new West Coast sales representative, Vanessa Binot, and a shift from a U.S. distributor to a U.S.–based subsidiary. Laurence Jaillet, the managing director of Barbara, was on hand to show buyers the Spring/Summer 2007 “Ange” line of invisible foundations, which was designed specifically for the U.S. market, as the company moves to secure an increased presence in the United States.

Ellen Shing, the owner of Lula Lu in San Mateo, Calif., came to refresh her 550-square-foot store, which specializes in petite-size lingerie. Shing picked up a new line of comfortable basics, Sheandme, which debuted at the show, and bought camis and chemises from Samantha Chang, Underglam, Lavit and Fleur’t.

Showroom owner Lois Evans planned to debut her Los Angeles Lingerie Association trade show during this market but decided to hold off because of the upcoming back-to-back lingerie shows in February. “I’d rather start [LALA] when everybody’s going to have a great turnout than in an in-between market,” said Evans, who added that she plans to debut the LALA show during the contemporary market in March. —Rhea Cortado