California Apparel News

The Los Angeles Majors Market concluded with reports of good attendance and brisk schedules.

Held Oct. 9–12 primarily at the California Market Center (CMC), the market, which concentrates on juniorwear, attracted buyers from domestic retailers such as Dillard’s Inc., Nordstrom Inc.,Wet Seal Inc., Forever 21 Inc. and Federated Department Stores Inc., as well as foreign retailers, including Irish retailer Dunnes Stores and G-Girl.

CMC representatives did not release specific attendance numbers but said all major buyers were represented. There were a number of new exhibitors this season, including Love by Design, Chocolate Kisses, JLo and Funhouse Vintage.

Larry Schwartz and Bob Hodnett, sales managers at the Magazine Clothing Co. Inc. showroom, reported good business. “This market treated us well,” Schwartz said. “We saw lots of clients and picked up a couple of new accounts.”

Buyers got familiar with the predominant trends for Spring, such as military-inspired pieces and folkloric-themed items with crotchet and embellishments. “Most buyers were looking at Spring trends, but we did pick up paper on Immediates, Victorian looks in particular,” Hodnett said. Retailers also showed interest in goods imported from India, he added, noting that India is not subject to import textile quotas.

“I was surprised traffic was so good,” said Karen Mamont, fashion director of Twin Springs Holding Cos. and the former CMC director of merchandising. “I thought attendance might be down because of the [Columbus Day and Yom Kippur] holidays.” Other salespeople guessed the show might suffer due to a sluggish economy, hurricanes Rita and Katrina, and high oil prices. But those fears were never realized.

Anticipating a big Majors Market, junior apparel manufacturer KNL added a new division, Madknits. The line features lace, crinkled mesh, and Lurex threading and embellishments. Kevin Talbot, KNL’s co-president, said that at previous Majors Markets they had to pull pieces from their other two lines, Big Flirt and Heart & Soul, to sell to knit-top buyers. “Now we have a line dedicated to those buyers, and it’s getting an amazing response,” Talbot said.

Window Shopping

Still, although corridors and showrooms enjoyed brisk traffic, most showrooms didn’t report a very high sales volume. “They’re mostly looking right now, but we’ll pull in paper next week,” said Lars Viklund, KNL’s other copresident.

The Fashion District’s other showroom buildings didn’t track buyer traffic during the Majors Market, according to officials at The New Mart and the Cooper Design Space.

Showrooms representing contemporary lines instead of junior lines chose to concentrate less on the Majors Market and more on preparing for Los Angeles Market Week, which will be held Oct. 21–25.

Shea Allen, the sales manager for Language Los Angeles, located in the Cooper Design Space, said all her department- store clients, from Saks, Anthropologie, Macy’s and Nordstrom, told her they were going to skip the Majors and make their appointments during Los Angeles Market Week. “They are contemporary stores. Making their appointments during Los Angeles Market Week will create a stronger, more cohesive contemporary market.”

But if the halls of the fashion district were buzzing with buyers, Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association, said it was because the department stores all blocked out time to attend presentations by the various buying offices located in the building. Those included Barbara Fields Buying Office, Directives West and The Doneger Group. The legions of departmentstore buyers making an appearance at the Majors Market produced a statement of strength in a consolidating field. “It makes for a powerful market and a powerful statement,” Metchek said.

The Barbara Fields Buying Office’s annual event showcasing upcoming trends drew a crowd of 340 attendees, just a few shy of last year’s record-setting attendance. Buyers from several major retailers took in the presentation, and Fields reported seeing “many hot new stores [including] Dots and Rue 21.”

Trends for Spring 2006 included lace, bubble skirts and clothes with tribal and military prints, said a buyer for Dillard’s, who requested that she not be named. She also said that silver and gray colors were going to be popular compared to previous seasons, which have focused on gold. The buyer also said that Dillard’s is testing T-shirts from the musicianinspired line Jimi Hendrix The Experience, A Clothing Company, which is produced by Los Angeles–based Defiance USA.

Another buyer from Robinsons-May said one trend she was mulling over was bohemian. “The bohemian look will evolve to a more luxurious look with furs and velvets,” said the buyer, who also requested that she not be named.

Raj Shah, chief executive of Seattle-based Zebra Club, a denim-related sports- and streetwear retail chain, said he expected a decent Christmas season. He forecasted that Holiday sales for his four stores would increase 20 percent compared with last year. “People are shopping. They have an appetite for fashion right now,” he said. “As long as stores have the right offerings, business will be great.”

The International Swimwear/Activewear Market (ISAM) was originally planned to run concurrently with the Majors Market at the California Market Center. But it was canceled due to difficulties planning a show so soon after its show at the August MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas.