California Apparel News

Brand appeal, the need for speed and trend-watching were the key themes floating around the halls of the Long Beach [Calif.] Convention Center during the Jan. 18–20 West Coast stop of the Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS), where buyers were on hand to view the latest in silk screening and embroidery technology and fashion, corporate and career wear.

Registration and pre-registration numbers for the event were up from last year’s show, with 25,000 registered attendees, including 13,000 buyers, according to Art Ellis, group show director for VNU Expositions, organizer of ISS. This year’s show saw a drop in exhibition space of about 3 percent but approximately the same number of exhibitors as last year, noted Ben Lutz, operations manager for VNU’s retail design and apparel group.

Still, the show was one of the more upbeat expos in years, said Ellis. “Long Beach is usually a good barometer of how the rest of the year will perform, so it’s encouraging. I think people were hungry to do business since they’ve been somewhat shut out since 9/11,” he said.

The largely T-shirt-driven show was heavy on fashion, as the junior market continues to eat up tanks and tees adorned with glitter, caviar beads and rhinestones. Additionally, the career sector continues to be a target as such vendors as Fort Worth, Texas-based Dickies maintain their appeal to crossover traffic and brand strength stays in demand for corporate/promotional apparel.

“I’m now seeing Dickies overalls in dance clubs,” said one Dickies account.

Added Beatrice Nordstrom, vice president of Gardena, Calif.-based M.B.S. Love Unlimited, which produces heat transfers for tees and other tops, “The teen market has become incredible. Some people are saying it’s dying down, but this year will be strong. This is my best show.”

Anaheim, Calif.-based Alstyle Apparel was also investing big in the junior segment with new hoodies, tanks with curved bottoms and lots of new colors.

“We’re going heavily into junior women. We see strength in the surf/snowboard market,” said Tony Castillo, Alstyle vice president of business development, who added that the company is experiencing a record year.

Los Angeles-based American Apparel can also testify to the strong business for young women as it is on a 40 percent growth track. The company, which makes blank tees and bottoms, debuted its first pants sku at ISS with a low-waist drawstring style in a variety of colors.

“December was supposed to be slow, but it’s one of our busiest times right now,” said American Apparel marketing director Jennifer Adams.Likewise, Nick Quaranta, vice president of sales for Cerritos, Calif.-based Insta Graphic Systems, links the strong tee business to consumers’ tastes for simplicity during tougher times.

“When times get a little tough, consumers can still buy T-shirts,” he said.

Quaranta sees women transitioning into various styles of T-shirt applications, whether it be from glitter to rhinestones or flocking to caviar beads. His company was highlighting shimmer finishes for its heat transfers at ISS.

“We’re taking a good selling product and giving it an adjunct,” he said.

In evidence at the show was the fact that the career and corporate apparel business is also in a transitional state. Dickies and other like brands continued to see plenty of crossover appeal, and more mainstream brands, including Nautica, were eyeing line extensions.

“We’re seeing smaller operators getting into the apparel business,” noted Jim Cain of Dickies’ regional office in Anaheim, Calif.

Nautica is diving into the corporate apparel business through a venture with SanMar, which is distributing a collection of tees, polos and jackets. Russell Athletic recently established Russell Artwear, bringing its Russell, Jerzees, Three Rivers, Cross Creek and Mossy Oak labels under one umbrella to serve wholesalers in the promotional marketplace. Other majors have also been repositioning. VF Brand Solutions is coming off a major restructuring in which it laid off 13,000 of its 71,500 employees and quit its private-label knitwear business, swimwear and some of its workwear business.

On the technology front, the emphasis on speed was prevalent for silk screening and embroidery equipment. Vendors with quick-setup, fast-performing machines from single station to multiples were in abundance as were various new issues of embroidery software.

Buyers jammed the aisles of the convention center on the hunt for new resources and new suppliers. Most ducked into a booth for a demonstration or a quick look at the merchandise on display. Those who didn’t grabbed a catalog.

“Today I probably gave out 700 catalogs,” said Gary Ramsden, vice president of sales for Los Angeles-based La Mode. This was the company’s first showing at ISS. The 25-year-old company manufactures men’s and women’s apparel for the golf pro-shop and golf tournament markets but has branched into producing embroidered apparel for promotional events.

“This is far bigger than I ever anticipated,” Ramsden added.

Steve Proctor, Pasadena, Calif.-based account executive for Promotions Plus, was looking for clothing, bag and hat companies for his promotional apparel business.

Proctor, who has been attending ISS for several years, said he was “totally inactive” for a few weeks after Sept. 11, but business picked up in mid-fall and continued through the holiday.

“Business generally is looking better,” he said. “People are still playing things close to the vest. They’re a little more cautious but keeping on with business.”