California Apparel News

For its Aug. 3–5 run, CurveNY was held in the bright and airy Galleria area of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York alongside other women’s fashion trade shows, including ENK’s Intermezzo, Moda New York, Accessorie Circuit and Accessories The Show. (For additional images from CurveNY, click here.)

The move from the Penn Plaza Pavilion to the new venue proved to be a good one, according to Xavier LeBorgne, sales manager of CurveNY’s parent company, CurvExpo.

“I think having Curve in the same building as other trade shows is really driving traffic,” he said. “In addition to increased foot traffic among buyers, our venue is extremely spacious and open, so I think attendees are really enjoying themselves.”

Running concurrently with Lingerie Americas, held in the Altman Building and the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, CurveNY enjoyed its second season in New York. With more than 200 brands of upscale lingerie and swimwear exhibiting, the show drew 2,929 buyers. Despite the economic slowdown, exhibitors said buyers were constantly writing orders at the show.

The show drew a mix of buyers from various distribution channels, including department stores, specialty stores, boutiques, e-tailers, men’s clothing stores, spa stores, and resort and cruise-ship stores, according to organizers. National and international stores in attendance included Henri Bendel, Intimacy, Freudian Slip, Pink Lilly, Century 21, Neiman Marcus, La Petite Coquette, Petticoat Fair, Bergdorf Goodman, Bonne Nuit, Lane Crawford and Brown Thomas.

Lisa Aquilino, divisional merchandise manager of intimate apparel and ladies accessories for discount department-store chain Century 21, was among the retailers shopping the show. Aquilino said she found a high caliber of vendors at the show. She also gave high marks to the new venue, saying it was convenient and particularly easy to navigate.

According to Aquilino, Century 21 expects to see dramatic spikes in revenue from tourism because of the weak U.S. dollar.

“In a tough economy, off-price department stores generally out-perform regular-priced stores,” she said. “However, as a company, we are buying very carefully and cautiously. We are anticipating more closeouts in season due to department-store cancellations. More than ever, my buyers are looking for better values that can be passed on to our customers.”

West Coast brands get intimate

CurveNY included a mix of new and returning brands from California, including newcomer Haleacute; Bob Intimates, which launched an upscale collection of flirty pajamas and lingerie. The collection’s distinctive silk prints and bold colors attracted buyers from Henri Bendel and Bonne Nuit, according to representatives. The booth had a steady stream of buyers, according to brand representative Sandra Duchesne, who said, “Everyone is really excited that we are releasing a new print every month. Retailers all over the country are responding to our high-end style and fun animal prints.”

C&C California, which showed at Lingerie Americas last season, was another first-time exhibitor at CurveNY. The line consists of youth-inspired loungewear with brightly colored graphics that reflected a carefree California style. Brand representative Caroline Clutch said showing at the Javits Center alongside the other apparel and accessories trade shows really increased attendee turnout.

“The show was a good opportunity to connect with repeat business while building new accounts,” Clutch said. “Next on our agenda is [Fashion] Coterie [in September], where we will release our beach line.”

Showing for a second season at CurveNY, California-based Letters Of Marque brought a refined innocence to intimate apparel with Victorian-, French- and 17th century–inspired pieces. Designer and owner Stacey Dash used an antique combing jacket as inspiration to create the comfortable, sexy collection. Buyers seemed reluctant to leave the booth where Dash showed lingerie from the Spring/Summer 2009 “Savannah” collection, as well as select transitional pieces. Chantilly lace, ruffle-back knickers, pantaloons and minicoats were a hit with designer boutiques looking for something new, according to the company.

Rookies and veterans

Owned by Strasbourg, France–based Wolf Lingerie and distributed by Concepts NYC Intimates, Rosy celebrated its 60th anniversary by launching in the United States at CurveNY and Lingerie Americas. Exhibitors were clearly excited about the line, which combines sensuality with sophistication.

“Rosy Lingerie’s dedication to French design and detail, as well as their capability to customize fit for the U.S. consumer, enables us to offer our customers current European collections tailored for the American market,” said Concepts NYC Intimates President Joseph Bibi.

Launched in 1991, Le Mystegrave;re exhibited with CurveNY for a second season. The brand showed a colorful Spring/Summer 2009 line while reintroducing customers to a collection of ongoing essentials.

“We believe we truly captured the essence of the spring in our new line,” said Jessica Pfister, Le Mystegrave;re’s New York director. “The colors are feminine, but powerful. They will certainly add that great bit of drama to the floor, which is what catches the consumer’s eyes, especially in today’s market.”

Pfister was enthusiastic about the show and the new venue.

“We love Curve’s new venue; it reminds us of the upscale vibe of the Paris show [Salon Internationalde La Lingerie],” she said. “You can tell there was a ton of attention to detail put into making it so successful. Their powerful marketing strategy really pulled in the buyers.” The company is planning to show at the Las Vegas edition of Curve later this month.

Now and next

This season, show organizers offered several buyer amenities, including a “booster breakfast” and a runway show featuring several top lingerie brands. Wacoal spokesperson Liz Smith presented a seminar for specialty-store buyers to help explain the psychology of bra fitting.

And the CurvExpo Web site (www.curvexpo.com) was recently updated with new features, including the opportunity to schedule appointments with vendors online.

Next, CurvExpo packs its bags and goes to Las Vegas, where more than 200 intimate and swimwear brands will set up booths Aug. 25–27 at The Venetian hotel. The show will run simultaneously with the second Las Vegas edition of the Lingerie Americas show at WWDMAGIC at the Las Vegas Convention Center.