California Apparel News

A new Business Solutions Center was created on the show floor to help retail buyers navigate game-changing technology in the fashion landscape at MAGIC, held Aug. 10–12 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Basic 3PL powered by Soapbox is a new company with warehouse locations from City of Industry, Calif., to the East Coast. Utilizing robots, it is a modern-day fulfillment infrastructure and end-to-end solution for tech to distribution and shipping.

Los Angeles–based Retail Smart Guys brings a wealth of retail expertise and an advanced forecasting system that connects to 20 different POS platforms that help independent retailers plan their sales and inventory.

Lightspeed is a POS system with wholesale built in to empower small- to medium-size businesses to have the same tools as big-box stores.

Indianapolis-based ShipSigma provides fulfillment, packaging, sourcing and shipping help with FedEx and UPS to save 20–25 percent.

Other participating companies included Future Snoops, Pantone, Praella, Third Eye Insights, TikTok Shop, Togzy.aoi and Tryverse.

Fashion by Informa launched the Fashionology Innovation Series at MAGIC, partnering with New York–based fashion-tech event and consulting agency Fashionology. Programming gave brands and retailers practical insights into the technologies driving the future of fashion.

“I spent a couple days here walking the entire show, looking for new items, meeting with vendors that I’ve bought from in the past, placing orders,” said Alison Schuch, founder and owner of the Fells Point Surf Company in Baltimore, with four Delaware surf shops and a women’s boutique.

“I’ve listened to seminars on AI, algorithms, new trends coming up and sourcing—all really important things that make our store stand out in a very changing and evolving environment.”

“I want to be in every single part of a brand and retailer’s ecosystem, helping them along the way,” said Emilie Lewis, vice president of events for the Las Vegas Marketplace.