California Apparel News

Buyers had a lot of ground to cover during Los Angeles Fashion Week, Nov. 1–5, with exhibitors at the California Market Center (CMC), New Mart, Gerry Building, Designers & Agents (D&A)—at the New Mart and at the Cooper Building—and the POOL show at the Downtown Standard Hotel.

The CMC does not release attendance figures, but reported double-digit percentage increases in buyer traffic for this market. According to Cecil Strickland, executive director of retail relations for CMC, the market had significant numbers of new attendees, including major retailers from overseas, such as Harrods and Selfridges—two of England’s leading retail outlets.

Reps reported that seasonal buying came closer to track at the Spring ’03 market. Following the national disaster on September 11, 2001, and a downturn in the economy, many retailers were holding back on orders, anticipating a slowdown in buying. Then, as consumers continued to spend, retailers rushed to fill empty shelves with immediate orders. According to reps such as Gabriella Rosza, who was showing three contemporary lines at Focus in the CMC’s Fashion Theater, buyers are returning to seasonal ordering.

“Buyers are ready to see Spring,” said Rosza. “I have buyers who have done Fall and Holiday. They are replenishing, so they are ready for Spring.”

Rosza reported meeting with Fred Segal Santa Monica and Toby Black in San Diego for Yemee, Ana Mia and Rix Chix.

Bryan Wilson and Steve Sais, reps for Triple Five Soul, also reported seasonal buying in Focus, a show they used to introduce their line to specialty buyers and to test the trade show waters.

“The show was good and we had a good turnout,” said Wilson. “We picked up a lot of good accounts. It showed the specialty buyer what Triple Five Soul is all about.”

Christine Simek, a rep for the Circle 5 showroom, said the current market is a strong one for buyers from outside the state.

“It’s probably one of our busiest markets,” said Simek. “Buyers were coming from Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York—all over, not just locally.”

Exhibitors on the CMC’s eighth floor, however, were dissatisfied with the efforts to draw traffic to their floor, reporting that appointments were showing, but that walk-in traffic was nearly nonexistent.

Jerry Wexler, who was showing junior and contemporary items featuring “trend with price,” from Beau Bois, Mingle Sweaters and Red Zone Activewear, reported that the small number of open showrooms on the eighth floor acts as a deterrent for buyers who might otherwise explore.

“Market has been good for us in regard to appointments,” said Wexler. “Our customers did show up, but the problem on the eighth floor is that there are a lot of showrooms closed during market that don’t cater to specialty stores. People don’t even get up here. We do our homework in terms of calling retailers, but the fact is that there is no excitement up here.”

Exhibitors on the third floor of the CMC are taking their show on the road—literally—with the creation of the caravan concept, a traveling hotel show for better missy reps from Los Angeles to pursue in-between markets. The first show will be November 18–19 in Scottsdale, Ariz., according to Fred Postal, of Fred Postal Associates.

“We’ll set up in a hotel, advertise in advance and create a mini-show,” said Postal. “Those buyers who don’t come into town for market, we’ll be going after in a mini-caravan. We did this 20 yeas ago, because when things are tight, we become more aggressive.”

The show’s founder, Sue Gershon of Lifestyle Clothiers on the CMC’s third floor, said that if the concept works well in Scottsdale, it will move through other cities.

New Name, New Focus for PCT

Exhibitors at the Pacific Coast Travelers (PCT) show, now known as L.A. Fashion Exhibition by PCT, were seeing appointments, but their focus was on out-of-state traffic. One such exhibitor was Kathy Messina Sales, a rep for Basic Threads, United Knitwear and EAG, contemporary weekend wear, dresses and related separates in sportswear.

“Appointments have been showing, because I made calls beforehand—as many as I could,” Messina said. “The stores on the East Coast are doing pretty good business. I came here for my appointments and the buyers I can’t get to from out of state, because the locals know I will come to see them personally.”

Henry Dietz, president of PCT, and a rep for Erica London sportswear and Connie Choi dresses, also reported good results from the market.

“It’s the last market of the year and we’ve had a good year,” said Dietz. “Traffic has been moderate, but I made precalls, took out ads and sent out around 700 cards, so I had a good show.”

Dietz also said that the market schedule should be amended to allow more spacing in between shows.

