California Apparel News

The sound of pencil to paper was fast and furious at Los Angeles Market Week Summer 2003, as hungry buyers sought fresh, casual styles—as well as the almighty cargo pant—to fill their bare-to-the-bone shelves left empty from carefully managed inventories.

Giving the Jan. 17–22 event extra buzz was the California Market Center’s (CMC) roll-out of an aggressive marketing campaign that included an appealing line-up of events: trend seminars, a Bob Mackie presentation (see story page 15), an evening of dinner and comedy featuring local comedy troupe the Groundlings and the market’s overlap with the California Gift Show.

Show organizers said the market enjoyed “a significant increase in attendance” compared to last year, drawing buyers from nearly every state in the country, as well as 17 other countries, including Japan.

“We were able to position the building as the opportune place to shop for gifts and apparel, and buyers responded,” said Jennifer Uner, executive director of advertising and publicity.

The break-through trend still hadn’t penetrated the market, as most buyers placed both immediate and Summer orders for their regular cash cows—including denim, cargos and athleticwear—along with pieces from new designers.

It was nonstop business for Stacey Rhoads, who said her fifth floor showroom attracted a raft of buyers

“We had missy stores, contemporary boutiques, West Coast stores, East Coast stores—everybody wanted to shop,” she said. “We’ve had over 75 accounts show up in three days.”

Buyers were snapping up Bella Dahl and Fever jeans, as well as a sportswear collection called Liquid. For a twist on pants, there was interest in Lulah Scout, a new novelty bottoms line by Marc Vachon partner John Vim.

Still, Rhoads said the denim business has taken a hit, and buyers are looking for new fabrications.

“The denim designers responding to the shift are doing well,” she said.

Designer Heidi Cornell, whose H. Starlet line is carried at the Elizabeth French showroom on the fifth floor, said Arizona retailers Blush and Electric Lady Land responded well to her athletic line of silk and French terry blends, notably the ruched blouses, zip-up skirts and two-tone athletic sets with contrast waistbands.

“They really like the cut and fit of the line,” Cornell said.

Buyers ordered camouflage athleticwear by One Life 2 Live and corset tops by Papillon Blanc at the Ginny Wong showroom on the fifth floor, and Super Lucky Cat’s skirts crafted from vintage scarves at the Nikki & Lucy Showroom on the eighth floor.

“It’s a great show—buyers are scrambling for goods,” said Lucy Thompson, co-owner of the Nikki & Lucy showroom. “Normally, I may sell prepacks of six items per style, per color, but now every single person is ordering in packs of 18 or 24.”

“Cargo, cargo, cargo” was the staple item for Cyndee Gomez, a buyer for the Savvy boutique in Laguna Niguel, Calif.

“They’re casual, they’re easy and they’re very feminine,” said Gomez, who purchased styles from Ashley O’ Rourke and Ann Ferriday. Gomez plans to merchandise the bottoms with the Love Amour printed shirts that she also ordered.

Owners of SheShe, a new contemporary boutique in Rockford, Ill., appreciated the laidback atmosphere of a Los Angeles show.

“New York is so hectic. People shuffle you in and out,” said Karen Nielsen, co-owner of the store with her daughter-in-law, Jennifer. “It’s more friendly here, and the reps take their time. We may not go back to New York.”

The two picked up Jam by Jana & Maria’s initial handbags, duffles and totes at the Habitat showroom at the New Mart, as well as tops by Sharagano.

Another newcomer to the retail scene is Factory People, a boutique based in Austin, Texas. Co-owner Le Villers Popoff dropped paper for denim resources Hudson, Blugenious and Serfontaine as well as for Amsterdam-based G-sus, a men’s and women’s high-end line of logo-heavy shirts and fleece jackets.

“Denim is still very popular where we are—you go to a wedding, and you see people wearing jeans,” she said.

Missy reps focus on contemporary edge

Missy and updated vendors reported moderate to brisk traffic on the second, third and 13th floors of the California Market Center, where buyers were focused, price-conscious and conservative in their buying plans. Showroom reps said many buyers were saving their time and dollars for next month’s MAGIC International show. Though some showrooms, like Susan Burnett and Sharon Koshet, were wellshopped, the consensus was that there was moderate improvement over last year’s Spring/Summer market, which was hampered by the fallout from the 9/11 tragedy.

Sue Gershon of Lifestyle Clothiers was doing well with a new line called Gasp, which is composed of gauchos, capris and knickers.

“They manufacture for Wrangler and Roxy, and when the buyers hear that, they feel more comfortable with trying something new. They are also responding to anything with novelty, anything from denim,” she said, such as resist-dye Tshirts and contoured bottoms.

The updated missy category continued to get play in showrooms as the line between contemporary and updated wears thinner.

“Updated continues to be the stepchild to contemporary lines, but it’s coming along,” said Fred Postal of Fred Postal Associates. “You have to work harder now to locate product of value.”

