ENK to Expand Presence at CMC
New York–based ENK International, producer of the Fashion Coterie show, will take a larger presence at the California Market Center during Los Angeles Market Week.
ENK and the CMC have yet to finalize the details, but the deal calls for ENK to produce its Pacific Champions show during the next six market weeks in the CMC’s fashion theater and exhibition hall.
“We were looking for a longer-term and more substantial relationship with this New York fashion powerhouse,” CMC General Manager Paul Lentz said. “Our markets in L.A. are on the upswing, and it made sense for both of us to partner in a larger way.”
New York–based ENK—which also produces Intermezzo Collections, The Collective menswear show, Accessories Circuit and The Children’s Club—entered the West Coast market in 1998, when it launched Pacific Champions. The biannual show typically has had about two dozen exhibitors showing in the CMC’s 8,750- square-foot fashion theater. Pacific Champions will gain an additional 35,000 square feet of space in the exhibition hall. CMC executives said they will work with ENK President Elyse Kroll to renovate the hall.
Past exhibitors at Pacific Champions include Lily Pulitzer, Helen Wang, Akiba Trading Company and Showroom Seven.
The show bears some resemblance to ENK’s Fashion Coterie show. It has similar subdued signage and perks for retailers, including catered hors d’oeuvres and snacks. Many of Pacific Champion’s past and current exhibitors also show at Coterie.
But many Coterie exhibitors already have a West Coast presence—either in permanent spaces in the CMC and The New Mart or as participants in the Designers & Agents show in The New Mart. D&A also launched in 1998 and has since expanded to a second venue in the Cooper Building.
Although both D&A and Pacific Champions showcase designer, contemporary and upscale merchandise, organizers said there is no competition between the shows—and they point to the benefits of having more resources at the Los Angeles market.
“It’s great for Los Angeles,” said Ed Mandelbaum, co-founder of D&A. “The more great product showing in Los Angeles, the more retailers will come to Los Angeles.”
Mandelbaum said he expects D&A and Pacific Champions to be distinctive enough to limit any competition between the two.
“I don’t think we’ll be competitive, and if there’s a little crossover, it doesn’t matter because the big picture—bringing more great product into Los Angeles—is a win for everybody,” he said.
The deal with ENK ties up the last remaining space in the CMC that was available for an open-floor-plan trade show. The Los Angeles Shoe Show is held in the open-area space on the thirteenth floor during Los Angeles Market Week.
Pacific Champions ran biannually until 2002 on a market-by-market basis, CMC executives said. Last year, the CMC launched its own small trade show in the fashion theater. The Focus show, which included contemporary and updated resources, has been put on hold until future notice.
The first expanded Pacific Champions show will be held in November during Los Angeles Fashion Week.
“We think ENK is a tremendous contribution to L.A. Fashion Week,” said CMC’s Lentz. “We think ENK dovetails nicely with our plans to grow the value and significance of L.A. Fashion Week.” —Alison A. Nieder
