California Apparel News

During a slow economy, retailers are often advised to provide added incentive to their customers—to sell the sizzle as well as the steak.

The same could be said for trade-show producers looking to reel in buyers from around the country and around the world.

In that respect, the recent Las Vegas apparel trade shows did not disappoint, offering plenty of new shows, new venues and new categories to entice retailers, many of whom have spent much of the past year cutting back orders and waiting until the last minute to make commitments.

The giant anchor show, the MAGIC Marketplace, held Aug. 25–27, added two new shows-within-the-show, S.L.A.T.E., the new contemporary streetwear section that held the premier spot in the front of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall, and Ecollection, a lifestyle section in the convention center’s North Hall where buyers could shop for eco fashion and accessories lines, as well as gather information about the green movement.

The two new sections joined MAGIC’s existing segments: menswear at MAGIC Man; women’s and contemporary resources at WWDMAGIC; men’s, women’s and children’s casual apparel at Streetwear at MAGIC; swimwear, lingerie and accessories at WWDMAGIC at the Hilton, which included ISAM swim brands and Lingerie Americas lingerie exhibitors; childrenswear at MAGICkids; and fabric and manufacturing resources at Sourcing at MAGIC.

MAGIC’s two subsidiary shows—the Project Global Trade Show, held at the Sands Exposition and Convention Center Aug. 26–28, and the Pooltradeshow, held Aug. 25–27 at the Convention Center—returned with their now-familiar emphasis on contemporary men’s and women’s apparel and up-and-coming labels, respectively.

Meanwhile, all across town, MAGIC’s satellite shows continued to multiply, in addition to longtime Las Vegas exhibitors, including the Off-Price Specialist Show, Womenswear in Nevada and Kidshow, the ASAP Global Sourcing Show, the Global Eco show, Accessories the Show, and Moda Las Vegas.

MRket, the upscale menswear show formerly called The Exclusive, returned for a second season under its new organizer, MR magazine, and lingerie trade showCurveNV returned, as well.

New shows this season included ENK Vegas, a contemporary men’s and women’s show organized by the producer of Fashion Coterie, Blue and The Collective; a small menswear show, Guild; and the golf equipment and apparel show, PGA Expo.

Designer Christian Audigier took his distinctive look—and a few of his imitators—to Caesars Palace, where the uuml;ber marketer set up his own trade show, When I Move You Move, to showcase the company’s many brands and licensees, as well as the hip-hop and celebrity-fueled lifestyle behind the label.

Setting the stage

At Ecollection, buyers browsed among exhibitors showing in traditional pipe-and-drape booths, as well as a small section of open booths, where small, up-and-coming labels showed their wares.

The section had a small runway show, where organizers hosted daily eco-fashion shows. The runway also served as a location for informal business seminars.

Organizers of the S.L.A.T.E. show were equally attentive to setting the right tone. The section, which stands for “Select Lifestyle Apparel Trend Emergence,” featured a central corridor with seating for impromptu meetings.

Dick Baker, longtime director of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association and an elder statesman of the surf/skate crowd, gave the new showcase a nod of approval. “It is one of the better versions MAGIC has produced,” he said on the opening morning of the show.

It’s Christian’s world

Last season, designer and entrepreneur Christian Audigier took up most of the back wall of Project, where his 1,500-square-foot booth housed his many brands—including Christian Audigier, Ed Hardy, Paco Chicano, Crystal Rock, C-A and Smet—as well as a standing-room-only performance by Snoop Dogg.

The overt display proved too much for Project organizers, who asked Audigier to take his business elsewhere. The loud music emanating from Audigier’s booth broke one of Project’s main rules: No loud music booming from booths.

“He really did not respect us as a show or his neighbors. He was too loud,” said Project founder Sam Ben Avraham, who confirmed that Audigier spent $1.5 million to show at Project last February. “It was a big chunk of money to sacrifice,” Ben Avraham said, adding that to recoup the money lost, Project added additional women’s and accessories vendors to its mix.

Audigier, who also had a booth in MAGIC’s streetwear section, was also unhappy with the arrangement.

“I didn’t like the way I was treated in other shows,” he said.

The split provided an impetus for launching WIMYM, held Aug. 25–28 at Caesars Palace. Audigier plans to grow the show into a major competitor on the Las Vegas trade-show scene.

