Imported Denim: Access Basic Blue Jeans
Access Basic Blue Jeans Corp. is a new Hong Kong-based denim resource that recently opened a corporate showroom in the California Mart.
In less than one year of operations, the company has conducted more than $5 million in business, according to Ron Mata, vice president of international marketing and sales.
The key to the quick success of Access Basic is its ability to maintain huge inventory. It imports four to five 40-foot containers of junior contemporary denim pieces from Hong Kong every month without waiting for orders.
“The dynamics of the retail industry have changed,” said Mata. “Buyers don’t want to book ahead of time, so they look for what we have on the floor. We have the materials in stock and they don’t have to wait to order.”
Mata also said that key accounts, including Mexico’s Milano International and Solon, Ohio-based Dot’s Inc., both with more than 200 stores, reorder every two weeks to manage an average of more than 33 percent sell-through.
The product, manufactured at the Access Basic design facilities in Hong Kong, sells well because of attention to the newest and latest styles and silhouettes in the country, said Mata.
“Our design staff shops Paris and Asia for style and fabrication,” he said. “We can offer our buyers fun merchandise and fashion at a good price.”
The Access Basic collection includes cross-hatch, crumpled and sand-blast finishes, with big belts attached to some of the skirts, shorts, capris and low-rise stretch pants in denim. The Holiday and Back-to-School collections will feature denim jackets with faux fur in pink, gold and electric blue.
Wholesale price points range from $8 to $10.
Mata said that plans are in the works to garner commitments from Wet Seal, Arden B, Zumi’s, Mr. Ragz and JCPenney.
Mata projects that by the end of the year, the company will do more than $10 million in business, with plans to create licensing relationships for tops and shoes. The company is also talking to a movie studio about creating collections for the studio’s brand. For more information, call (213) 688-9788.
