California Apparel News

The California Market Center was abuzz with buyers looking for Spring 2005 merchandise at the Los Angeles Majors Market, held Oct. 11–14.

CMC representatives said attendance was high but declined to give specific numbers. “The overall sense was that the building was packed,” said Karen Mamont, director of merchandise for the CMC.

“There was strong attendance for presentations,” she said. “It means that juniors is strong again.”

Retailers crowded the lobby, elevators and halls of the building, as well as the two trend presentations hosted on opening day by Directives West and the Barbara Fields Buying Office.

It was a full house at the Directives West “Destination L.A.” runway show in the CMC’s fashion theater, where buyers glimpsed designs by Los Angeles labels, including Trina Turk, Hale Bob, Yanuk, Twelfth Street By Cynthia Vincent and Charlotte Tarantola. (See related story here.)

Attendance doubled at the Barbara Fields Buying Office’s “Spring 2005 Million-Dollar Item Seminar,” held on the 13th floor of the CMC. Among the 350 retailers at the show were buyers from Knoxville, Tenn.–based Goody’s, Birmingham, Ala.–based Saks Inc., Plano, Texas–based J.C. PenneyCo. Inc. and Reynoldsburg, Ohio–based Lane Bryant. Fields’ trend presentations are always well-attended, but she had an extra draw this year—model and actress Anna Nicole Smith was on hand to sign autographs and show off her new apparel collection. (See related story here.)

Other major retailers at the market were Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores Inc., Fresno, Calif.–based Gottschalks Inc. and Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc.

Appointments and orders

The 13th floor of the CMC housed temporary exhibitors, including Dallas-based juniors line Ultra Pink. Company President of Merchandising/Marketing/Sales Joel Presser reported that traffic was good. He noted that some retailers wrote orders while others said they were cruising through the show to do research and would make purchasing decisions at a later date.

“We weren’t disappointed,” Presser said. “All of our appointments showed up. We got what we wanted.”

One retailer who reported writing orders was Kimberly Meek, divisional merchandise manager of juniors at Von Maur Inc., a 22- store chain based in Davenport, Iowa. Meek, who typically travels to New York to buy for her store, said she considered the Los Angeles Majors Market to be important. “This is the first time we see a lot of our Spring trends from our vendors,” she said.

Meek said her Spring trends are focusing on bohemian styles and clothing embellished with beading and sequins.

Paula Allen, a buyer from Citi-Trends, based in Savannah, Ga., said she thought retailer traffic was similar to last year’s but the mood of the market seemed more energetic.

She said there was a strong chance that camouflage pants and denim with rhinestone embellishments would be popular.

Evan Salton, president of New York–based Intertex Apparel Group, said the market was important—even if the orders came later.

“This is still a dog-and-pony show. People do business here, but they still normally write up their orders in November,” said Salton, whose company represents labels including Pinkish, Airport, the U.S. Polo Association and FUBU. “But everybody was here.”

Many exhibitors said even though sales were up, business is tougher than ever. Steve Schoenholz, president of Los Angeles–based juniors line Tempted, estimated that his average orders had increased 20 percent from the 2003 market but noted that the challenges of thriving in the market have increased.

“There’s less retailers,” Schoenholz said. “You have to produce at the right time and at the right price.”

Richard Clareman, president of Montebello, Calif.–based juniors line Self Esteem, said the traffic opened many new opportunities.

“The October market is important for two huge reasons,” Clareman said. “It gives us the opportunity to preview Spring lines for our buyers and positively affect fourth-quarter sales. This is a fast market. It’s a ’what can I do for you?’ market and a Spring preview. Being in front of the customers is good anytime.”

New Name, Newly Added Dates

The Los Angeles Majors Market had been called the Junior & Contemporary Market in past years, but California Market Center executives said they changed the name to acknowledge that buyers are shopping for more than just juniors apparel. The October market typically draws buyers from the major national retailers, including Cincinnati- based Federated Department Stores Inc., Fresno, Calif.–based Gottschalks Inc. and Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc.

CMC executives announced plans to host the Majors Market twice each year, in April and October. Signs posted around the building heralded the newly added April 11–13 market dates.

Urban/Suburban has continued to expand its women’s offerings, and that is where the interest was during the Los Angeles Majors Market at the California Market Center.

Lines backed by hip-hop artists, such as Apple Bottoms by Nelly, did particularly well.

Similarly, the Ecko Unlimited and G-Unit showrooms maintained a steady list of appointments.

But it was not consistent business for all the fourth-floor menswear showrooms that participated in the market, said Fadi Angoorly, account executive for the Scope showroom, which carries the Burnside and Pacific Scene labels.

G-Unit, a collaboration between Marc Ecko and rapper 50 Cent, debuted with a soft launch for Back-to-School. Heading into Spring, the company is highlighting color and denim and rolling out T-shirts, jeans, beaters, blazers and shorts. “Anything with lots of bling” is how G-Unit Merchandiser Dionne Hyman described the hot sellers.

Logo tees with rhinestones, hoodies, off-the-shoulder sweat shirts, and classic denim were among the items that piqued retailers’ interest. “We nailed the fit for our denim,” Hyman said.

Rep Jennifer MacDonald said the “contemporary chic look with an urban flair” is here to stay.

The U.S. Polo Association, a division of Jordache, pushed color. Lime, yellow, orange and pink were part of the brand’s spring palette.

“Green is coming on strong,” said Sylvia Kramer of U.S. Polo. “For juniors, we’re booking denim and capris. Logo-driven tees are also strong. And there’s still interest in dark denim.”

Angoorly showed Burnside’s short-sleeved collared shirts in stripes, plaids, floral prints and retro Hawaiian prints that reflect current vintage trends. —Robert McAllister