WWDMAGIC, August 2013

WWDMAGIC, August 2013

BREAK FROM TRADITION

WWDMAGIC Splits Brands Between LVCC’s Central and South Halls

This season, WWDMAGIC got creative and moved vendors’ booths around in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Instead of organizing booths in one building in the North Hall and the Central Hall, the show kept the Central Hall and opened up new space in the South Hall, located in an adjacent convention-center building.

Many exhibitors were skeptical about tampering with tradition, but there was still strong order writing taking place.

Sales reps said traffic was down the first day of the Aug. 19–21 show because in previous years WWDMAGIC opened on a Tuesday. This year the show debuted on a Monday, a day when many buyers opted to hit other shows—such as WWIN (Women’s Wear In Nevada), Project, Pooltradeshow and Sourcing at MAGIC—before concentrating on WWDMAGIC later in the week.

“I knew the first day of WWDMAGIC wasn’t going to be busy. People are creatures of habit. They were used to going to Stitch and WWIN on Monday and then coming to us on Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Lynn Girard of the Lynn Girard Showroom, which exhibited in the South Hall. “But on Monday, people left amazing paper even if there wasn’t a lot of traffic.”

Girard showed five lines—Spanks, Eva Varro, Luii, Tricots Jean Marc and M. The showroom owner said her business was up 15 percent over last August. “All in all, I am happy with the results,” Girard said.

Teresa Brodkin, who is the sales director for the long-time Los Angeles casualwear label Barbara Lesser, said she also noticed weak traffic on Monday but a surge of business on Tuesday and Wednesday. “I thought traffic was good this time, but it was great in February,” she said. “But the size of the orders we got was good. We were really busy the third day.”

Brodkin wasn’t sure if mixing up the convention halls contributed to less traffic than last February or if more buyers come in February because the weather is warm and lures buyers away from the cold winter of the Midwest. “It’s kind of interesting. The traffic has changed. The February shows now seem to have more traffic than August, and it used to be the opposite,” she observed.

For John Gurung, head of sales at the Los Angeles–based Yak & Yeti line of bohemian clothing made in Nepal, the show ultimately fell short of last year. “We had more orders than last year, but the buyers spent less money,” he said. “I am not sure why that was.”

WWDMAGIC included 85 swim brands exhibiting in the ISAM section, including Beach Rays, Anne Cole, Gottex, Miracle Suit, Seafolly and Eco Swim. Additional swim lines, including Gypsy Junkies and Unique Vintage, showed in other sections of WWDMAGIC.