California Apparel News

Q&A with Pool founder Rhonda

The Pool Trade Show is the link between young progressive sportswear and footwear designers and boutique and specialty store buyers in Las Vegas—so says Rhonda Walker, who founded the Los Angeles–based trade show four years ago. The biannual show, which has more than 300 vendors, caters to buyers from around the globe.

Previously, Walker sold young and edgy apparel out of her Republica Showroom in downtown Los Angeles. She saw a void in the market for a trade show that catered to alternative apparel buyers and dove into the trade show business in February 2001.

This year, she is expanding Pool’s offerings to include cosmetics, books, music and home accessories. Growth is a key point of interest to Walker, who is hosting the Aug. 30–Sept. 1 run in a 180,000- square-foot exhibition space at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

California Apparel News Manufacturing Editor Claudia Figueroa recently spoke to Walker about life at Pool.

What was your original vision of Pool, and how has that changed in recent years?

Pool’s an alternative trade show built for the boutique market. All of our vendors apply to be in our show by sending their samples for our review. Not having enough room has limited us. So we had to grow in order to be as creative as we need to be. We’ve created new categories, such as music and home accessories. When we were at the Las Vegas Hilton last [season], we were at 70,000 square feet. Our new space at Mandalay Bay is 180,000 square feet.

What influences today’s indie fashion?

I believe that most everything in fashion is influenced by street fashion. I’ve seen a lot more color than I ever have. I still believe that we’re moving into this neon stage.

What’s the biggest challenge for indie designers?

Getting their designs noticed, editing their lines and [finding] financial backing to support production.

I invite a lot of finance people to Pool in hopes that they will see someone that they will want to back. It’s not just a matter of getting noticed by retailers but also [by] finance companies that may want to back your product.

Are today’s boutique retailers open to newness in the market?

They crave it. I maintain contact with buyers, and they tell me a lot of trade shows are challenged to find new lines. We charge our designers a reasonable fee for an 8-by-10 booth.

About 50 percent of our collections are new lines that are launching at our trade show. We pride ourselves on launching new lines at the street level, from artists to designers. It’s like finding new talent.

What trends are you seeing in the specialty retailer and boutique markets? A wider variety of lines that fit into a boutique environment. Retailers are beginning to open their doors to a lifestyle product base. There are more opportunities out there for them to increase their sales volume, mainly by diversifying what’s on the retail floor. It’s not just denim and Tshirts anymore; it includes brands that cater to different aspects of a customer’s lifestyle needs.

What is your vision for Pool for the next five years?

That it grows organically, remains a relevant show to boutique buyers and improves as a lifestyle show.

How does Pool plan to grow organically?

We’re in that steady course, and we keep looking for ways to make it a unique show. Right now, we’re doing that by expanding the show’s offerings to include everything that caters to that edgy lifestyle. Technologywise, this year we are featuring a virtual runway—it’s a 10-by-10 video screen that will show virtual models set in landscapes that are digitized, and clothes are digitally put on models. Each of our exhibitors’ clothes will be featured on virtual models. It gives our exhibitors more opportunities to be seen. Unlike runway shows, this virtual display will loop all day long. It’s technology that blends with fashion.