California Apparel News

The Project Global Trade Show is coming to Los Angeles.

The growing New York–based contemporary menswear show will host its first Los Angeles edition Aug. 1–3 on the eighth and 11th floors of the Cooper Design Space.

Project, held in New York in February and July, is riding a wave of success. Retailer Sam Ben-Avraham, owner of the Atrium men’s boutique in New York’s Soho district, conceptualized the show three years ago. Since then, Project’s East Coast edition has grown to include two venues, The Puck Building and the Metropolitan Pavilion. The show, which had 231 exhibitors at its last event, has tripled its exhibitor attendance in three seasons.

The buzz surrounding the young menswear show has made its way across the country. Buyers’ interest in the category has encouraged many manufacturers to enter the market with clean and edgy designs for men.

Because of that strong buyer interest and Project’s quick success, several buildings in Los Angeles were interested in hosting the trade show. But it was the recently revamped Cooper Design Space that attracted the show’s producers.

“We are thrilled that Project is launching its Los Angeles edition at the Cooper Design Space,” Leasing Director Mona Sangkala said. “Project will have a tremendous impact in the contemporary men’s market, enhancing L.A.’s prominence on the global fashion stage. Project’s expansion in L.A. contributes to the Cooper Design Space’s goal in promoting Los Angeles as an essential fashion destination.”

Roughly 150 exhibitors will occupy about 22,500 square feet on each floor, Sangkala said. An additional 10,000-square-foot space will be available on the eighth floor if more exhibitors sign on for the show, she added.

Project is in the process of recruiting some of its hip, sporty and trend-setting labels, including Nike White Label, Merc London, Triko, Howe, Triple Five Soul and Seven Jeans. The show is expected to draw top boutique buyers, editors and stylists from as far as Tokyo, organizers said.

“There is definitely a need for more men’s trade shows on the West Coast, and Los Angeles is the next fashion capital,” Ben-Avraham said. “We picked the Cooper Building because it has a good space to put on a trade show.”

The show costs about $500,000 to produce, said Ben-Avraham, adding that the trade show will be held at the Cooper Design Space on a development basis. Plans to hold the trade show there twice each year are currently in the works, he said.

The show will be held at the same time as the Los Angeles–based upscale trade show Westcoast Exclusive, which in recent seasons has added more contemporary menswear labels to its exhibitor mix. The fact that the two men’s shows are being held concurrently may help to create an official menswear market week, Ben-Avraham said.

Jason Bates, who sells young men’s lines by Kunna, Howe, Triko and Blue Guru on the Cooper Building’s second floor, is pleased with the news.

“A lot of men’s clothing stores are going to a young contemporary market because they want to buy for men who are a little younger and hipper,” said Bates, a past exhibitor at Project. “The show offers a good mix of menswear looks with lots of alternatives in a comfortable setting.”