California Apparel News

LAS VEGAS—The timing of this season’s show was ideal for CurveNV, which, in the past, was held over the all-important Valentine’s Day holiday. 

“Valentine’s Day is the big season,” said Laurence Teinturier, co-founder of CurvExpo, which organizes CurveNV and its East Coast show, CurveNY. Teinturier said retailers reported “incredible” sales for the holiday. 

CurvExpo, which was acquired by French trade show organizer Eurovet last year, also named a new chief executive officer. Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel, who has been a consultant for Eurovet for the past five years, joined CurvExpo in January. 

The Las Vegas show, held Feb. 18–19 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, featured a mix of returning and new exhibitors, including French men’s and women’s line Pull-In, which launched a new line at the show. Costume is more conservative than the flashy print-driven Pull-In collection. The knit and woven boxers come in solids and more-subdued prints.

Another men’s resource was New York–based Pengallan, which featured boxers made from European shirting fabrics and cut with a slim silhouette.

“Everything I’ve done has something to with a problem I’ve found in the market,” said owner Jason Tsou. “I said, ‘I don’t know why they don’t make boxers that fit.’”

Pengallan boxers have a flat front and a slim cut designed to fit under slim pants. Each piece is sized like a men’s pant size so the customer knows which size to buy. The New York–based collection launched in August. 

Romanian lingerie company Jolidon was at the show to showcase the advantages of its vertical manufacturing operations. The 20-year-old company is fully integrated. There’s even a print facility on-site to print lookbooks and posters.

The company setup allows for high-quality lingerie at a good price, said Export Manager Bogdan Dragut.  

The core Jolidon collection has an average wholesale price of $35. The premium Prelud collection is wholesale priced at about $60, which includes handmade pieces and hand-worked embellishments. 

Both collections are sold in boutiques in Europe, as well as in the company’s own stores in Romania. “The Romanian market is ours,” Dragut said. 

Northridge, Calif.–based Parisa Fe launched last year and already is selling to select boutiques, including Macy’s andMacys.com, said Linda Fowler, account executive and fit specialist for the company. 

The collection is designed for the younger, full-bust customer who shops with her smaller-bust friends and wants the same pretty lingerie. 

“We did a lot of research,” Fowler said. 

Parisa Fe bras are sized 30–44 with cup sizes ranging from C to H. For June deliveries, the company is extending the cup sizes to B for smaller-bust customers. A top-seller is a pushup-style bra that lifts the bust, and all bras have mix-and-match bottoms.

Until launching the brand last year, the company was producing private-label lines.  Produced in company-owned factories in Thailand and China, the line is retail priced from $38 to $44. 

Fowler said she saw several online retailers at Curve, including Bare Necessities, HerRoom.com,Hips & Curves and Sassy Curves.

Returning to the show—and to the U.S. market—was Millesia, a high-end lingerie collection based on French culture and craftsmanship. 

“All designs are deeply rooted in French culture,” said representative Charles de Tournay. 

Retail priced at about $165, Millesia bras do not have molded cups. Instead the cups are constructed with three seams to follow the curve of the bust. Fabrications include high-end lace and engineered embroideries.  

“The value our customers get for $160 is quite high,” de Tournay said. 

The company is also employing modern solutions to connect with customers. Each hangtag has a QR code that unlocks the story behind the design. 

This season, Curve introduced The Gallery, a section of the show featuring smaller booths for up-and-coming brands. “We offer a new type of booth to small designers that we think bring something to the show. Each is a niche,” Teinturier said. 

One of those brands is Los Angeles–based Knickerocker. 

Designer Nichola Thompson has been making each piece by hand and selling though her successful Etsy store. The Gallery at Curve provided Thompson the opportunity to move into wholesale. 

“Everything is made by hand. Every fabric is my design,” she said. 

Thomson’s husband, a former Disney and Cartoon Network artist, created the cat, bunny and teddy-bear characters featured in Knickerocker’s fabrics and designs, which

Thompson prints on cotton/silk through Spoonflower.com. 

“It’s a fun, sassy line,” Thompson said. “Sexy is covered. Slutty is covered. I think there’s a big audience for that Hello Kitty market.” 

Another exhibitor in The Gallery is Montreal-based Miel, which was showcasing its collection of knit bras, camisoles and panties. Although the knit pieces appear simple, there’s engineered construction to help lift and support the bust or provide a hint of compression at the waist. 

Founded by sisters Camila and Valeria Velandia, Miel features a display box for retailers that allows them to quickly replenish fast-selling styles. Each box has room for six essential pieces—three tops and three bottoms.