California Apparel News

The STAR show debuted Jan. 26–28 with an eclectic mix that included juniors and young contemporary merchandise, as well as menswear, eveningwear, embellished tees and denim.

Show organizers Greentide FT Corp. positioned the new apparel trade show to be a local option for apparel manufacturers and retailers. The show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, had a quiet debut, earning mixed reviews from exhibitors. Some said traffic was slow overall, while others said they were pleased with the caliber of retailers shopping the show, including larger discount chains; d.d.’s Discounts, a division of Ross Stores; AJWright, a division of The TJX Companies Inc.; and smaller boutiques.

One of the busier booths at the show was New York–based Denim Group Ltd., whose labels include Paco Jeans, Vintage Brass, O.V. and 96North.

National Sales Manager Sal Matari said the 22-year-old company was a long-time exhibitor at MAGIC but has opted in recent years to concentrate on regional shows, including Urban Suburban in San Francisco, Atlanta Apparel Exhibition Group’s Cobb Show in Atlanta and the Market at the Miami International Merchandise Mart in Miami.

“I wasn’t expecting much [at the STAR show], but I’m pretty satisfied,” Matari said, adding, “We just had a retailer from Las Vegas with six doors.”

The collections, which are produced primarily in China and Pakistan, sell to majors and the “mom-and-pop” stores.

Matari said he’s seen business pick up a bit on the East Coast since the beginning of the year. “People have to stock their stores,” he said. And “since we started taking credit cards, we’ve upped our business,” he added.

There were several new brands at the show, including Grace in L.A., a juniors embellished denim collection that launched in June.

The company has already showed the collection in Dallas, Chicago, New York and Florida and plans to show at the MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas this February, according to sales representative Sue Tan.

“My main purpose to come here is to catch out-of-state customers,” Tan said, adding that she primarily had seen locals at STAR.

Another new company was Lovposh, which launched in October. Geared to the boutique customer, the Los Angeles–based young contemporary brand features tops, dresses and jumpers produced in China.

“It’s very slow,” said co-owner Richard Lee. “We definitely made contacts, so it’s not a total loss. But I’ve been to other shows and it’s four to 10 times this capacity.”

Lee said he didn’t mind the size of the show or the broad mix of merchandise but said he thought organizers should market the show to a broader range of retailers. “The No. 1 thing is to expand the customer base,” he said. “It seems the focus was on Asian retailers.”

Another new brand was Hello Miss, a juniors collection featuring prints and bright colors. The Los Angeles–based label was founded about a year ago by parent company CB Pacific Trading Inc., which manufactures apparel and operates stores in Arizona.

The show also featured several sublimation-print collections, including Miss Pinky, a 10-year-old company based in Los Angeles. The company has its own printing factory and produces everything in Los Angeles, according to Sales Manager Mike Jung, who said the target market is women in their 20s to early 30s looking for fashion items. Jung said the company had just shown the collection at the Intermoda show in Guadalajara, Mexico, and would be showing next month in Las Vegas. Miss Pinky also exhibits at trade shows in Atlanta, Chicago, Florida and New York.—Alison A. Nieder