California Apparel News

SAN FRANCISCO—A preview of warm spring weather helped to spur immediate orders for late Spring/Summer deliveries at the Golden Gate Apparel Association’s (GGAA) Fashion Market of San Francisco, held April 17–20 at the Concourse Exhibition Center in the city’s revitalized South of Market District.

Some 1,126 retailers came to view 1,200 lines from about 300 womenswear, childrenswear and accessories exhibitors. Although traffic was slow on the first day of the show, this year’s overall attendance—made up of mostly specialty store buyers from the Pacific Northwest who came to scout local resources— was slightly higher than last year’s, according to GGAA officials.

The show featured updated misses, casual misses, activewear, outerwear, childrenswear and accessories in a 125,000-square-foot layout. This year’s installment presented 40 new exhibitors, including Silhouette Paris, Bat’s Daughter, Caamano Sweaters, Forever Young Clothing and Mary Frier.

Most buyers were optimistic about Fall, and many said they had increased their budgets by 10 percent to 15 percent. Several exhibitors came to the show to discuss customer feedback or place immediate orders for strong-selling styles with key accounts. Buyers reported the show did a nice job of offering a variety of apparel and accessories lines.

Although several buyers said they had already placed their Fall orders, many felt the show reinforced the trends of the season. Exhibitors noted that because GGAA’s Fall I edition occurs after the markets in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, the San Francisco show draws buyers who are looking to place their orders closer to season.

Key trends included trench coats in wool plaid and velvet fabrics, double-layered shirts and sweaters with novelty details, and deconstructed and raw-edge looks on tops and skirts. Outdoor themes—such as sweaters with embroidered evergreens and T-shirts with screen prints of forests paired with corduroy skirts and pants—got a lot of attention from buyers.

Orders up for key items

The city’s retail sector is beginning to pick up again, according to GGAA President Craig Hinds. “San Francisco retailers say their business is up, attributing their sales increases to a surge in tourism,” he said, citing a recent report that said the city’s hotels have a 70 percent occupancy rate.

The optimism felt at retail has prompted boutique owners, such as Jasmine Tan of Picnic in Oakland, Calif., to take some risks. Tan is increasing her budget 15 percent this year and plans to add a few extra looks to her store. Styles such as Free People’s fitted and cropped twill jacket and kellygreen off-the-shoulder cowl-neck sweater are just the type of feminine, yet casual looks that will do well during the Fall season, Tan said.

Noting that her customers are likely to continue spending money on feminine styles, Jeanna McSweeney, owner of Just Jeanna’s womenswear boutique in Nevada City, Calif., said she was drawn to feminine details such as lace, mesh, embroidered patches and colorful screen prints. Mc- Sweeney stocks Nally & Millie, Pinko, Syrus, Tribal, Rayure and Barefoot Dreams for her 20- to 60-year-old customers.

“Our focus is to find younger-looking clothes in sizes that are realistic for our customer,” McSweeney said, adding that she found newness in lines such as Nally & Millie and Pinko, which were on display at the Jay Geisenheimer Showroom booth. She said she also planned to stop by Amore’s booth to write Fall orders for sweater ponchos with ornate details.

Showroom owner Jerry Neckanoff specializes in lines that appeal to an updated misses customer, including DB Sport, Wind River and Sucre, among others. He said buyers were particularly drawn to activewear apparel for outdoor lifestyles, such as the activewear pieces found in Sucre’s collection. The cotton/twill line comes in a vibrant color palette of eggplant, frosted plum, putty, brown, off white, pewter, hot pink, orange and pumpkin.

Neckanoff was one of several exhibitors at the show who noted strong buyer interest in moderate misses apparel. “The key is to offer missy merchandise that’s a bit more contemporary,” he said.

Contemporary connections

Specialty buyers stopped by Charlotte Tarantola’s booth to look at the whimsical and feminine collection, which puts a sexy slant on retro styles. With wholesale price points starting at $20, the line features tight-fitting jersey T-shirts with satin tipping, a crochet mini-poncho with Swarovski crystal buttons, a lace-back ramie/cotton cardigan with Swarovski crystal buttons, and A-line skirts with satin and grosgrain ribbon detail.

Owner Charlotte Tarantola said her 7-year-old line grows about 30 percent each year. With clients including Anthropologie, Macy’s West, Saks Fifth Avenue and Fred Segal Santa Monica, the company projects the line will hit the $10 million mark by the end of the year, Tarantola said.

With a budget up by about 15 percent, buyer Maria Yen of women’s and men’s retail boutique Therapy in San Francisco’s Mission District looked for lightweight sweaters, ponchos and jewelry for Fall. She liked Tulle’s canvas jackets and wool sweaters.

“We know our customers, and so we make fewer mistakes on our orders,” Yen said, adding that she mostly sticks with basic items that feature unique details. “It’s item-driven with unique details but nothing too far out.”