California Apparel News

Technology vendors turned their focus toward the smaller companies that make up California’s apparel and textile industries during the Los Angeles International Textile Show, held April 26–28 at the California Market Center.

Vendors said buyer traffic appeared to be off from the November show, which had benefited from a big promotional push from the Technology by Design event, sponsored by the California Fashion Association. Yet, this season’s show saw the participation of leading technology providers—including the FedEx Corp., Gerber Technology, Lectra, PAD System Technologies Inc., ApparelMagic and Apparel Information Management System (AIMS)—that exhibited at the show.

Lectra highlighted the technology portion of the show with a seminar on “New Approaches to Improve Communications.” The event addressed how technology can enhance communication in the new economy as apparel and textile companies continue to broaden their supply chains.

Lectra highlighted its new Kaledo Style and Mikalis software applications, which allow companies, through built-in sketching tools, to create and share storyboards with remote factories and suppliers within a business’s product development environment. The aim is to save time and money, as well as enhance the design process.

Lectra Marketing Manager Tim Copeland said miscommunication is still a major cause of lost opportunity in the apparel industry despite a wealth of technologies available to the market. He pointed out that Hoffman Estates, Ill.–based retailer Sears, Roebuck and Co. posted a $20 million net loss in its first quarter, which ended April 3. Part of that loss, he said, was blamed on bringing in Spring apparel too late. Copeland also noted that some U.S. retailers are falling behind their European counterparts, which are adopting trends more quickly.

“Now you have a Spanish chain, Zara, and a Swedish one, H&M, expanding in the U.S.,” Copeland said. “Chinese brands are closer than you think. It all comes down to how we communicate with each other in business.”

Copeland said apparel companies could smooth out processes such as color approvals and spec and design creation by employing simplified computer-assisted tools with the Internet.

Los Angeles–based AIMS is also marketing toward smaller businesses. AIMS showed its Internet- based business management software, which costs a fraction of the company’s installed software price. The product features order processing and management functions and integrates with electronic data interchange.

“There are lots of small importers and manufacturers in California that don’t have the money to spend on [technology],” said Henry Cherner, principal of AIMS. “The problem is these companies usually grow too fast and can get into trouble if they don’t have the proper tools to manage their businesses. We try to help them get to that next level.”

Los Angeles–based ApparelLink is applying that concept to virtual showrooms. By employing a self-maintenance system, the company’s costs are well below market price, said principals Arnie Wachman and Kelly Rose.

“Now we’re doing it for the textile industry,” Wachman said. “Trust me, I used to sell textiles, and here in California, there’s so much time wasted driving to this company and that company. This should help.”

Glendale, Calif.–based software developer ApparelMagic has also moved to the Internet. The company showed its new Web Showroom service, which allows apparel businesses to show their lines via the Internet. The service also has full e-commerce capabilities.

And FedEx returned to the textile show to highlight a direct shipping service that eliminates the need for distribution centers for apparel and textile companies importing from Asia. Factories in Asia, provided with printers, can download shipping and customs information via the Internet and ship directly to the United States without going through a distribution center.

“It gets rid of the value-added steps,” said FedEx’s apparel industry consultant, John J. Wilkins.

“You’re talking about cost increases of between 3 percent and 10 percent every time someone touches your shipment,” added FedEx’s Lilly Rewruja.