Several Trade Shows Keep Buying Brisk at L.A. Market

Many apparel representatives said the economy might be on the road to recovery in light of the heavy foot traffic reported at the California Market Center (CMC) during its Fall 2002 market, held April 12–16.

CMC, the newly renamed California Mart, doesn’t release attendance figures, but according to Trish Moreno, executive marketing director for the center, the buyer traffic was significantly greater than that seen at previous markets. “Our numbers are up by a double-digit increase,” she said. Moreno also noted that the center hosted nearly 200 visiting resources for market.

Part of the reason for the increased traffic was a convergence of eight trade shows at the center and nearby New Mart, including Los Angeles market week, a new junior and contemporary market, Designers & Agents, ENK’s Pacific Champions, Pacific Coast Travelers, the Los Angeles Shoe Show, a small gift market on the CMC’s 12th and 13th floors and Sistema Moda Italia, a group of Italian manufacturers showing on the 13th floor.

Ivon Mirrashidi of Mirage in Redondo Beach, Calif., who was shopping for Fall and Holiday merchandise, called the week “the busiest market ever.”

Yoo Lee, the designer for Los Angeles-based Saja on the CMC’s fifth floor, said her company opened 24 new accounts through appointments and walk-ins. And junior label Hot Kiss’ West Coast rep Alina Fattorosi reported similar business at her company’s showroom. “We had quite a few appointments, but I had quite a bit of walk-through traffic as well,” said Fattorosi.

Exhibitors in the Cal Mart’s several specialty shows also reported a strong turnout.Connie Martinez of I.C. Fashion in Los Angeles was an exhibitor at Pacific Coast Travelers on the 13th floor. She said her company saw new business from out-of-state walk-in buyers placing immediate orders.

Showing next door to Pacific Coast Travelers was Sistema Moda Italia, one of the largest apparel associations in Italy, with such high-profile designer collections as Zegna Canale and Prada as members. The show presented newer designers, who came with menswear, womenswear, swimwear, children’s apparel, underwear, hats and other accessories.Raffaele Rinaldi, a representative for the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West, said the show’s aim was to garner new relationships between American companies and Italian manufacturers, as well as give his association’s members a better understanding of the U.S. garment industry. Some of those members already do business with department stores and retailers including Bloomingdale’s, Banana Republic and Gap, he said.

The Pacific Champions show in the CMC’s Fashion Theater moved a bit slower than exhibitors would have liked, although business was still satisfactory, according to Maria Carina, a rep for Miami-based Akiba Trading Corp.

New Mart Traffic Strong

Traffic was strong and attendance was up at the New Mart, which saw approximately 928 registered buyers, a figure about six percent higher than the total of 876 attendees for the corresponding market last year, according to New Mart manager Ethan Eller. However, attendance for this market was slightly lower than the total for last November’s market, which saw approximately 1,150 buyers.

Eller said about 15 percent of the buyers at this month’s market were attending Los Angeles market week for the first time. “We’re seeing a lot of results in our efforts to attract enormous interest in California’s apparel industry,” Eller said, adding that the New Mart’s Designers & Agents show has been a big draw for international buyers during market week.

While most showroom owners reported strong traffic over the weekend, others, such as Santa Monica, Calif.-based sportswear manufacturer Hard Tail, received an unexpected wave of buyers toward the end of market. Hard Tail recently moved into a 5,000-square-foot showroom on the sixth floor of the building.

Trendwise, novelty sweaters, coats with flounces and crocheted sleeves, ruffled peplum sweater jackets and paisley stretch-velvet coats were strong items for Fall, according to Mary Tessa Grul of Dressers boutique in Sebastopol, Calif.

Nelda Barchers, who owns an American craft furnishing and clothing store called Zosaku in Berkeley, Calif., said she was looking for offbeat novelty items, including Juicy Jeans stretch-corduroy pants with paisley prints.

Barchers saw sales drop dramatically last March but things were finally starting to pick up again, she said.

“We decided to let our merchandise get low because we were scared to place orders and then not have any business at our store,” she explained. “Now we’ve decided to keep a fuller stock but do fun and light items like accessories and cute pieces like off-the-shoulder striped shirts and yoga clothes.”

New Lines Abound at Designers & Agents

Designers & Agents continued to expand its contemporary and young designer offerings on the third floor of the New Mart. Ed Mandelbaum and Barbara Kramer, the show’s producers, said they saw about 859 registered buyers.

The show, which ran concurrent with market week, featured about 85 booths with 175 lines, including Shoshanna, Buz Jones, Rhyme, Majestic, Ann Linn, Erica Tanov, Blue Cult and Sunde as well as international newcomers Catch A Fire from Jamaica and 1 Delica from Australia.

Buyers from American Rag, Fred Segal, A. Mason, Pearl, Nordstrom, Wrights in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Alan Bilzerian Boutique in Boston were just a few retailers who shopped the show.

Louesa Roebuck of Erica Tanov, a women’s contemporary line based in Berkeley, Calif., said buyers were placing steady orders for the company’s Fall 2002 collection. Pintucked liberty cotton blouses, Burke jumpers in camel herringbone with satin stitching and long coats made with multi-plaid wool were among the top sellers at her booth.

With an increase in the show’s foot traffic, Roebuck said her company was on schedule to meet or exceed its order total of $50,000 from last November’s market.

Like Eller, Designers & Agents’ producers also noticed a strong international presence.

Paris boutique owner Tim Bargeot, who journeyed to the show with a small entourage of buyers seeking Western fashion trends, said he came looking for new brands to introduce to customers at his edgy contemporary boutique for men and women. Bargeot, who was searching for contemporary sportswear, novelty denim and casual shoes with subtle flair, said he was eager to explore the show’s offerings.

Ayako Sato, a buyer from Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo, said her store was looking for Earl Jean–type novelty denim. Sato said even though such denim labels as Earl Jean and Seven Jean are popular in Japan, her store is looking to test new brands. She added that Paper Denim & Cloth is not too popular yet and may sell well in her store.

International buyer attendance increased from last Fall’s market, according to Kramer, who noted that there was a strong buyer presence from Europe, Japan and Australia. The presence of international buyers is likely to increase in the future, Kramer said, adding that she and Mandelbaum are planning to meet with buyers in Brazil and Australia next month with hopes of further diversifying the show’s buyers.