California Apparel News

Cars were triple-parked in the California Mart parking lot for much of the week, and turnout was strong at the Directives West and Barbara Fields Buying Office fashion shows that also took place on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles, but rampant fears related to last month’s terrorist attacks and slow retail sales still kept buyer turnout lower than in previous years at the Los Angeles junior and contemporary market, held Oct. 8–11 at the Cal Mart.

Many sales reps reported that buyers had cancelled or shortened their trips to market, but they added that the retailers who did make the trip to the Cal Mart were focused. Manufacturers said they planned to catch up with absent buyers through direct mail or by visiting them.

“It’s not as busy as we expected,” said Barbara Klein of BKLA, a juniors manufacturer on the eighth floor of the Cal Mart. “A lot of people are cancelling their trips and some are going home early. I try to squeeze as much in the day as long as they are here. A lot of people are scared to fly and they are hesitant because they don’t want to get stuck in another city.”

Klein was in New York on Sept. 11 and was unable to get home for eight days, but she said that she remains focused on moving forward.

“I’ve been in business for 27 years,” she said. “I have to do business. I’m flying to New York next month. I go every month. I’m also sending a lot of sample packages to people.”

Michael Cohen of Jamaican Style, a contemporary swimwear manufacturer also located on the eighth floor of the Cal Mart, reported similar results.

“We had appointments, but some people were just flat not coming,” he said. “Some of our stores made us make rounds and I went to Kansas and New York. It actually opened doors, because people ordered when we went to their stores. They were positive and really appreciated it. We also did mailings.”

Sharon Kapps, a juniors buyer with Milwaukee-based Carson Pirie Scott & Co., a division of Saks Inc., said a number of her counterparts from other department stores didn’t come.

“Even some of our own representatives didn’t come,” Kapps said. “I wish I hadn’t come so I could be with my family.”

Carrolton, Texas-based Gadzooks Inc. attended market but cut down its attendance by one day. Paula Masters, the company’s president and chief merchandising officer, cited both global concerns and the market’s showing as reasons for the abrupt change.

“I’m disappointed in the market, the lack of newness and traffic,” said Masters, whose company’s stores carry DKNY Jeans,Paris Blues, L.E.I. and Billabong. “Buyers feed off each and if that energy isn’t there, it’s discouraging.”

Fear of flying did not deter everyone. Some buyers conducted business as usual, and some even flew to Los Angeles in spite of the climate of anxiety.

Renee Robinson and Kalliope Nicopoulos, co-owners of Frock Candy in New Orleans, saw the terrorist attacks dampen business in their hometown and said they felt compelled to do their part to keep business moving.

“We normally don’t do Cal Mart [shows], but we feel very strong about showing our support right now,” said Nicopoulos. “We have a store in the French Quarter and after [the terrorist attacks], the Quarter almost shut down. This is the safest time to fly. Both legs on our flight out here were full. We don’t have any reservations about flying.”

Moshe Tsabag, owner of Los Angeles-based Hot Kiss, said he had very few buyer cancellations, adding that his showroom had about 100 appointments scheduled during market week.

“Most of the buyers we’ve met don’t seem discouraged after the events on Sept. 11,” he said. “They’re still going forward with orders.”

Peggy Mares, who designs a better junior label known as Ruby, said business was steady in her seventh floor showroom at the New Mart. Mares said all 20 of her appointments were dropping paper; only one appointment cancelled because they didn’t want to travel by air.

And buyers who made appointments kept them, according to Nyman Jensen, a sales rep for Los Angeles-based didi & Company leather and sportswear.

“Buyers who are here are very positive and are finding things,” said Jensen. “Specialty stores placed orders, but that’s not the nature of the majors, who shop the market and then place orders later.”

Elizabeth Bannerman-Richter, designer of I’vory contemporary garments in the New Mart, found market results “surprisingly better than what we anticipated, considering what’s going on. We thought it would be slow, but it’s been basically good.” Bannerman-Richter said she booked appointments—primarily with West Coast retailers. “I think many [East Coast] stores suspended their travel plans ahead of time,” she added.

