California Apparel News

PARIS—While the economy continues to struggle at home, American brands such as the Los Angeles–based lingerie and swim line Undrest are seizing the opportunity to crank the till in markets abroad. Undrest designer Maria Paz Navales showed her cotton-knit sleepwear and new swimwear offerings during the Sept. 6–8 run of the Mode City beachwear and lingerie trade show in Paris, where the weak dollar leaned in her favor for European buyers.

“A general sale [in Paris] compared to a New York market is double or triple the quantities,” Navales said. Wholesale price points range from $10 for Supima cotton panties up to $76 for a pointelle cotton/cashmere knit short robe. Since Undrest debuted to the European market at the January edition of Salon International de la Lingerie show in Paris, it has been sold at Selfridges in London; Boudiche in Scotland; and specialty stores in Turkey, Switzerland, Holland and Italy.

This year, Mode City and Interfiliere, a textile show that specializes in swim and lingerie fabrics, made its debut edition in Paris to re-energize the event after several major exhibitors dropped out because of dwindling attendance last year at its longstanding show in Lyon, France. The newly relocated show was positioned to run concurrently with several other trade shows also at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles convention center, including Precirc;t A Porter Paris for women’sfashion and the Who’s Next streetwear show.

“It was hard for international visitors to go to Lyon because they have to come to Paris first and then they have to come to Lyon,” said Seacute;verine Marchesi Bendib, exhibition manager for Mode City. To differentiate from the Salon International de la Lingerie show, held in Paris in January, Marchesi Bendib said this show had an increased focus on swimwear, with swimwear brands making up 70 percent of the brands represented. Last year, the show was composed of equal parts swimwear and lingerie.

“As we reposition the show on swimwear, it was very important that the show opens with the Precirc;t A Porter and [Who’s Next] exhibition because mostly they are the same buyers,” Marchesi Bendib said.

The Sept. 6–8 run of Mode City saw a 24 percent increase in the number of visitors from last year’s show in Lyon to a total of more than 25,000 buyers hailing from 113 countries. Exhibitors included swimwear brands Lenny, Gottex, Melissa Odabash, Maryan Mehlhorn and Shan, as well as lingerie brands Chantal Thomass, Donna Karan Intimates, Hanky Panky, SimonePerele, Chantelle and Lise Charmel.

Longtime Mode City exhibitors, such as the more than 80-year-old French lingerie brand Barbara, were pleased with the show’s new location and wide net of international buyers. Export Manager Lionel Leconte said Barbara forged new contacts in countries from Eastern Europe and South America and countries such as Maldavia, where it had no previous presence. Barbara exports to more than 70 countries.

Breaking into the European market

American swimwear and lingerie companies, including contemporary swimwear brand Vix, chose Mode City as a platform to reach a broader European market. The San Diego, Calif.–based company has a distributor for the United Kingdom and Greece and was a first-time exhibitor at Mode City.

“In order to build brand recognition in all of Europe, it’s more about finding distributors, making connections and understanding the European market,” said Amber Delecce-Forge of Vix. “We were working for so long on building our American market. We were at the point where we felt like we had maintained the American market; we felt like we can come here.”

The flashy Hollywood style of Newport Beach, Calif.–based Beach Bunny swimwear, a first-time exhibitor, appealed to stores in hot vacation destinations in Europe, according to the brand’s U.K.-based distributor, David Finlayson. Finlayson has sold the line to “the rich, young, groovy-chick kind of places” such as Nikki Beach in St. Tropez and stores in South of France locales such as Cannes and Nice. “It’s a very Cocirc;te D’Azur, young, bodyconscious [customer]. It’s like Europe’s version of California,” Finlayson said.

For Santa Monica, Calif.–based Jonquil by Diane Samandi, a veteran exhibitor, the show was about connecting with regular customers from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Kuwait and Lebanon. Sales representative Vicky Montana said 85 percent of the buyers she regularly sees are from the Middle East. “They like the elaborate long sets, the elaborate laces,” Montana said. In contrast to the glossy silks, Jonquil launched “Natural,” a new line of woven-cotton and mattesilk sleepwear. The traditional silhouettes in Swiss dot, natural white and gingham have a relaxed feminine look with crochet and dainty embroidery embellishment.

Los Angeles–based Carol Malony’s two eponymous brands offer over-the-top Hollywood glamour and playfully sexy lingerie for the European fashion customer. A bra-andpanty set from the Carol Malony line sells at retail in Europe for 100 euros, and a set from Haute by Carol Malony sells for 200 euros retail.

“The European market is really trending strong. They’re looking for anything that’s new and fresh,” Malony said. She added that Mode City was much busier in comparison with the recent U.S. lingerie trade shows in New York and Las Vegas. “No one has walked in and complained about the economy. They write on the spot at this show rather than take it home and look at budget.”

While American brands match their fashion sensibility for a European customer, highend European brands are expanding their offerings to appeal to a wider range of price points. London-based Myla diversified its offerings in the “everyday range” of lingerie, along with scaling down the amount of ruffles and bows for daily wear. A sheer mesh bra with a cute bow detail wholesales for $44, in comparison with a silk and lace bra for $104 in Myla’s couture range of lingerie.

“We try to create something that has the feel of Myla but something that all the regions can buy into,” said Gemma Goldsmith, wholesale assistant at Myla.

Hayrani Ciftci—export manager for French brands Nina Ricci, Millesia and Elle beachwear— helps justify the price of her brands by educating buyers about the lingerie’s design story. For example, Nina Ricci bras, which typically sell for about $200 retail in the United States, are modeled after the design from a Nina Ricci perfume bottle.

For Millesia, Ciftci said the sexy line has added more bras with slightly lower prices, such as a soft-cup bra that combines mesh and lace. Millesia bras are about $150 retail. “We want [it to be] affordable even if it’s an expensive product,” said Ciftci, who added that the company recently bulked up its design department to build up each brand’s offerings.