At the debut show, there were 42 vendors, including all of Audigier’s brands and licensees. For the next show, scheduled for February 2009, the fashion mogul–cum–trade show producer forecasted more than 300 vendors would participate.

“It will be bigger than Project,” said Audigier, wearing a skull ring on a pinkie finger and a Ralph Lauren blazer for the opening day of the show.

Audigier’s show was spread out over 35,000 square feet in two ballrooms at Caesars Palace. Entertainment was a priority. Pop-music stars Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray and Dave Stewart performed on a boxing ring–like stage during the events. (These musicians also are collaborating on fashion lines with Audigier.)

Most of the trade event’s floor space was devoted to Audigier’s 11 brands and 72 licensees. Products licensed included children’s toys, air fresheners, bar glasses, car accessories, ties, pet accessories, watches and umbrellas—all bearing the images of Audigier’s labels.

Several independent clothing labels exhibited at the show, including Chick by Nicky Hilton, Mantra by Tara Reid and footwear label Mark Nason. Hilton also was exhibiting at Project. The hotel heiress and entrepreneur said she was persuaded to also exhibit at Audigier’s show because of his business track record. “Everything he touches turns to gold,” she said.

ENK returns

Show organizer ENK International returned to Las Vegas for the first time in several years with a new show, ENK Vegas, which ran Aug. 25–27 at The Venetian. The show, which featured contemporary lines, opened to mostly good reviews by exhibitors, several of whom jumped ship from the nearby Project show.

“Business has been steady. We have no complaints,” said Nadia Sefferovich, wholesale director for contemporary tops line Sir Alistair Rai. Sefferovich was relying mostly on her existing customer base but did add several new accounts.

The challenge at the show was to stand out among the crowd, as the contemporary market has been flooded with similar merchandise, namely printed tops and premium denim.

Denim vendors such as Mik Serfontaine acknowledged the category has constricted a bit and is a tougher sell. But he said his company is overcoming challenges with technology and creativity. The line featured Invista’s X-Fit 360-degree stretch-fit technology.

“Creativity is what must drive this industry right now,” he said.

The price is right

Both basic staples and fashion seemed to be checking on the floor of WWDMAGIC, but price played a major role in how buyers wrote. At Tresics, basic T-shirts and more trendy fashion T-shirts earned buys. “Basics never go out of the picture, no matter what the economic factors are,” said Andrea Astuto, the brand’s New York rep. “We haven’t skipped a beat, but our prices have helped. We’re not as expensive as [other T-shirt brands], so while buyers are being more price-oriented, they can shop with us without breaking the bank.”

Gloria Brandes brought three brands to the MAGIC Marketplace and reported a record 300 appointments for her BB Dakota, Jack and X lines. Known for her trend-right designs and competitive prices, Brandes said she understands the retail environment is tough. “But thankfully, we’re not feeling it here,” she said. Buyers packed her booth in search of that heady mix of on-trend contemporary fashion at young contemporary prices.

A weak economy set the stage for good business at the Off-Price Specialist Show, held Aug. 23–26 at the Sands. Before the show opened, organizers predicted a 20 percent increase in attendance over last year. Vendor participation was definitely up, with 500 companies operating 1,000 booths, compared with 450 companies last year.

The increased attendance put the show in a brighter spotlight, said David Lapidos, vice president of the show. “The stars lined up perfectly,” Lapidos said. “Retailers are seeking out sources so they can be better competitors. It’s a good time for jobbers.”

Innovative and in-stock

Buyers visiting the second installment of the MRket menswear show, which ran Aug. 24–26 at The Venetian, were on the lookout for deals, innovative product, in-stock goods and quick turnarounds.

The show opened a day before MAGIC, which helped boost opening-day turnout. Attendance was up 15percent, said Larry Hymes, director of sales. The second day brought the biggest spike, with attendance up 66 percent, said show director Lizette Chin.

The show caters to upscale menswear boutiques with mostly European-made products. Buyers were still being challenged by currency fluctuations, which have forced an uptick in pricing.

So they were looking for value from vendors such as Los Angeles–based Mattarazi Uomo, which was highlighting half-canvas suits and jackets at pricing well below Italian-made goods. The garments are made offshore but with European-sourced fabrics, said co-owner Sam Bard.

Complete coverage of the Las Vegas trade shows will appear in next week’s issue of California Apparel News.