California Apparel News

The secret to success in the recent Holiday/Resort market, held Aug. 8–11 in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District, seemed to be booking buyer appointments ahead of time.

Showrooms that followed that strategy were pleased with the four-day Los Angeles Fashion Market, which saw smaller attendance than usual because many people were opting to attend the various trade shows—such as the MAGIC Marketplace and Project—scheduled days later in Las Vegas for Aug. 16–19.

“I think a lot of people are being economical and putting their money into attending the bigger shows,” said Barbara James, whose showroom of the same name is in The New Mart.

Some even questioned the wisdom of holding an August market right before the Las Vegas trade shows, which keep growing every year.

“You don’t need to have five shows,” said Benzi Gershon, owner of the Signature Studio showroom in the California Market Center. “Europe only has two seasons. I prefer [to show in Los Angeles in] June and go strong to Las Vegas.”

Despite a small buying crowd, those who did attend were upping their budgets slightly and looking for new items that would entice customers through the front doors. Mixed reaction at the CMC

A jam-packed trade show schedule put a dent in some—but not all—business at the California Market Center.

In addition to the Las Vegas shows, Stylemax in Chicago ran Aug. 7–10, and Dallas Apparel & Accessories Market and Fashion Industry Gallery in Dallas began on Aug. 12.

“The proximity of the shows has impacted everything,” said Chris Myers, whose showroom carries the XCVI collection. “We were at Intermezzo; we have someone at Stylemax; we’ll be at MAGIC. You name the show, we’ll do it.”

But Myers said the show schedule was just one of several challenges facing apparel makers these days. “The specialty-store business, on a whole, is not what it was,” he said. “There are fewer stores, less product and leaner inventories. Unless you’re a core resource for someone, forget it.”

Myers said the turnout at market was “definitely West Coast–based.” XCVI’s collection of garment-dyed knit and woven pieces is a good fit for national retailers looking for warm-weather pieces for quick-turn deliveries.

“Our cutoff is 45 days out because everything is garment-dyed in Los Angeles,” he said. “And thank God it’s been warm everywhere.”

For Peter Jacobsen, owner of the Creative Concepts showroom, the turnout at August market was an improvement over last year.

Jacobsen’s showroom carries European collections Aventures des Toiles, Bleu Blanc Rouge, Cannisse, J.J. Garella, Indies, Rizal and Rodika Zanian, which have a tighter sales window than domestic collections.

“If you want European product, you have a window from the end of July to the end of September,” he said, adding that some lines are still available through October.

For Jacobsen’s customers, the August market in Los Angeles is a chance to view a collection in its entirety, rather than racing through an edited collection at the Las Vegas trade shows. “If you want to see a complete collection, you’re not going to see it all at MAGIC,” he said.

For Gershon, at the Signature Studio showroom, the overlapping schedule meant many of his retailers said they were skipping Los Angeles in favor of the Las Vegas shows.

Gershon was preparing to launch his latest collection, Moda USA, in Las Vegas, where he is presenting the line alongside Z Cavaricci at WWDMAGIC. The China-based line features printed maxi dresses wholesaling from $24 to $26.

Although other buildings in the Los Angeles Fashion District kicked off market on Monday, several showrooms on the CMC’s second and third floors opted to open on Sunday for retailers who prefer to travel and shop over the weekend.

Sharon Koshet of the Sharon Koshet Sales showroom on the third floor said Sunday was her busiest day.

Among the collections Koshet was showing was Hippie Ink, which was doing well with off-the-shoulder fleece tops, T-shirt dresses and slub-knit hoodies. “We’ve been doing surprisingly well,” said Hippie Ink designer Jennifer Ashley. “We’ve gotten some good new stores.”

Other lines in the showroom include item-driven Mezmerize and its secondary line, From the Heart; eveningwear by Alberto Makali and its secondary line, I AM by Alberto Makali; sportswear line Isabel, based in Garland, Texas; Perfect Cami, based in Long Beach, Calif.; and Ragz, a hand-loomed, hand-finished sweater line based in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.

Among Ragz’s strongest-selling items was a shredded-knit cardigan vest. The collection sells to specialty boutiques in California, including Ooh La La in Carlsbad and Compliments in Indian Wells, as well as The Leopard Spot in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Susan Liss, the owner of Compliments, liked Ragz’s shredded cardigan so much, she bought one on the spot from designer and owner Lois Horychata.

