MAGIC's Concourse Show to Be Revamped With English Accent
In an effort to jazz up its men’s exhibitions in a down economy, the MAGIC Marketplace announced it will put an English sartorial edge on one of its premium men’s shows, Concourse.
This British fashion invasion will be the American debut of some of the U.K. labels. Concourse’s new look will take its bow at the Feb. 17–19 MAGIC Marketplace in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Much of Concourse’s floor space also will be devoted to some majorAmerican brands such as DKNY, Nautica and Nicole Farhi. More than 10 U.K. labels with a street, avant-garde edge will exhibit at the new Concourse. They range from streetwear label Maharishi, which focuses on camouflage patterns, to rock ’n’ roll–inspired, bespoke tailor Sir Tom Baker.
The other British labels include Garbstore, Mark Powell, Social Suicide, Stansfield, Tween, Gram and Globetrotter. MAGIC couldn’t confirm the Concourse show’s square footage or the architecture of the show’s booths.
Concourse will be placed adjacent to other MAGIC men’s shows such as S.L.A.T.E., a 40,000-square-foot, juried men’s show that focuses on skate, surf and street fashions. Buyers also will be able to go to Premium, another menswear show. With more than 40,000 square feet, Premium will offer the styles of premium denim and fashion labels such as It Jeans. The men’s floor also will offer sections for men’s suiting and casual fashions.
This time around, the men’s fashion markets will be concentrated in the convention center’s Central Hall instead of being scattered around the Central and South halls, as has been the custom for more than four years.
At the upcoming February show, the North Hall will house women’s fashion,WWDMAGIC, juniors, accessories and the eco-fashion show Ecollection. The Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall will not be used for the upcoming trade show.
The move to consolidate the men’s trade shows in one place was applauded by men’s fashion buyer Alfredo Izaguirre, a partner and buyer for high-profile men’s boutique LASC in West Hollywood, Calif. “They need to make it simpler, one single location for everyone to go to,” Izaguirre said.
However, Izaguirre wondered if buyers will be able to justify selling expensive premium brands to their customers at a time when consumer wallets seem to be shrinking. “It will be great to find new brands from the U.K.,” Izaguirre said. “But customers are demanding lower prices, and a lot of buyers can no longer afford to buy new brands.” —Andrew Asch
