ENK's Blue Bows in NY
NEW YORK—New baby boy Blue made its very hip debut during a busy men’s fashion week in New York.
The brand-new premium denim trade show, organized by ENK, came to The Tunnel nightclub in Chelsea just a few days after the Project Global Trade Show concluded at the nearby Jacob Javits Convention Center, running concurrently with ENK’s major menswear show, The Collective, at The Show Piers.
Blue was a much, much smaller affair than the very well-established Collective, with just 49 brands exhibiting, as opposed to the 500-plus to be found at the Piers—but it focused attention on the growing men’s premium denim market.
Some of the well-recognized brands included Goldsign, Seven for All Mankind, Diesel, Antik Denim and Earnest Sewn. Companies such as The Other Side of Kyoto and Just Yves brought a more tailored side of denim, while Z-Brand and PRPS displayed their more roughed-up style.
But it wasn’t all just about jeans—there was some heavy-duty jewelry from L.A.’s Han Cholo and some gothic-inspired leather bags from California- based King Baby Studio. Both Raw-7 and Ed Hardy mixed a little West Coast rock star into their cashmere sweaters, fusing luxury with a little punk imagery.
And then there were some retro argyle-style knits from old-school favorite Le Tigre, which appears to be back with a vengeance.
A few of the exhibitors said the show was a little quiet—most putting it down to the fact that having so many trade shows at once can be a little overwhelming. And with three shows in New York and the upcoming Trafik show in Florida (not to mention the giant MAGIC Marketplace set for February in Las Vegas), they figured it might be a little much for buyers.
A good number of exhibitors did go on to say that the few buyers that had come through were the strong, important buyers they wanted to see, emphasizing quality over quantity. “It has been a very good trickle,” smiled Scott Saltzman, director of men’ sales for Hudson, who had Bloomingdale’s, E Street Denim and Stanley Korshak come to his stand. Michael Press, vice president of Paige Premium Denim, agreed.
“I have seen all the buyers that I would really want to see,” he said. “I think [ENK has] done a really great job—the atmosphere is amazing.”
Los Angeles–based Paige just launched its menswear line in November, and Press thought that a focused premium-denim trade show laid out in an organic, less claustrophobic way was helpful for new lines. “It’s a new show, and of course there are going to be less people than at some of the larger shows,” he said, but that allows me to talk to buyers and other exhibitors more—and then use that feedback for our own product development.”
Another proponent for the much more relaxed vibe at Blue was Thomas George, owner of the E Street Denim store in Highland Park, Ill., who described the show in one word— fun. “Actually I have already seen everything I need at all the other shows, but this one has the feel of how it used to be years ago—not so overly crowded with people jumping on you to make orders,” he said. “Often with many of those other shows, I don’t feel like I have accomplished any shopping, but here I really have time to browse and to talk to people.”
One stand that seemed to be continually buzzing was Z-Brand—another California-based company—which offered stylishly beaten-up denim, where “every stain, every tear, every mend has a story behind it.” Eber Zietsman, who heads East Coast marketing for Z-Brand, confirmed that the line had had a lot of attention at Blue. “I think the idea of having a separate, smaller denim show is a great idea; people will come here to look for something a little unique—those one-of-a-kind pieces that they might not see at the bigger shows.”
The one thing that everyone agreed on was the space. The rough-hewn brick walls and 20-foot ceiling of what used to be the infamous ’80s nightclub The Tunnel created a cool downtown gallery environment, perfect for this new, raw, edgier trade show.
