California Apparel News

NEW YORK—Apparel designers and manufacturers warmed up to technology and technical fabrics during Material World New York, which ran Sept. 28–30 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

For the first time on a big scale, New York hosted the show, where fabric, technology and sourcing were shown under one roof. The combination plays into the evolving global trade scenario, in which apparel companies are trying to synchronize onshore design and pre-production processes with offshore manufacturing.

Show producer Urban Expositions, based in Marietta, Ga., filled in a gap left by the International Fashion Fabrics Exposition, which vacated its fall date in New York. IFFE is “postponed indefinitely,” according to Marc C. Merrill, corporate communications manager for Advanstar, the parent company of MAGIC International, which produces several trade shows, including IFFE and the biannual fabric show Fabric at MAGIC, under the banner of the MAGIC Marketplace trade show in Las Vegas. For now, Fabric at MAGIC is Advanstar’s only fabric trade show, Merrill said.

Urban Expo has signed a five-year contract with the Javits Center.

The fall dates complement Urban Expositions’ Material World Miami Beach show, held each summer in Miami Beach, Fla.

The New York debut started off slow but picked up during the second and third days, said exhibitors, who numbered about 325. Show organizers did not release attendance figures.

“We were pleased. It was a good start,” said Tim von Gal, executive vice president, Urban Expositions. “We were expecting more of a regional turnout but really saw a good cross section of the country here. The [American Apparel & Footwear Association] provided us with some strong speakers and industry leaders. We were worried about the timing of the show, coming on the heels of the European shows, but I think it gave everyone enough time.”

Florida-based designer Janet Warner of clubwear line Cool Rhythm agreed. “I needed some new trimmings, so I wanted to see what’s here.” Warner said she shops her fabrics out of Los Angeles but will keep an eye on New York in the future. Von Gal projected next year’s show to be at least 50 percent larger.

Fabric suppliers gave the show mixed reviews.

“We made calls, but no one knew about the show,” said Mary Carter of Mountain View, Calif.–based Exotic Silks, which highlighted hand-painted silks and velvets with gold overlays.

Novelty vendors such as Beverly Hills–based D&N Textiles, Inc. reported better results. “Overall, I would have to say I’m pleased,” said principal Michael Shapiro. “I have product others don’t—the next thing and the now thing. You have to be flexible.”

Shapiro said he was getting interest in embroidery, animal prints and “anything luxe, that shines and has sequins.”

Kathy Leonardo of Los Angeles– based Hemp Traders said eco-fabrics are also gaining momentum, citing new sell-ins to major companies such as Adidas and Converse, which recently debuted hemp-covered footwear.

“It’s all natural. It resists mold and you don’t have to hunt something to produce it,” she said.

On the technical side, Dow Fiber Solutions introduced a chlorine/UV-resistant version of its Dow XLA stretch fiber aimed at the swimwear market. Designer Bengt Jacobsson, representing Dow at the show, said more designers, from Stella McCartney to Neil Barett, are using lightweight and technical sportswear fabrics in their lines.

The outlook for textile vendors will remain challenging, said Ron Kaufman of Los Angeles–based Kaufman Fabrics. “Everybody’s concerned about the economy. Our business is holding steady,” he said.

Stable cotton prices and staying on top of trends has helped Kaufman stay afloat. The company showed a variety of stretch goods and yarn dyes in retro prints and patterns.

Custom-order specialist EBI Fabrics Corp. of Los Angeles has opened offshore quality assurance offices in Korea and China to improve speed and quality, said principal Henry Khalilian.

Supplying the demand for tech

With pressure on manufacturers to get styles to market quicker, technology providers were seeing their products come into demand.

“There’s a younger generation coming into the industry, and they understand technology and its benefits better,” said Ira Cohen, vice president of marketing for Cypress Creek Technologies, based in Fairfield, N.J. The company markets ERP (enterprise resource planning) and PDM (product data management) software, which allows for vendor collaboration over the Internet to manage pre- and post-production steps.

The United States still maintains a big edge over offshore competition when it comes to technology, but industry veterans such as Bud Staples of Tolland, Conn.–based Gerber Technology are starting to see certain design processes, like CAD production, moving offshore.

To stem that trend, Gerber is investing in new 3D technology to enhance its design tools. It was highlighting its Browzewear 3D draping software at the show, as well as its new WebPDM 5.0 workflow-management application, which centralizes design specs, costing, sourcing details and bill of materials information for companies and their production partners.

Emerging technology is also opening the door for U.S.-based designers, pattern designers and small companies to compete on a larger scale.

“What’s happening now is that fiber-optic bandwidths are opening up the door to collaborative technology like ours and empowering people to compete. It’s leveling the playfield,” said Fred Isenberg of Miami Lakes, Fla.–based New Generation Computing.

“When I started in this business, it would cost $250,000 to set up a pattern- making business. You can do it now for $15,000,” added Kristine Gloviak, vice president of Los Angeles–based PAD System Technologies.

Tech companies have now linked every aspect of production to the Internet, even the financial supply chain. Companies such as New York–based Trade Card Inc. are automating the process for approving purchase orders, letters of credit and other financial steps.

“It’s a new paradigm to achieving an old task,” said Marshall Gordon, senior vice president of Trade Card.

West Coast companies such as Tukatech Inc. and Shapely Shadow also showed new products, including squeezable dress forms aimed at the denim market. The forms are flexible and allow for a “sucking-in” feature when applying tight-fitting jeans and other garments.

Shapely Shadow also showed a dress form for the lingerie/swimwear market that changes shape during fittings of underwire and strap-fitted garments.

Tukatech was also highlighting a new CAD rental program that allows subscribers to use the company’s CAD program on their personal computers at discounted rates. The company had several booths to replicate its operations in the Philippines, where it works with FedEx to provide a pattern/ marker delivery service to companies’ offshore trading partners.

And New Generation Computing highlighted its new DCCS distribution center control system, which uses radio frequency scanners and other tools to automate distribution center activities such as sending and receiving advance shipping notices, sorting, UPC auditing and other tasks.