Pooltradeshow, August 2013

Pooltradeshow, August 2013

EMERGING

Pool Features New and Established Brands

Pooltradeshow, known for showcasing emerging and up-and-coming designers, had a nice turnout with nearly 250 exhibitors at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Exhibitors were positive about the orders written and the quality of retailers who came to buy. Retailers were equally as excited about the diversity of brands, opportunities for discovery, and new merchandise and products that were presented, said Allison Lombardo, vice president, marketing, for Advanstar Fashion Group.

There were a few changes to the show this season, with its booth décor reflecting a more simplistic and modern look. Lombardo said the show also changed locations to be adjacent to ENKVegas and on the same floor as Project to make it more efficient for retailers to shop in one place at one time.

This season there were more than 100 new brands at Pool, and of them, 43 percent were new to the show.

A strong showing of international retailers, department stores, boutiques and Internet retailers attended the show. Retailers included Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, Isetan Japan, Scoop, Karmaloop, Zappos.com, Shop Japan, Nordstrom and more.

Patrick DiLascia, owner and designer of DiLacia,said this was his third season at Pool. Previously, he has exhibited at Project and MAGIC Premium.

“We did pretty even [as far as sales], but our brand did well mainly because a lot of our clients knew we were going to be at the show and they are familiar with us,” DiLascia said.

The brand is expanding into sweatpants, baseball-style shirts and new categories, such as knits.

DiLascia said the main drawback was the number of shows taking place in Las Vegas that week. “We rarely pick up as many new accounts as we would like, and it’s because there are so many shows to attend. It is hard for a buyer to hit every show,” he said.

Original Cult had multiple brands spread across the Pool floor with Kill City exhibiting at Project, as well as Lip Service; Widow; and their newly launched brand, 24 Hours, at Pool.

“The August 2012 show was like a perfect storm for us,” Original Cult’s Autumn Walters said. The line opened a lot of new accounts for both 24 Hours and Lip Service, she said. “We do feel there was a lot going on this time with the additions of the new shows. The buyers were pressed for time, rushing from one booth to the next—much more rushed than in past years,” Walters said. Due to the rushed nature of this show, there were a lot more note takers than in past shows, she said.