California Apparel News

Gerry Murtagh, owner of Apparel Market Transport, is launching a new trade show, the Contemporary Association of Los Angeles April 10–11 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, which will compete with the Los Angeles Contemporary Association trade show held at the nearby Huntington Hotel in San Francisco.

Murtagh’s company formerly provided the transportation for the LACA show.

The CALA show will be held over two floors of the Fairmont Hotel with a total of more than 60 exhibitors from the high-end, better contemporary and young designer market. Some of the contemporary brands that have signed up for the show include Poleci, French Connection, Laundry by Shelli Segal, Jak & Rae; denim lines Red Engine Jeans and Paige Premium Denim; as well as several L.A. showrooms, including the Bluebird Showroom in the Cooper Design Space, the Lois Evans Showroom in the Gerry Building, the Renee Cohen Sales showroom in the California Market Center and the Jackie B Showroom in The New Mart.

Because of the venue, Murtagh said he is able to offer lower fees to participate than competing shows. “It’s easier to deliver the show. It’s less labor-intensive, so therefore I save on my labor and I’m able to pass that on to my customer,” said Murtagh.

Gina Gomez, a sales representative for Red Engine Jeans made the switch after showing at LACA for three years.

“It’s not that we weren’t successful at LACA. We were very successful at LACA. That did not influence my decision,” Gomez said. “It was just easier overall in the big scheme of things to be at bigger hotels that were easier to navigate through. I’m pretty confident that it will be a successful show.”

Gomez said the San Francisco show is important to her business since many of the buyers do not travel to the Los Angeles market.

Laura Monroy, a sales representative for Laundry by Shelli Segal, said she wrote orders by appointment with repeat clients when she showed at LACA, but she is betting that the new CALA show will bring in new accounts.

“I’m looking forward to the buzz of the new show and people being attracted to that. I’m hoping that I get some more walk-in traffic,” Monroy said. “It will be a nice change of pace. Now there are two shows, and two shows are better than one show.”

For more information, call (310) 230-3230 or visit www.calashows.com. —Rhea Cortado