California Apparel News

ORLANDO, FLA.—Hurricane Ivan tried but could not crash the party at Surf Expo, held Sept. 17–19 at the Orange County Convention Center. The storm, the third of four that battered the East Coast within one month, did manage to cut buyer traffic but not enough to damper business for the 13,000 exhibitors at the event.

Show producer DMG World Media had contemplated canceling the expo, but Ivan took a turn west and left Orlando with fair weather for shopping. Many Panhandle-based retailers and Caribbean store reps were absent, however, and buyer attendance was down 20 percent, said Surf Expo Marketing Director Dan Darby.

Some, including representatives from Cocoa Beach, Fla.–based retailer Oceansports World, visited the show despite the fact that Hurricane Ivan had ripped the roofs off their stores.

“For a lot of stores, this is their only opportunity all year to do their buying,” Darby said.

Even those who were not hit felt the panic the storm created.

“The storm never really hit us hard, but all the news and media telling everyone to leave scared everyone away,” said Suzanne Mott of Madeira Beach, Fla.–based Maggie’s Treasures.

John Sabo, senior vice president of men’s sportswear brand Redsand of Irvine, Calif., said the storms have had a devastating effect on the last half of the Back-to-School season.

Last-stop shopping

Still, buyers were hungry to restock their shelves and prepare for next spring. The show attracted stores from the East Coast, the West Coast, Hawaii and Canada.

Becker Surf of Torrance, ZJ Boarding House of Santa Monica, and Jack’s Surfboards of Huntington Beach were among the California stores with representatives on hand. Even though most of these retailers had just wrapped up three days of buying at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in San Diego, the calmer atmosphere and new vendors in Orlando made the trip worthwhile.

“I like to finish up what I couldn’t do at ASR and look for some new vendors that I haven’t seen,” said Bob Abdel, principal of Jack’s Surfboards. “Sometimes it’s easier to work here, too.”

Abdel said he found a few private- label resources.

Others took advantage of the new women’s groupings area, She, which offered surf and skate fashions. Mix-and-match swimwear, reversible suits, halter and bandeau tops, underwire constructions, Brazilian cuts, and sublimation prints were prominent swim looks in the section. Sports items included stretch boardshorts and rash guards. Streetwear featured baby cords, tunics, tees, beater tanks, cropped pants and halter dresses.

On the men’s side, interest held steady for stitchless boardshorts by Rip Curl, Aaron Chang and Billabong. Walk shorts in suit fabrics with pin stripes and low-contrast plaids were popular as were combat motifs. Redsand showed off its “Wall Street” shorts, and Aaron Chang displayed walk shorts with unfinished hems, borrowing a trend from women’s fashion. The handy cell-phone pocket was also prominent. Retro polos, short-sleeved and long-sleeved lounge shirts, and the staple graphic tee were all strong.

New looks and new lines

Women’s brands showed their strength at Surf Expo. Ventura, Calif.–based Surf Chick, experiencing a doubled sales volume, offered women’s apparel for in and out of the water, including stretch boardshorts, tunics, stretch baby cords and stretch-poplin tops. Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Lucy Love is riding a tripled sales volume, and Irvine, Calif.–based Split Girl is on a 40 percent growth spurt. Billabong representatives said the company is experiencing “lots of momentum.”

Growth is coming from the emergence of women’s sports as well as stronger fashion entries from the surf market. More beachwear manufacturers are being seen at Los Angeles Fashion Week.

So while talking up features such as two- and four-way stretch, Lycra zips and seamless constructions on boardshorts, manufacturers are also playing up their color palettes and “collections.” Foothhill Ranch, Calif.–based Oakley showed stretch-denim sets with low-rise pants, as well as capris and fleece sweat suits.

Kelly green, turquoise and yellow were popular colors. “Yellow next year will be what pink is this year,” said Sabo of Redsand, which will launch a women’s line for 2006.

Color blocking, mixed-media prints, triangle and halter tops, seersucker, and razor-back constructions are prominent in Billabong’s swimwear line, according to sales executive Candy Harris.

Split Girl focused on bright colors such as lime green, cool blues, prints and stripes for baby-doll tunics, ’70s halters, poplin cropped trousers, and jumpsuits.

Lucy Love also featured tunics. “We love the layering possibilities. Tunics are great for the beach,” said principal Amber Sharp.

The company also showed two-piece swimwear with prints depicting flowers from around the world.

Irvine, Calif.–based Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. took the retro approach, offering classic corduroy shorts in boy cuts and paisley-lined hoodies.

Chula Vista, Calif.–based Ezekiel sportswear showed white denim bottoms. Juniors business for the vendor is up fourfold, said Sales Manager Lindsay Henkels.

“The ’80s are coming back. Retro is coming back,” said Marie Hirahara, sales associate for The Rays Group, license holder for Op.

Steady Clothing of Santa Ana, Calif., focused on what it called “modern vintage” with punk dresses and race jackets, said Sales Manager Jon Day.

A number of vendors, sensing the buildup of swimwear brands, sought out niches. Vista, Calif.–based Girl Star combined sophisticated Brazilian and European influences with West Coast style. “It’s Paris meets California,” Girl Star’s Jeff Turpin said of the company’s graphic tops and bottoms, designed in Brazil.

Retailers couldn’t get enough. Judy Bailey of Sensation Swimwear in Broomfield, Colo., said the store, on a 40 percent growth clip, was focusing on apparel for women and children going on cruises and beach vacations. She eyed lines from Cover Style, Ritchie Swimwear and Jag.

New resources included Cult Industries, the Australian brand launched by former Billabong executive Doug Spong. “We’re the Diesel of surf,” said Cult’s Greg Paltridge.

The brand has been thriving in Australia for about three years. Now, Spong wants to conquer the U.S. market and has opened a sales office in Los Angeles. The label is off to a good start, having attracted fans such as Paris Hilton.

Also showing for the first time was Kerry Cushman of Santa Monica, Calif.–based swimwear start-up Kushcush. Cushman described the line as “Miss Manners by day and Page Six by night.” The 14-piece debut collection features argyle and dot prints with ruffle and ribbon details, with wholesale prices averaging $75. Stores such as Kitson in Los Angeles have picked up the line.

Also debuting swimwear was Abigail Lebay, who showed bandeau and halter tops with lace-up bottoms in stripes and jigsaw-puzzle prints as well as solid sets with rings and ties. The designer, from Eliot, Maine, spent five years as a custom outfitter before launching a collection for the trade. Wholesale prices range from $16 to $35.