Dan's Showroom
Gerry BuildingSuite 905310-200-9654dansshowroom@aol.com
After more than 20 years of climbing the executive ladder for high-profile retailers such as Dillard’s and Pacific Sunwear, Dan J. Sawall changed sides.
On Feb. 15, he opened Dan’s Showroom, a multi-line showroom that gives him independence but also makes good use of the corporate skills he honed as a buyer and executive for Dillard’s and general merchandise manager for Pacific Sunwear’s d.e.m.o. division.
He represents contemporary lines Sixty and Killah, manufactured by Italian label Sixty SpA. He also shows independent Los Angeles–based lines Mek Denim and Hank’s T-Shirts.
Sawall said the career change from corporate world to independent representative has not been jarring. After many years working as a retailer, he said he has a pretty good idea of what they’re thinking. “You have to do your research and find out how your products will fit into their assortments. You have to persevere when you deal with them. You also have to be respectful of their schedules,” he said.
He’s represented the Italian lines since he started his new career in mid-2004. He just picked up Mek Denim and Hank’s T-Shirts for the 2006 Los Angeles Fashion Market. Hank’s T-shirts are premium T-shirts, fitted around the arms, and bear retro-inspired graphics. Price points are $44–$68.
Mek Denim features extensive hand-stitching and embroidery at an opening price point that ranges from $125 to $135, according to Sawall.
Sawall sells Sixty and Killah to better department stores throughout the United States and specialty stores on the West Coast. Sixty is a men’s line focusing on outerwear, trousers and jeans for men aged 20s–40s. The outerwear features military styles and fashions worn by country squires. Sixty’s denim and trousers have retail price points that range from $149 to $249.
The Killah demographic is women aged late teens through late 20s. The line’s 2006 look features tight jeans bearing the moniker “Second Skin” and retro-inspired outerwear such as the gloss jacket, which bears a big 1950s-style houndstooth check. Denim price points are $129 to $229. —Andrew Asch
