California Apparel News

Los Angeles-based menswear designer Wendell Wade Williams is making the leap from custom apparel to wholesale and will host his first solo fashion show on Aug. 15 at the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.

Williams said that the show is designed to demonstrate that he is serious about menswear and that menswear should not be taken lightly in Los Angeles.

“In order to be taken seriously, I have to be serious about what I do,” said Williams. “At the show, I can demonstrate the quality of my product and my commitment to marketing my product.”

Williams said that the show is also designed to demonstrate that there is considerable diversity within Los Angeles men’s fashion in terms of apparel offerings.

“With all due respect to L.A. urban wear, there is more to menswear in L.A. than a T-shirt and some jeans,” he said. “I’m an L.A.-based designer with more on the horizon and I’m doing this show to demonstrate that.”

The event will open with cocktails and finish with dancing, wrapped around a runway show of Williams’ Spring ’03 collection.

The collection includes super 150 weight fabrics from Italy for the suits, as well as baby cashmere shirt jackets and drawstring pants with matching tops. Williams’ approach to upscale menswear garments is to create a lifestyle for professional men, complete with suits for the day and casual yet elegant shirts and slacks for the evening and weekends. The designer said his collection uses Italian construction with an American fit.

“My customer doesn’t have to be gaudy, and he will wear my garments because he appreciates quality,” he said.

He named his show “Relaxed Elegance” because “a man who is relaxed is elegant in demeanor,” he said, adding, “This is a man who can put on a three-piece suit but feel as comfortable as if he’s wearing a T-shirt and jeans.”

Williams, a Chicago native, began designing custom garments five years ago while working as a bodyguard for such celebrities as Shaquille O’Neal. He launched his first full line at the Los Angelesbased West Coast Exclusive trade show in the spring of 2001 but kept the line mostly custom until he felt it was ready for retail.

Williams’ runway show will serve as the official launch of the collection, and the designer said he hopes the show will help him segue from custom work into wholesale.

While preparing for his show, Williams studied the marketing plans of more established designers including Hugo Boss and Donna Karan to understand the buying patterns of his target audience.

“Women and men buy differently,” said Williams. “Women buy what they like, and men buy what they know. If men don’t see it, they don’t buy it—they won’t take the time out to shop all weekend.”

Williams’ designs have been featured in group shows in the past, but this will mark his first solo exhibition. The designer said he still plans to show at the West Coast Exclusive’s Las Vegas installment (which runs Aug. 25–27 at the Rio Suites) but will let “Relaxed Elegance” serve as his collection’s full introduction.

“I’ve participated in a couple of fashion shows with multiple designers, where I had a couple of garments showcased,” he said. “It’s hard to show your vision as a designer with two pieces. You can’t tell a story with a shirt and pants.”

The runway show is part of Williams’ strategy for garnering exposure. Williams said that he knew he had to do a show, hire a public relations firm and continue to do trade shows.

“If you just make the samples, you are just a designer with samples and a business card,” said Williams. “In this industry, that’s not enough.”