Buyers turned out to see the latest trends at the Directives West fashion show in the California Mart Fashion Theater on the morning of Oct. 8. Then, at the end of the day, many headed over to Barbara Fields’ Spring trend presentation at the Beverly Hills Country Club. (For coverage of both events, click here and here.)

The Cal Mart did not have final attendance figures by press time and noted the difficulty in compiling them.

“It’s really hard to get people to register for October market because they come right in in the morning and go right up to appointments,” said Karen Mamont, public relations and marketing for the Cal Mart. Mamont said the buying offices provide the Cal Mart with a list of the retailers who attend the market after the show, but the Cal Mart had not completed the tally by press time. Some of the retailers included Nordstrom, Parisian, Sears, Saks/Proffits, Steinmart, the Belk, Delia’s, Dillard’s, Carson Pirie Scott, Gottschalks, Charlotte Russe, Wet Seal/Arden B., Clothestime and JC Penney.

“We expected due to the circumstances in the country a softer market but we were very happy with the turnout,” Mamont said, noting that Directives West’s fashion show was filled to capacity with buyers.

Trends: Femininity Is Key

Bannerman-Richter reported that the buyers are also providing valuable information on sales patterns.

“They’ve been telling us what’s strong and what’s soft in the market,” she said. “More femininity is what everyone is going for.”

Confirming the femininity trend, Ruby was moving lace dresses and mesh novelty tops, while Bohemian, ruffles, lace and eyelette tops and bottoms were a few styles seen at the Terry Sahagon Sales showroom in the New Mart. These styles will continue to be at the forefront for Spring 2002 fashion, according to the showroom’s owner.

“But lace will be a huge seller throughout the season,” said Sahagon, whose showroom houses lines by Tracy Reese, Storm, Time Is, Weston Wear and Plenty.

“Everyone is looking forward to Spring,” said Joni Samuels, who reps contemporary lines Muse and Kamellia on the Cal Mart’s fifth floor. “They seem to know exactly what they want. Basically, they are going into trends and looks they have sold in the past, like bright colors, bright prints, happy prints and still looking for ruffles, femininity and fit.”

Anaheim, Calif.-based Styles, which operates 80 stores under the Styles and Styles for Less names, comes to the show for direction only, according to buyer Susan Mayoga. She said key looks were the feminine touches of lace and ruching on everything from denim to peasant-style blouses.

Juniors buyers from Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, Delia’s and Juxtapose were placing steady orders for “minis, minis and more minis,” said Space Girlz owner Rick Skolnik, adding that denim minis “will be really important for Spring.”

Denim was an unmistakable trend leader, followed by Americana looks given glitzy treatments.

All things Americana were top sellers at Tyte’s showroom. Owner Alden Halpern said his company was preparing to ship 10,000 units to retailers including Gadzooks and Charlotte Russe.

Andrea Rankin-Waters, owner of Self Esteem, reported that the company received steady orders for American-flag T-shirts as a result of the events of Sept. 11. She said the company was preparing to ship over 300,000 units within the next few weeks.

Buyers: Cautious but Loyal

The fact that the economy hasn’t been a picnic for the past year made most buyers cautious. A number said that they weren’t taking chances on purchases but were staying loyal to their own vendors.

“We’re not scouting for different lines,” said Lisa Lewis, a buyer with McCaulou’s Department Stores in Lafayette, Calif. “We’re sticking to our appointments.”

Sahagon said traffic was consistent in her showroom, with an even mix of major department-store and specialty-store buyers. She attributed strong specialty retail sales during market to the postponement of New York’s Coterie show last month.

“Specialty stores typically place orders in November,” she said. “But some buyers are choosing to order now because Coterie was pushed back, and there is still the possibility of more changes.”

Sahagon said some of the West Coast buyers she talked to were considering staying home during November markets, adding that buyers are not eager for a quick turnaround in markets as a result of Coterie being pushed back. “So far, my appointments for November are off to a good start,” she added.

Kapps, however, said her division hasn’t been impacted due to the resilience of the youth market.

“Juniors have more money and have a tendency to spend it faster no matter what,” she said. “Even with less money, they still spend it.”