Postal does a lot of business with Canadian lines and featured cotton piqueacute; casual suits, screen prints, pre-washed cottons and contemporary tees a la Michael Stars. “This market’s been good,” he said, adding, “People need goods.”

Bentzi Gershon of the Moda Style showroom on the third floor of the CMC said missy’s contemporary edge has manufacturers scurrying to come up with fresh items. He introduced four new brands, showing beaded tees with martini- glass emblems from Seattle-based Simply Hot, printed mesh tees featuring floral prints by Amore and wrap-around pants by Seci.

In addition to style, Yvette Perez of the Western Connection showroom said the key to selling to the missy customer has been providing fit.

“She’s looking for a younger look, but more importantly, something that will fit her right,” said Perez.

While sheer Indian-made fabrics continue to draw interest, Perez saw business in slinky tees; prints, in tie-dye, paisley and patchwork; and stretch knits.

“Business is tightening up. They’re ordering, but the orders are tighter,” she added.

Price seemed to be of concern for buyers, but finding the right combination of style and price was the main objective, said vendors.

“Everybody’s doing comparative shopping,” said Jay Geisenheimer, who owns a showroom on the third floor. “They’re concerned about price and are buying less [quantities] of the same things.”

She added that her showroom did well with 3/4-sleeve shirts ranging from $10 to $30 and antique prints.

Business on the 13th floor, where the Pacific Coast Travelers show was based, was only “fair,” according to Wallace Kaplar of Kaplar Associaties in Northridge, Calif. “There’s not as much traffic as last time. There’s an uncertainty in the marketplace. A lot of the resort buyers I talked to were worried about what’s happening with world events.”

Kaplar nevertheless saw interest with hand-painted tees by L.A. Artwear and American-made gauze sets by Atlantic Coast Adventure Co.

Most showrooms saw some benefit from the overlapping gift and home show, which launched with a pre-show on Jan 14 and continued through Jan. 21.

“Friday was good. Everybody got some crossover traffic,” said Geisenheimer. “I’m in favor of having the shows at the same time. It’s really helped traffic flow, and the information booth and nice touches in the lobby helped make for a better show.”

Added Rosanne Tritica, president of Betty Bottom Showroom Inc.: “It was brilliant to have the shows together. I was crazy-busy at times.”

New Mart increases attendance

Attendance was up 13 percent to about 1,050 registered buyers compared to a year ago at the New Mart, according to manager Ethan Eller.

“The economy doesn’t seem to be lagging in the fashion business here in California,” said Eller, adding that the West Coast’s winter months were a strong draw for out-of-town buyers from chilly climates. About two-thirds of the show’s attendees were from the Midwest and East Coast, he said.

The hallways may have seemed sparse at times, but most showroom reps reported a steady flow of traffic.

Sales orders were on par with last year at the Barbara James Showroom on the New Mart’s sixth floor. Buyers bought from the showroom’s four collections—Sisters, Shine, M5 and Pasdenom—as well as Mia Rose, a casual lingerie collection that was temporarily featured at the showroom during market week. James said business was split between appointments and walk-in traffic, with most buyers placing immediate orders.

Contemporary designers throughout the New Mart said they were taking their cues from the world’s fashion runways, as well as presenting novel versions of classic styles.

Satin tank tops with shirring and silk chiffon short-sleeve blouses received strong buyer interest, as did knit tops and ribbed shirts with novelty prints and delicate trimmings.

Maddi’s owner Rebekah Dietz said she was being cautious about choosing colors and styles for her Chico, Calif.-based specialty boutique, which mostly carries apparel made from natural fibers and soft cotton blends. Dietz placed orders for zip-up funnel sweatshirts and capristyled, striped waiter pants with Mod-O-Doc on the New Mart’s sixth floor. “I try to offer my customers something a little more interesting than what they can find at Wal-Mart,” she said.

Novelty strong at D&A Annex

D&A Annex’s young designer and contemporary loft space on the New Mart’s third floor was bustling with buyers (and a few nonbuyers who managed to slip in when no one was looking) who were on the lookout for hard-to-find novelty knits and silk pieces.

The show’s producers, Ed Mandelbaum and Barbara Kramer, also said the numbers looked good. The number of exhibitors doubled, to 59 over last year, and about 950 buyers attended the show, nearly doubling last year’s figures, according to Mandelbaum’s early estimates. “We’re not expanding for the sake of expanding,” he said, adding that he was “very satisfied” with the show’s turnout.

Southern California newcomers to the Annex were 7 Slade Apparel, Teadish, Alexa Garner Sidaris Designs, Cameron Cohen, Gigi, Liza Shtromberg, t-bags and Wendy Hil.

