California Apparel News

A live sketch artist, ample Australian coffee, a shift from fast fashion toward cut-to-order—the Spring/Summer ’23 LA Textile show had everything. Kicking off the Feb. 23–25 edition on an unusually crisp Los Angeles morning, attendees ascended to the 10th floor of the California Market Center’s C building, where LA Textile Show Manager Matthew Mathiasen warmed everyone up with an informative seminar. Mathiasen took the podium and explained that of the 146 companies exhibiting in the show’s 90 booths, 72 percent of them had a sustainable option for buyers.

“This is a huge telltale sign of how you should look at your business,” he said, eliciting nods from the audience. “We’re not just using the word ‘sustainable’ anymore, we’re actually doing it. It’s actually happening. Guess what? Boutiques all the way in Alabama are shopping sustainable now. That did not happen 10 years ago.” Many of the exhibitors agreed with Mathiasen, citing their own customers’ preferences.

After briefly reviewing fashion trends—“90 percent of our customers are turning toward our basic items; the quality is not so fancy, not so chic, but rather features relaxed and stretchy qualities; customers prefer the drapy ones”—Bogachan Doganay of the Turkey-based Özel Tekstil confirmed a shift toward sustainable fibers and processes. “We are trying to make all our qualities sustainable. Organic cottons and hemp are quite important. Some suppliers are not using hemp because hemp fibers are very difficult [to work with], but right now most of the designers or the purchasing managers are trying to find linen qualities and hemp qualities for the Summer season, because these fibers don’t need certification.”

Doganay also confirmed that the cut-to-order trend is on the rise among his clientele. “Everybody is following their own direction. It looks like everybody is following their customers much more than before the pandemic.”

Over in the Premium & Designer Collections area, Laura Keefer of KBC was also mindful of the increasing importance of sustainability. “Europe has always been ahead in sustainable fabric, but they are becoming even more committed to it,” she said, “and our line is converting to it.”

Francois Damide of Solstiss showcased the company’s gorgeous Spring 2023 offerings, some of which feature a mixture of chamois and lace. Resplendent, bold colors and intricate patterns woven largely on technology that the company has been using for over 150 years, dazzled visitors to the booth. “The new line is always a mix of different styles—very red carpet, very luxurious. We have some bright colors, that ’70s touch.”

For Julia Abrahamian and Raissa Hannon of the designer collection Kalimo, lush color and sustainability make for an excellent pairing. As Abrahamian explained, “I believe that eco-friendly styles and trends are here for good. After this pandemic, people are much more conscious about the environment but also themselves and about being in the moment, enjoying the moment, enjoying the present. We try to translate a little bit of that in our fabrics and in our collections.”

Hannon also previewed an exciting new advancement in Kalimo’s use of technology for customers. “We will be launching a new platform where our clients can go online, check their prints, create their own boards and access the trends we have available.”

For designers who are just starting out as well as fashion veterans, Bennett Silks has numerous new options that are not only of the highest quality but also display a distinctively playful approach. John Barle commented on a piece festooned with hot-air balloons: “I call it the Montgolfier after the Montgolfier brothers, who invented the hot-air balloon. It’s so whimsical to me in an elegant way. The minimums are adjustable for someone who’s starting out.”

In the Fabrics section, both RC International and Hemp Traders were mobbed by visitors as they unveiled their new hemp-infused options. The sheer variety of colors now available portends not only a sustainable but also a vivid future.

In the Texworld Pavilion, Michael Vaux Morrell of Freedom Denim spoke of the benefits of performance fabrics, which include both denim and hemp. “There have been performance attributes in regards to linear compression fabrics that are fit for giving, so you fit a wider mode of human body with the same SKUs. In regards to fit-for-giving fabrics or ‘tough rub’ fabrics where it gives flex abrasion resistance, the crotch and knee don’t blow out.”

For upcoming looks for the Spring and Summer seasons, he previewed a line of crew fabrics in whites, lighter shades, soft blues and “mother nature’s color” as well as “heritage fabrics with flashbacks to the 1980s, 1950s and ’60s.”

Morrell also spoke about how hemp is becoming an increasingly popular fiber in the industry. “Hemp is still relatively expensive, but it’s coming down. The amount of seed that’s going into the ground is increasing, and the supply should increase and demand should bring it down, in theory at least.”

Finally, what better palette cleanser than a literal new palette? At the Pantone booth, Pat Brandt revealed the company’s new paper traveler, a folding compendium of Pantone’s must-have palette for on-the-go designers and other hue-conscious clientele. Brandt demonstrated how the Pantone paper traveler effortlessly folds and unfolds to make it easier to quickly demonstrate and select specific Pantone colors wherever one may be.

With its international exhibitor list, its convivial and welcoming hosts, and an emphasis on information over hype, LA Textile provided a comprehensive preview of the future of glamorous yet sustainable fashion.