Companies Opt for Multiple Venues in Crowded Las Vegas
When the apparel trade shows in Las Vegas open their doors on Feb. 13, visitors will notice that, in order to offer something for everyone, the events keep getting bigger. The size can be so unwieldy that an increasing number of designers and companies will erect multiple booths in different shows in an attempt to stand out.
MAGIC International—which serves as the anchor for satellite shows The Exclusive, Pool Trade Show and ASAP Global Sourcing Show and newcomers Brighte Companies and Project Global Trade Show—will unveil New Window, a juried area for women’s sportswear and dresses, and Platform, a section for premium sportswear and contemporary clothing. For the second time, MAGIC will sponsor High 5 to help buyers who did not go to Action Sports Retailer or other recent shows focusing on the skate and surf markets.
Celebrities will amplify the din. Macy Gray will launch her new clothing line, Ghetto, and Jessica Simpson will show her collection, Sweet Kisses. Radio personality Ryan Seacrest will introduce his T-shirts and cashmere sweaters, made in partnership respectively with Jem Sportswear and D.P. Textile & Apparel Inc.’s Raw-7, and the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am will display his I.am streetwear. Also count on seeing the return of celebrity collections from Pamela Anderson, Nicky Hilton, Sean Combs’ Sean John and Nelly’s Apple Bottoms LLC.
With so many shows fighting for retailers’ attention, Los Angeles’ Agave Denimsmith will participate for the first time this year in both The Exclusive and MAGIC. “As a newer company and a company growing, we need exposure,” said Agave’s owner, Jeff Shafer, who does not have a showroom. He said the semiannual trade shows in Las Vegas account for half his business.
As part of The Exclusive’s advisory board, Shafer said it is important for him to have firsthand knowledge of the show. But The Exclusive also attracts representatives from better men’s luxury stores, many of whom will not go to MAGIC, he said. Shafer estimated that it will cost $5,000 for The Exclusive booth and $20,000 for the MAGIC booth, which will be custom-made to reflect the concept of his brand.
Other companies using dual booths are Lone Pine Leathers (MAGIC and The Exclusive); Zova (MAGIC and The Exclusive); Tokidoki LLC (MAGIC and Pool); American Apparel (WWDMAGIC and Pool); and Blue Cult’s parent company, Blue Pen Inc. (MAGIC and Project).
American Apparel Marketing Production Coordinator Mark Smalley said this marks the third year the Los Angeles manufacturer will have booths at both MAGIC and Pool.
Avi Jakob, president of Los Angeles’ Z Jazz Collection, began erecting booths at both MAGIC and The Exclusive in February 2004. He said his two-pronged strategy let him take advantage of The Exclusive’s earlier start date and increased sales for his young men’s leather jackets by roughly 20 percent.
Vernon, Calif.–based Blue Pen will place its flagship Blue Cult at MAGIC but present R U Blue, Sacred Blue, Blue 2 and Sable Blanc at Project. R U Blue, the company’s most expensive denim, with retail price points of at least $200, and Sable Blanc, a group of trendy knits, will debut at Project. “We have to be strategic as to which brands go into which shows,” said Blue Pen Marketing Director Tara Narayan.
Ernae Mothershed, a spokesperson for Woodland Hills, Calif.–based MAGIC International, said the company does not have a policy about companies participating in other shows. “If retailers are coming to Las Vegas, they are coming to attend the MAGIC Marketplace,” she said, adding that MAGIC draws representatives from more than 8,000 American stores, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Federated Department Stores Inc.
Amy Freeman-Cohen, on-site producer for Los Angeles’ The Exclusive LLC, which is staging its seventh show in Las Vegas, said the companies that have already signed up for MAGIC need to be at The Exclusive, as well, so that they can position themselves with better menswear.
Coming to Las Vegas for the first time, Project will add a women’s section to its show that concentrates on high-end fashion and premium denim. Of the 110 vendors expected, nine companies, including Antik Batik and Miss Sixty, will show only women’s clothes, and 65 vendors will show items for both men and women. Sam Ben-Avraham, Project’s founder, said Triple 5 Soul will have a huge booth at MAGIC and will present a capsule collection of top items at Project. Brooklyn, N.Y.–based Triple 5 Soul declined to comment.
“This is the approach of the people,” Ben-Avraham said. “They think MAGIC is a heavy traffic show, a little more commercial.”
Commercialism can help new designers. The San Francisco Designers Collective comprises eight fledgling labels that produce contemporary women’s clothing with wholesale prices of $50 and higher. Sandy Choe and Helen Olds, co-owners of Oakland, Calif.–based Shoc, will participate in MAGIC for the first time and share with other SFDC members a 20-by-20-foot booth costing roughly $20,000.
“MAGIC is where everybody starts out,” Olds said. “We really think we’re going to reach a lot more people that way.”