“Market is scheduled every 70 days, and that’s too many markets,” he said. “There’re just not that many accounts out there. There should be a market every 90 days.”

Dietz said PCT decided to change its name to avoid confusion with other companies (such as travel agencies) and to update the organization and its image.

“We’re in our 64th year and we wanted to update our name and logo to define and explain what we do,” Dietz said.

Attendance Up at New Mart

Attendance was up and the traffic was steady at the New Mart, which saw approximately 1,330 registered buyers, about 19 percent higher than the total 1,118 attendees for the same market a year ago, according to New Mart manager Ethan Eller.

Several contemporary designers presented their outlook for next season’s trends, and many of them said they’re taking their cues from fashion’s cream of the crop, such as Balenciaga, Gucci and Donna Karan. Interpretations from the world of high fashion ranged from military and biker styles to sophisticated, tailored looks.

Two women’s contemporary lines, Chaiken and William B., both presented variations on the military and cargo looks for Spring 2003. The former uses stonewash houndstooth for reverse fatigues and cargo styles, while the latter uses cupro and stretch-cotton poplin for cropped cargo pants and cargo pants with ruching on the knee.

“It’s a comfortable style that doesn’t have to be sloppy,” said Lia Gangi, director of sales for Los Angeles-based William B.

The company recently opted out of its spot at Designers & Agents to open a showroom with Chaiken on the New Mart’s fourth floor.

Despite the steady flow of buyers eager to check out the companies’ new digs, the market seemed slow, said Gangi.

Chaiken’s sales director Kim Carter agreed, noting that many buyers were placing orders for immediate deliveries.

Dual Location for D&A

This market week saw the expansion of Designers & Agents’ young designer and contemporary offerings on the third floor of the New Mart and at its new exhibitor space across the street at the Cooper Building. Ed Mandelbaum and Barbara Kramer, the show’s producers, said attendance for the show tripled over the same time last year, from 500 buyers to about 1,700 buyers combined for both locations.

The show featured 50 exhibitor booths at the Cooper Building and 80 booths at the New Mart.

The Cooper Building’s D&A offerings included newcomers to the show Katayone Adeli, Binetti, Francie, Grey Ant, Kerry Cassill, Le Plagiste, Melvone, Oliver Twist, Prudence, Rachel Abroms Designs, Wendy Hil and Woo.

The show attracted a handful of Japanese department store buyers and specialty retailers, including Ballroom, Barneys Japan, Isetan, Mitsukoshi, Sanei International and American Rag Japan. D&A showed in Tokyo earlier this year and Mandelbaum attributed the Japanese buyer turnout in Los Angeles to Japanese designers’ and buyers’ interest in the U.S. contemporary market.

Despite the air of excitement about D&A expanding into the Cooper Building, “There wasn’t as much traffic as there was at the New Mart,” said Kramer.

“The exhibitor space was beautiful in terms of the environment— there was an incredible energy and feeling behind it,” said Kramer. “We didn’t realize how difficult it would be to get people to walk across the street.”

However, Kramer said several specialty retailers—including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Barneys and Henri Bendel as well as Colette of Paris and Harvey Nichols and Harrods—found their way to the Cooper Building without any problem. But a lot of second-tier stores didn’t make it, she said.

Debuting at the Cooper Building location was Fashion Active Lab, a sophisticated activewear company based in New York. Sales director Susan Beischel said traffic was a bit slow as far as walk-ins went, although several of the company’s regular buyers on the West Coast turned out.

The company relied on its trendy, athletic looks and highend, lightweight fabrics—super-fine cashmere, pima cotton and Peruvian box knits—to attract new customers.

Mandelbaum said Designers & Agents would return to both buildings next April. Next time around, the producers said they plan to spend more marketing dollars on a larger presentation prior to the show and host a market week kickoff party in D&A’s Cooper Building loft. The show may also be extended one day during April market week, he added.

Designers & Agents’ satellite show, The Annex, will return to the New Mart’s third floor in January.

Gerry Building Bows With New Tenants

The Gerry Building opened its doors to the trade for the first time since its official opening several weeks ago. The initial showing resembled an extension of POOL, the alternative fashion show held concurrently at the Downtown Standard Hotel. Graphic tees, contemporary denim, funky sportswear and urban looks comprised the primary bill of fare along with a smattering of contemporary/ better lines.