Liss, who was still shopping the Sharon Koshet showroom, described her boutique as a mini-department store with everything from fashion and shoes to jewelry and gifts.

The retailer said she was looking for Fall, Holiday and Spring merchandise—“because I’m a seasonal store”—but she added that unique items do especially well with her customers. “If she’s going to spend the money, it’s got to stand out; it’s got to be something unique,” she said.

CMC executives said other retailers shopping the show included Zappos, Amazon.com, Nordstorm, Kitson, Jigsaw and Wendy Foster. Brighte shines

Exhibitors at Brighte, located in the CMC’s Fashion Theater, said they had a good turnout—particularly from West Coast customers.

“It was good—one of my best shows,” said Nina Frank, sales executive for New York–based knits line Minnie Rose. “I opened at least five new accounts,” she said, adding that she saw primarily California stores, many of whom already carry the collection. “We don’t have a West Coast rep,” she said. “They come to see me. I’ve been here for years. I’m a destination.”

Stephani Lin, owner and designer of Los Angeles–based handbag collection Monserat de Lucca, was at the show with her core collection and two new accessories lines, Lost & Found and Remi & Reid.

Although she acknowledged the August market is “a lot smaller,” she was satisfied with the turnout, also primarily represented by West Coast stores.

Aziza Chorsi, the president of Miami-based American International Traders, was getting a good response to her two European collections, Myrine & Me, based in Belgium, and Mitte Kai Rand, based in Denmark. This market was the first time both lines showed at Brighte. She was pleased with the reaction to the lines. “We had some walk-throughs, but [mostly] our [existing] customers came here,” she said. The New Mart

The New Mart building had its share of buyers wandering through the halls and showrooms searching for newness.

Lee Tatum, who owns two stores at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, Calif., was looking for bright colors and unique items to bring tourists through the doors of her accessories and shoe stores. “I’m looking for something totally different,” she said. “I am so tired of the things that I am carrying. And I figured if I’m tired of it, my customers must be, too.”

Even though her stores are located at a four-star resort, that doesn’t mean tourists are shelling out tons of money for extras. “Business has been difficult,” she noted. “When groups come, they spend less. That’s why I think it is important that we bring in new lines.”

Also wandering the halls of The New Mart was Jennifer Do, the senior buyer for shopping website Chickdowntown.com, based in Voorhees, N.J. She, too, was hunting for items that would stand out and dazzle her contemporary-clothing customers. “We are looking for special pieces that will resonate online,” she said, noting this was her first time shopping Los Angeles Fashion Market. She and a colleague had recently attended Intermezzo in New York, and now they were on the West Coast checking out the local brands that would fall into her $100 to $500 retail price range. Business, she said, was coming back this year after a tough time last year, but everyone had to buy smarter.

Showroom owners were happy to see buyers such as Tatum and Do because this market was not that robust for many sales representatives.

“The market is a little slow,” said Jenna Fisher, a sales rep in the A la Mode showroom, which carries womenswear labels Hazel, Jaloux and Toppin.

Barbara James, whose showroom is named after her, also said the market was slower than normal. However, she did see some big-name retailers such as Nordstrom and Revolve Clothing and websites such as The Gap–owned Piperlime (www.piperlime.com) looking at her lines Aryn K, Hy & Dot and Rory Beca. They were leaving orders but taking extra care to analyze what they bought. “People are still cautious but not as much as before,” she said.

At the Charlotte Tarantola showroom, which represents the Los Angeles label of the same name, buyer visits were steady but nothing to gush about. “MAGIC is definitely taking customers from this August venue,” said Dana Pederson, the West Coast sales representative for the label. Buyers who did show up were leaving paper and writing orders for everything from Fall 2010 to early Spring 2011 for the line, whose wholesale prices range from $42 to $72.

Pederson thought buyers were much more tuned into their business and how items were selling on the store floor. “They don’t give you as much give as before,” she explained. “Before it was, ’Oh, you had a bad season; I’ll give you another chance.’”

Charlotte Tarantola’s buyers were stocking up on girly vintage floral-print sweaters as well as tops with a nautical theme or camouflage designs. Designers and Agents

On the third floor of The New Mart, Designers and Agents produced an unusually small show during its Aug. 9–11 run. There were only 20 vendors exhibiting. However, stores placed orders.