The show mostly attracted a handful of key specialty retail store buyers from California and the Midwest including California stores Traffic from Los Angeles, Fred Segal Santa Monica, Planet Blue in Malibu, Magnolia in Calabasas, Girl Boy Girl in San Francisco and Talulah G. in Las Vegas.

Returning to the Annex was The Aubrey Company, which boasts two young designer labels: Virginia Johnson, a contemporary swimwear and beachwear collection based in Canada, and Marika Charles, a novelty knit-top collection based in Schenectady, N.Y.

Sara Rachlin, a rep for both companies, said traffic at the show was steady and “buyers are placing orders for spring and summer deliveries.”

A top seller was the ’50s-inspired, short-sleeve sweetheart knit top by Marika Charles, designed using phyldye, a printing process that can make the pattern sharp or muted. Price points ranged from $49 to $90, and buyers were looking for Spring II deliveries, beginning Mar. 30, said Rachlin.

Though cautioun was the byword among some attendees, other buyers were willing to splurge if the collections moved them. For example, Fred Segal Santa Monica placed orders across the board for Virginia Johnson’s ruffled string bikinis, cotton voile shorts and long-sleeve tunics with handillustrated leaf prints, said Rachlin.

Contemporary boutique owner Deborah Wolsh of Los Angles- based Ethel said she enjoyed the show’s low-key traffic flow because it gave her a chance to talk to vendors and pay closer attention to the lines. Wolsh said she placed orders for printed separates and casual dresses with Los Angeles-based Mon Petit Oiseau and bought lightweight cargo-style pants and skirts from Santa Monica-based Dessous Dessus.

T-bags owners Shadi Askari and Su-Lynn Ta said traffic was a bit slow on the third day, but the buyers who came by the booth were placing orders. Askari said the company has recently moved from tooled, embossed leather handbags into softer leather pieces that come in white, deep orange, hot pink and teal.

She said buyers from Los Angelesbased specialty retailers Kitson and Yellow placed late spring orders for leather clutches with snakeskin, heartshaped appliqueacute;s (at $62) and scrunchleather bags with wooden handles (at $106).

Group effort at the Gerry Building

Traffic was slow at the Gerry Building, which officially opened its doors last fall. Many reps said the buyers who did turn out were regular accounts with booked appointments. The walk-in traffic did not develop, they added.

“People have to make their way over here,” said Jeff Murell, who represents brands Modrobes, American Pig Brand and Technics at his Mocha Lounge Showroom.

Murell threw one of the building’s two opening-night parties, which drew about 150 people, according to the rep, who said he plans to host mixers monthly, as well as during each market.

Still, most were encouraged by the favorable response from the buyers who did shop the building, and there was a spirit of cooperation as reps encouraged buyers to check out the wares in the building’s other showrooms.

“Everyone in this building is cool about sending people [to other showrooms],” said Mark Encinias, who opened his BNC showroom in November with Spain-based labels Divinas Palabras, Nomad, Motor and Cannibal and local collection Panacea. (BNC also hosted an opening night party in the building.)

Encinias said he fared better at this market week than in November, but he said the building is still a destination for many retailers. Some of the buyers shopping the building included Southern California retailers Melissa M., Zazu, Monkey, Jigsaw and Flirt, as well as K.C.O. in Petaluma, Calif., Active Body in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Bang Bang in New York.

“It’s getting progressively better,” he said. “When I call people and tell them I’m in the Gerry Building, they know it.”

Rep Patricia Thornton sent buyers from her Freedom Eleven showroom to check out other lines in the building during market.

“We’re all in this together,” she said. “It’s going to take some time; the stores that do come by love the building.”

Retailers from New York, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and California stopped by the showroom, according to Thorton, who made appointments with some of her strong accounts, including Los Angeles-based Horn and Stash and Las Vegas- based Detour.

“Everyone needs to be on the phone with buyers,” she said. “Stores have gotten spoiled because everyone travels—but they get a much better presentation if they come to the showroom.”

Several new showrooms bowed for market including DNA, Jini & Co. and Estudio 55. Rep Allegra Wynne in the DNA showroom was busy with appointments, but Jini & Co. owner Jeannie Lee was working solely with walk-in buyers during market. Lee said she is planning to broaden distribution for her six lines, including labels Les Petit Choix, Jini, Gigi, Cici.b, Didi and Pourquois Pas, to include more specialty stores.

Estudio 55’s Brad Boonshaft and Roberta Cysne had a tougher time than most. The two set up their new showroom during the week prior to market only to find their Brazilian collections stuck in customs. Still, the two gamely showed the few pieces they had from each contemporary collection and images from the current catalogs. The showroom carries three lines from Brazil: Spezzato, a sports-inspired club line; Guarana, an ethnic-inspired collection trimmed with beads, shells, suede and lace crochet; and eXtra, a sophisticated line with highly detailed tailored pieces.

Boonshaft said the two plan to build business for the collection slowly, targeting upscale specialty stores.