California Apparel News

It doesn’t get much more high-profile than Jennifer Lopez, so it’s no wonder that Ron Mata and Omar Lee of Alhambra, Calif.-based Merries International, Inc. are ecstatic about producing the J.Lo denim stretch bottoms and jacket collection, the new label produced by the sexy superstar and fashion megabrand Tommy Hilfiger. Mata is the vice president of international marketing and sales and Lee is the director for the private label manufacturer.

Merries International accomplished this fashion coup d’etat relatively easily.

“We are a vendor for Tommy Hilfiger and I got a call from his brother Andy,” said Mata. “He likes what we do with their label and mentioned that investors were signing contracts with Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez. He asked me to come to New York if I was interested.”

The two companies met and after a few meetings, Merries landed the J.Lo account.

Lopez is very fashion-conscious and will be partially involved in the creative process, according to Mata. “After all, Jennifer is a trendsetter with a very unique style,” Mata remarked. The first garments will be stretch denim bottoms with coordinating tops, but he stressed there are unlimited possibilities with this line.

Mata said his main concern is getting the first shipment to the stores for the upcoming holiday, with a fast turnaround time.

“There is a lot of excitement about the collection because of Jennifer’s overwhelming popularity,” he said. “They expect it to explode into a national and worldwide label.”

Besides Tommy Hilfiger, Merries International’s client list includes several high-profile labels: Guess, Paris Blues, BCBG, Bisou-Bisou, and Yumata, a junior label out of Japan. Mata said that along with the new J.Lo collection, they are also discussing developing samples with Mudd and Fresh Jive for distribution in Japan and Australia.

Merries International’s main headquarters is located in Shanghai, with the Alhambra office serving as the North American corporate branch. Omar Lee is the principal of the company. Mata and eight employees run the sales department, design center and showroom out of the Southern California office, which opened in 1995. They manufacture denim, polyurethane and leather apparel such as short, long and junior jackets, a variety of bottoms, tops, vests and young men’s jackets.

The company got its start 12 years ago manufacturing denim bottoms and jackets for New York-based Louis Paris for clients in Japan and Europe. Mata joined the team three years ago as vice president of private label merchandising. His background includes selling and developing corporate programs for a variety of manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe.

One of Mata’s first projects was a collection of polyurethane jackets the company submitted to Guess.

“They loved them and immediately gave us an order,” Mata said. “Then we started talking to other people who suggested we move into pants, shirts and vests.”

Mata said the program “blossomed and exploded” into other fabrications and other private label lines.

Merries International offers complete packaging services by shipping directly from Asia to other licensees domestically and overseas, according to Mata.

“When clients receive the merchandise in their distribution centers, every garment is individually poly-bagged and ready to ship to their customers,” he said. “We have a vertical operation with 80 percent of the product coming from our factory in Shanghai where both the fabric and the garments are produced. Everything is quoted on the LDP [landed duty-paid price].”The company recently opened up a new factory in Lesotho, an area on the east coast of South Africa. The denim used is quota-free into the U.S. since the passage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, a trade deal attached to the Caribbean Basin Initiative.

“We’re doing major programs right now with key people here and around the world to construct denim shirts, pants and skirts,” he said.

However, the Lesotho factory will manufacture only basic bottoms such as five-pocket stretch denim and stretch twill. More complicated garments will continue to be produced in Shanghai.

Typically, Merries’ private label clients present the company with the original designs, but on occasion they look for input or guidance on a specific garment.

“Ultimately the customer makes the decision on which one to move forward with,” he said. “If we have to change a garment or modify an item, it would be to meet production standards,” he adds.

Denim continues to be strong, according to Mata, who noted that the company plans to pursue the trend by offering a range of finishes such as dirty rinse, stonewash, tie-dye and camouflage.

“A really sensational look is the stonewashed torn jeans with pins and gold chains,” he said. “It is unlimited what one can do with denim bottoms—there is a myriad of embellishments to put on them.”

For the future, Merries International plans to expand, working with more chain stores to develop private label programs to fit their needs, according to Mata.

“The strategy for the future is simple,” he said. “We will keep manufacturing trendy, fun apparel for exciting lines like the J.Lo collection.”