Exhibitors expressed strong hopes that the venue will eventually become a key resource for buyers looking for hip and contemporary fashions, but for this market it was a case of the Gerry being so close, yet so far away, as it was tough to get the traffic at the neighboring CMC and New Mart to cross the street. Still, significant order writing took place and exhibitors planted seeds for the future.

“The walk-in traffic isn’t here yet, but it’s going to happen,” said Mark Encinias, president of the BCN showroom, which featured five lines from Spain along with a domestic brand.

Jeff Murrell, president of Mocha Longe, a clubwear/urbanwear showroom, agreed. “It’s going to take a market or two before this place gets rolling, but I feel confident about it,” he said.

Murrell was showing tees, graphic-printed sportswear and accessories from brands Technics, Gama-Go USA, MadSoul, OK47, Modrobes and APB.

Also showing in temporary space at the Gerry was Bobby Benveniste, who co-owns the upand- coming men’s contemporary lineEisbar and reps Creative Recreation, Obey, Charizmatic, Truthseeker, Livity and Rosasen. Benveniste said he likes the Gerry’s proximity to the CMC and New Mart as well as the open spaces of the showrooms.

“POOL was too far from the main action. We wanted to stay central,” he said. The Gerry, with its glass walls, natural light and proximity to other contemporary lines, was the best option, he said. Another key to sales was getting the word out about the Gerry. A party hosted by Encinias along with an art show helped.

Eisbar, which has doubled its business over the past year, helped draw some traffic from Asian-based buyers as well as local alternative boutiques and independents.

“Different parts of the line are appealing to different stores, so if one isn’t ready to go into denim, they start with T-shirts and other items,” said Benveniste.

Other showrooms open for business were Samaneh Malidavi’s Curves Apparel, which showed corduroy, denim and fur coats, andFreedom 11, which highlighted printed sweats and sportswear.

POOL Bows in L.A.

POOL, the show for alternative and contemporary fashions from emerging companies, checked into the Downtown Standard Hotel for its third edition—but the first in Los Angeles. The show pulled in about 200 buyers a day during its two-day run during Los Angeles Fashion Week. The show caters to independents and Asian buyers looking for underground and cutting-edge brands as well as more-established trendy labels.

Reviews were mixed for the show as buyers and exhibitors expressed pros and cons for the hotel venue, where the show took place over three floors. Many enjoyed the more intimate appeal of a hotel show but missed the traffic they experienced in the exhibition hall format, which they had during MAGIC International in August.

“We like the annex approach because people can develop their own image. Convention centers allow no P.O.P. [displays] and a lot of us love the Standard,” said show producer Ronda Walker.

POOL was loaded with graphic T-shirts, retro sportswear, denim and dresses from up-and-coming designers such as Yohanna Logan of Shawn and Elena La Bua, both of whom hosted fashion shows at the closing night party. Logan was showing ’70s-inspired striped cotton/Lycra dresses as well as army jackets and graphic tees depicting, among other subjects, her sister’s rock band Chicks on Speed.

“I wanted to show something that’s reminiscent of childhood culture for people [in their 20s and 30s] as well as new generations,” she said.

The T-shirt business at POOL was hopping, with different vendors each bringing their spin to the market. Japanese brand 2K showed graphic tees featuring images from more than 200 artists worldwide, with a hangtag on each shirt carrying information about the artist. Karina Erdely and Wilson Kello of Same were showing what Kello described as “T-shirts with meaning,” featuring images of historical figures like astronomer Tyco Brahe, Rasputin and others.

Los Angeles-based Gentle Fawn’s shirts and sportswear bear the image of a Bambilike creature set in an urban landscape. “The idea is to see this gentle fawn from nature coming into a big city like Los Angeles or some other urban setting,” said sales manager Carla Hogg.

Also new to the market was Drifter, a Los Angeles-based denim line featuring a slate of washed designs. Among them are pant-leg creases and one style that designer Daniel Chang calls “condoms in the back pocket.” The line features graphic tees by artist Blain Hogg as well.

