D&A Takes Men's Lines to Japan
Designers & Agents is making a push for menswear at its Japanese edition, which it will hold Oct. 15–17 in Tokyo’s Minato-Ku region.
“Most of the buyers who come to our shows in Japan tend to buy more menswear than buyers do at our domestic shows, so it makes sense to give them a show with great menswear collections,” said Ed Mandelbaum, who co-produces the show with founding partner Barbara Kramer.
D&A is steadfastly becoming a strong resource for contemporary fashion in the United States, where it holds five shows each year in Los Angeles and four shows each year in New York. The shows lure top buyers from specialty boutiques and better department stores with young designer and contemporary collections that are mostly for women. Several exhibitors at D&A’s domestic show also have men’s lines, including Paper Denim & Cloth, Blue Cult and Frankie B.
Menswear is becoming increasingly popular in contemporary markets, particularly abroad, and this is prompting D&A’s producers to introduce menswear as a permanent segment of the international show. So far, the show in Japan has five menswear exhibitors: Paper Denim & Cloth, Oliver Twist, Red Tiger Trading Co. Ltd., Blue Cult and Frankie B. Currently, Mandelbaum and Kramer are negotiating space with several contemporary menswear lines from both coasts of the United States.
In recent months, Kramer has been on the lookout for men’s lines, including young designer and contemporary labels. She said she has been scouting new menswear on the trade-show circuit and meeting with companies in New York and Europe.
“We are planning to build menswear into a formidable business that takes place in Japan twice a year,” she said.
But the producers said they have no plans to push menswear at their domestic show, mainly because the timing for the men’s and women’s markets do not coincide, Kramer said.
Typically, the menswear market breaks in January and July, while the women’s market breaks at the end of February and the end of September.
“We have never consciously tried to build the men’s side of the show because it would require domestic buyers to make some radical changes in their shopping patterns,” Kramer said.
At the U.S. shows, roughly 5 percent of the domestic buyers place orders for menswear, Mandelbaum said. At the Japan show, 25 percent of buyers place orders for menswear.
“Men’s contemporary and young designer lines are popular in Japan because the men are very hip and advanced in their fashion,” he said.
The producers expect approximately 1,500 buyers will attend this year’s show in Japan, which will feature roughly 40 collections in 25 booths. Mandelbaum said the 8,000-square-foot exhibitor space can hold about 50 exhibitors.
The cost for a 10-foot booth is $4,000, which includes a buyer/press reception and interpreters, among other support services.
D&A is partnering with government agencies such as the Office of Textiles and Apparel and the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which will have representatives on hand to provide information on export-promotion initiatives for vendors. Representatives from “Export By Design,” a program of the World Trade Center Association of Long Beach/Los Angeles, which provides assistance to smallbusiness owners, will offer free consulting at the show.
Additionally, a representative from the Intersection, a grass-roots organization made up of members of Los Angeles’ apparel district— including Designers & Agents, The New Mart, the California Market Center, the Cooper Building and the Gerry Building— will attend the three-day show.
This year marks the biannual trade show’s fourth exhibition in Japan. Last October, exhibitors generated over $7 million in orders, Mandelbaum said.
“The market in Japan for these products presents an excellent export opportunity for small- and medium-size manufacturers, suppliers and designers of better contemporary/ young designer sportswear, accessories, jewelry and shoes for men and women,” he added. —Claudia Figueroa
