Fashion Makes a 2010 Comeback, Analyst Said
Marshal Cohen, pictured right, leads the ICR Xchange panel. Panelists from left: Mitch Kummetz, Edward Yruma and Todd Slater
No doubt about it, 2009 was bad for the rag trade. But 2010 will be much brighter for those selling jeans, suits and other fashions, according to oft-quoted fashion-biz pundit and The NPD Group analyst Marshal Cohen.
At investors’ conference ICR Xchange, held Jan 13–14 in Dana Point, Calif., he said the fashion business would escape its 2009 doldrums and that consumers will be leading them out of the rut.
Cohen told investors that consumers wanted to have a little fun after being so frugal for the past 12 months. “2010 will likely bring pent-up demand for new wardrobes, due to tired fashion looks as well as worn-out items or articles that just don’t fit anymore,” he wrote in a paper on his outlook for the new year.
The message must have been sweet music to the ears of many of the companies that made presentations at ICR, including Warnaco, VF Corp, Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal and True Religion.