Boutiques Ron Herman and Malibu, Calif.–based Spindle and Canister walked the show. Tayo Abidoye, owner of Spindle and Canister, wrote an order for Arnold Zimberg shirts. Though he thought this run of D&A was small, it gave him a head start on the shopping he intended to do at Project, a contemporary trade show that runs Aug. 17–19 in Las Vegas.

“Project is so big, it’s exhausting,” he said. “Smaller shows are nice. You can talk to buyers, and there’s no rush. That was my reason for checking it out.”

For Cindy Pellechio, a representative for New York–based Resin Denim, having a booth at a small show helped her business. “I’ve seen some accounts and took some good orders,” she said. “But it’s August; there are so many shows, it’s hard for the buyers to be everywhere at once.”

D&A co-producer Ed Mandelbaum conceded resort markets are not as important as they once were. “But as long as exhibitors want it, we’ll do it,” he said. Exhibitors decreased 10 percent compared with last August, but buyer traffic was on par with last year.

Other boutiques dropping by the show were Market, a boutique from Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood; Minnie T’s from Los Angeles’ Venice Beach; and Wendy Foster of Santa Barbara, Calif.Cooper Design Space

Many vendors at the Cooper Design Space said appointments were crucial to making the August fashion market profitable.

“There is not a lot of foot traffic,” said Moss Mills, founder and designer of the Moss Mills brand of jewelry and apparel. However, he had appointments with boutiques such as Boca in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, Santa Monica, Calif.–based Bettina Duncan at Fred Segal, and San Francisco boutiques Ideele and Candy Store Collective.

For Israel Ramirez, owner of Siblings Sales Agency, the August market is an opportunity to plan ahead for Project. “Most of my clients will see me in Vegas,” Ramirez said.

Mona Sangkala, leasing director for the Cooper, estimated buyer traffic the first day of market doubled from last year. She said the Cooper’s attendance may have increased because building management was more aggressive in registering buyers for this market.

Boutiques shopping the show included Manhattan Beach, Calif.–based Wright’s, Santa Barbara, Calif.–based Wendy Foster and Pasadena, Calif.–based Elisa B.

“It was not so bad,” she said. “It was a typical August market. It’s typically slower than other markets.”

Mikey Koffman, owner of The Gallery Los Angeles showroom, said she had to hustle for appointments for the typically slow August show. During the L.A. Fashion Markets in March and October, her showroom is busy with appointments and a lot of walk-in traffic. “No market needs to exist right before Vegas,” she said. “Vegas is the most important market for most of these brands.”

Gerry Building and Lady Liberty Building

Though walk-in traffic was scarce at the Gerry Building and the Lady Liberty Building, showrooms reported that nearly all of the accounts that booked appointments left paper behind.

At the Nek-Enuf showroom in the Gerry Building, Jerry Neckanoff said stores from California and Colorado wrote Immediate- and Holiday-delivery novelty items that customers would buy on “impulse.” Neckanoff added, “Most people are not looking for collections, more items.”

One of the showroom’s top sellers was Jack Steven’s line of “sophisticated sweats” treated with mineral washes. The soft-thermal and knit tees, which wholesaled from $26 to $32, offered both fashion and comfort at an affordable price.

In the Lady Liberty Building, Citizens of Humanity’s new showroom was visited by a “steady” stream of key local accounts, including Elyse Walker, Ron Herman and Revolve Clothing. “Basically everyone who came in wrote,” Annette Berberian said. New names at Focus

This was the first trade show for Los Angeles–based glove maker Gaspar Gloves, which was showing at Focus, located on the CMC’s 13th floor. The company has been working for about 20 years in the film and theater industries but recently expanded into the wholesale market.

“The idea is that gloves are not only for keeping hands warm, they are a fashion accessory,” said Tibor Balazs, director of sales and marketing. The company has made some inroads in the East Coast market but is working on developing more West Coast business.

In addition to the core collection, the company was also showing two new specialty collections. The Touchtec line uses a patented technique for the leather, which enables the wearer to use an iPhone or other touch-screen devices without removing their gloves.

“There are only 600 million touch-screen phones out there,” Balazs said. “I just want a fraction of that.”

The company was also showing sun-protection gloves made from Spectrum Lycra, which filters out UV radiation. Gaspar developed the gloves for Enliva, a sun-protection clothing line, but decided to add its own sun-protective designs to their line.