California Apparel News

The second installment of the California Mart’s biannual trade show Urban Suburban got off to a slow start during its March 12–14 run, but by the end, many of the CalMart’s fourth floor showrooms were busy with appointments and unscheduled visits from buyers who were placing orders for the 46 young mens’ and urban lines featured.

Jasmine Graham, an account executive for New York-based Rocawear, expressed some initial reticence on Monday, having traveled from New York just for the show, but by the last day said she was pleased with the show.

“Today is a little slow,” she said on the first day of the show, adding, “They told us that tomorrow things should pick up. I came out here to see what was going on this side. We usually do MAGIC and because we have our showroom in New York, people come there to see us.”

Graham, who took temporary space for the show, had appointments on Monday and by Wednesday she reported that the pace had picked up and that she had been taking orders.

Tommy De Vera, a rep for New York-based Mecca and PNB labels, was happy with the show and happy with the CaliforniaMart. De Vera is preparing for a move from his current location of Seattle, Wash. to Los Angeles, where he recently signed a lease with the CalMart.

“This show is a really great idea,” said De Vera. “I never understood why everyone from L.A. went to New York shows when there are buyers right here on the West Coast who want to come out of their stores to shop in their area and go back to doing their business.”

De Vera said that he has created great relationships at the show and plans to extend those and previous relationships with local retailers once he has relocated to Los Angeles.

“I appreciate what the Mart has done,” said De Vera. “Not only did they create the show, but they worked to bring the buyers in. I’ve been busy taking orders since Monday, and if you have seen me idle, it’s because I’ve been checking the orders.”

Karen Mamont, executive director of marketing for the CaliforniaMart, reported that the Urban Suburban show was created not only to bring attention to the young men’s apparel lines inside the CalMart, but also to demonstrate that Los Angeles is the hot spot for the development of edgier, urban menswear.

“People go to New York for Donna Karan, but they come to California for the streetwear,” she said.

Mamont said that the urban genre originated in California with street and surfwear, and when menswear had little new developments for a long stretch of time [in the 1990s] street and surf apparel began to drive the industry.

“When we saw the magnitude of urban growing at MAGIC,” explained Mamont, “we thought we needed to develop that kind of resource here in the CaliforniaMart. It brought the excitement back.”

The streetwear category has also seen a shift from the large East Coast labels to smaller labels in recent years, according to Jennifer Jordan, a leasing agent for the CalMart.

“Three years ago, urban was Tommy Hilfiger and the more traditional, larger brands,” she said. “They were doing really well in New York, but not as well here.”

Mamont and Jordan both agreed that California retailers are beginning to understand the importance of the urban apparel market and the influence the music industry has on the category.

Several of the lines showing at Urban Suburban are owned by rap music personalities. Bigg Snoop Dogg is owned by the rapper of the same name, Phat Farm and Baby Phat are both lines promoted by Russel Simmons of Def Jam fame and rapper Jay-Z owns Rocawear.

The CalMart does not release attendance figures but many of the sales reps and designers reported that the show was productive overall. And several showrooms were clearly busier than others. One of those high-traffic showrooms was Los Angeles-based YMLA, which had buyers with appointments meeting with the account executives, while buyers without appointments perused the line, waiting for a free rep.

“The show is great,” said Jim Hieronymus, a YMLA rep. “We have a full house here and people from all over, ready to buy. We have people from Colorado, Venezuela and we have local buyers.”

Another showroom with heavy traffic was the line Leakwear, which launched its brand last fall. Leakwear had a smaller showroom, but the space was standing room only at one point during the show.

Billy, a rep for New York-based Leakwear who declined to give his last name, reported meeting with stores such as Demos, Ragz, Macy’s West and some specialty boutiques.

“We’ve had great days,” he said. “The Mart has provided us with strong retailers. They’re coming in and writing orders.”

Chong Park, a men’s sportswear retailer from Fresno, Calif., said that she was able to come right to the fourth floor and find the sports-styled fashion she was seeking. Another buyer who asked to be anonymous reported that he was placing orders at this show and would be coming back to the CaliforniaMart to do business in the future.

Mamont said the next Urban Suburban show will take place at the CaliforniaMart this fall, but the dates have not yet been confirmed.