The retro trend was also a prominent theme at POOL as brands like Penguin and Fila set out to capitalize on their sports heritage to appeal to a new generation. Penguin, popular in the ’60s and ’70s as a golf and bowling brand, has been relaunched with new styles as well as originals featuring the signature penguin logo. Fila relaunched its Bjouml;rn Borg collection of Italian-made pinstripe tennis shirts and velour warm-ups popularized in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

“We’re hitting the new kids who haven’t really seen this stuff as well as the older consumers who remember it but haven’t seen it in years,” said Jennifer Gilbert, territory manager for Fila USA.

Even with a struggling economy and a saturated urban market at hand, most of the exhibitors at POOL didn’t feel daunted by the challenges ahead.

“We’re artists as well as businesspeople, so you have to just keep searching ahead,” said Kello.

Buyers Drawn to Multiple Venues

While traffic was inconsistent at some buildings, a number of exhibitors and attendees said the show was meeting expectations. Department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York as well as specialty boutiques were visiting, and many said they were dropping paper.

First-timers to the show said it had grown harder to ignore the buzz about Los Angeles.

“In the marketplace, there are a lot more American brands, so we came to see what the fuss is all about,” said Vivienne Simons, buyer for London-based Harrods, who was shopping with Harrods men’s buyer Joahna Dugdale.

Simons said Harrods looks for exclusive deals to carry lines in competitive London, where Selfridges and Harvey Nichols are nearby. Typically, the department store picks up its U.S. lines—including Seven and Paper Denim & Cloth—through an agent.

Looking for fresh alternatives to the casualwear craze, they said they planned to cut their spring denim order by 80 percent although denim sales haven’t slowed. By the fourth day of the show, they had picked up Jill Stuart jeans and twill twenty two, a Seattle-based contemporary line debuting its first collection of tapered jackets and edgy tops and bottoms.

“We have fickle shoppers in London, and we want to make the trend decisions before the consumer makes them for us,” Dugdale said.

Other buyers said it was worth making the trip to Los Angeles to scout out designers who may not have the financial wherewithal to go to other markets.

“We’re looking for new and exciting vendors that don’t have the money to visit New York, but they have the talent,” said Angela Febbraro, owner of the 14-year-old Threadz boutique in New York.

Febrraro said denim and cargo pants were strong categories that she was continuing. Lines that she picked up were Dish, a denim resource, and Beige, a contemporary line offering soft linen cargo pants she called “a good find.”

“It’s been worth it so far, and I intend to come back every year,” she said.

Local designers were top of the list for a number of Los Angeles area boutiques attending the show. Designs by Alicia Lawhon, Grey Ant and Jared Gold were must-have items for Alisa Loftin, co-owner of Aero & Co. in Los Angeles, which recently relocated to Third Street from Los Feliz.

“I’m so blown away by [Gold’s] designs— the fabrics are unbelievable,” Loftin said. “He had a lot of great denim, and really pretty, feminine blouses.”

With a new store, Loftin said she was playing it safe and sticking to lines she knew.

“We’re still super-cautious,” she said. “We have new clientele now and it’s going to take about six months to figure out what they like best.”

Alvin Alley seersucker pants, Orla Kiely terry-cloth sets and Mon Petit Oiseau print skirts were a few of the orders placed by buyers for the Patty Faye boutique in the Silverlake community of Los Angeles.

“We’re looking for anything different,” said co-owner Carla Helmholz, who spent most of her time shopping at the New Mart and D&A.

The expansion of D&A across the street to the Cooper Building’s 11th floor caused some consternation among buyers who were unaware of the change until they arrived and had set schedules, but others welcomed the new format.

“We love the selection here and the breadth of designs,” said Brooke McKinnon, co-owner of the She boutique in Del Mar, Calif., who picked up the Mon Petit Oiseau line of skirts and tops. “It’s a nice venue and also a lot easier to shop since it gets so crowded over at the New Mart.”

More-casual looks were on the mind of Shanna Kong, co-owner of the 4-year-old Una Mode Boutique in San Francisco. She said a lot of the feminine looks she was noticing didn’t work for her store.

“The clothes are too dressy for our store,” Kong said. “We’re looking for items like vintage styles and jeans, which are very strong sellers for us.”

Buddhist Punk vintage tops and Arayal skirts, which were “clean and fun,” were among the lines she ordered.