California Apparel News

Juniors manufacturers are looking forward to the Holiday season to lift spirits and sluggish sales following a lackluster Back-to-School turnout.

Recent reports from the Rand Youth Poll show teen spending cooling off, although some see signs of a rebound. Teen spending dipped 12.6 percent last year to $124.2 billion nationwide, according to the survey.

But manufacturers say the right item will continue to drive sales despite the economic downturn.

“I think the customer is more cautious or more discerning—that doesn’t mean that she is only buying things that are cheap,” said Elizabeth Muntilde;oz, senior vice president of merchandising for Vernon, Calif.-based Lucky Brand Dungarees, a division of New York-based Liz Claiborne. “We have found that when we have something special, something really compelling, our customer will pay almost anything for it.”

Juniors designers are gearing up for Holiday by reinventing velvet, lace and satin separates and dresses with plenty of novelty trimming.

“Holiday is typically a glitzy season and that’s more of a reason to retail it for those who want to dress up,” said Moshe Tsabag, president of Los Angelesbased Hot Kiss.

On the action sports side of the business, performance apparel makers are adding casual workwear to round out their offerings.

Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based Vans reported strong bookings for hats, tees, fleece, and bags and other accessories for its wholesale division. Wholesale bookings are up 40 percent over last Fall, according to Thom Gridley, head of design and development. The company attributes that increase to telesales and opening more accounts with specialty stores. “We’re not oversaturated in the teen market yet, so we’re poised for success,” said Gridley.

For early Spring the company said it would focus on more sporty yet career- inspired apparel. It will make fewer styles, but with more purpose, said Gridley.

For Holiday, the company is launching a denim collection at its retail stores. The new collection, which will be in stores beginning 10/15, will have a fit system: relaxed fit, classic fit, baggy fit and modified fit. Checkerboard pocket linings and side-stripe stitching are some of the details included in the collection.

“The retail venue is our arena to establish a solid cut-andsew business that will eventually go into wholesale,” said Gridley.

Denim makers are looking to new fabrications to help them stand out in a crowded denim market. Corduroy is expected to be strong from Holiday through early Spring.

San Franciscobased Levi Strauss & Co. is banking on a new development for its Dockers line of khaki pants. That development is Dockers Go Khaki, a new collection of stain-resistant casual pants for young men and women.

Last year, the company saw a downtrend in sales for Dockers, which got the company to rethink its strategy, said company spokeswoman Andrea Corso. The new Dockers collection, particularly for juniors customers, offers a casual pant for every lifestyle, translating to a feminine and flattering fit.

The denim giant is also pushing Dockers Low Rise Boot Cut pants for early Spring, said Corso. “Now all women can do ’low.’ The look is figure-flattering and stylishly low-waisted without being too belly-bearing,” she said.

Lucky Brand Dungarees reported brisk sales for Back-to-School with novelty looks driving up the company’s sales going into Holiday. “Last year it was all about basics but this year is more novelty, with different treatments,” reported Muntilde;oz.

With Holiday deliveries beginning 9/30, the company will continue its fashion-basics- meets-novelty formula with whimsical prints such as a poodle sweater and an assortment of denim with hand treatments, including sanding and whiskers. Lucky Brand’s Spring offerings include women’s tuxedo shirts and shirts with Western themes, said Muntilde;oz.

GUESS? Jeans continued in the red in the second quarter, but the Los Angelesbased company says it’s optimistic about sales for Holiday and early Spring with plans to capitalize on top-selling pieces. Lace and ruffle blouses, sheer silk and suede tops, smocking and ruching on tops in pale pastels, sheer sweaters with embellishments, cotton/Lycra denim skirts with stitched seam details and braided suede belts are some of the looks to expect. The company had a soft launch last June and has had a great response from retailers, said Maurice Marciano, co-chairman and cochief executive officer.

For Holiday, Marciano said buyers are especially showing strong interest in tops and bottoms in lush fabrications, including stretch velveteen, Jacquards and lace. Stretch sateen and faille will also be strong sellers for Holiday, he said. Deliveries for the season begin 9/30.

At New York-based Tommy Hilfiger, Holiday translates into casual looks with basic style. One strong trend the company is predicting for Holiday, which begins deliveries in October, is mixing gym basics with denim looks. For Spring, the company will fuse sportswear into its denim collection, such as trousers with blazers, said spokeswoman Caren Bell, adding that one example would be wearing a hoodie under a sports jacket.

Visitors to Las Vegas’ MAGIC International trade show Aug. 26–29 will get an early preview of Hot Kiss’ Holiday and early Spring collections.

The first collection features color-treated denim to complement the holidays. Hot Kiss will introduce novelty velvet fabrications, satin and lace, as well as velvet and satin combinations, for a dressy and festive look.

For early Spring, the collection combines more wovens and knits together, especially in tops and dresses, with one such combination being crocheted knit fabric merged with woven fabrics and denim. Tie-dye separates and jumpsuits will show a more casual side of the collection, said Tsabag. Deliveries for early Spring begin 11/30.

Los Angeles-based novelty-T-shirt company Self Esteem reported a strong Fall/Back-to-School season, although July was a tough month at retail, according to Richard Clareman, president. “It was a little disappointing because we didn’t have the balance of key items that we would have liked to have on the market,” said Clareman.

For Holiday, the company is planning to offer fleece basics and casual velour tracksuits. “I think the consumer wants to be more casual than dressed up for Holiday,” said Clareman. For Spring, the company is planning to offer a larger variety of basic silhouettes and item-driven pieces such as striped polo shirts and screen-printed Tshirts.