A Buyer's Market in Las Vegas
It was a buyer’s market in Las Vegas as the giant MAGIC Marketplace set up shop with its ever-growing coterie of satellite shows.
At the Las Vegas Convention Center was its men’s show, called MAGIC; its women’s show, WWDMAGIC; and its childrenswear show, MAGICKids.
In addition, Sourcing at MAGIC included contract manufacturers and fabric and trim suppliers, as well as Printsource at MAGIC, a group of suppliers of original artwork and vintage textile designs showing among the sourcing and fabric exhibitors.
MAGIC’s accessories exhibitors set up shop at the Hilton Convention Center, where swim trade show ISAM (the International Swimwear/Activewear Market) also returned.
MAGIC’s two contemporary trade shows—the Project Global Trade Show and Pooltradeshow—returned to the Sands Expo & Convention Center and a tented location near the LVCC.
Other satellites and concurrently held shows included WomensWear in Nevada (WWIN) at the Rio Hotel & Casino; the Off-Price Specialist Show at the Sands Expo & Convention Center; and last season’s newcomer, the United Trade Show, at the Alexis Park Resort.
There were several returning shows and one new show at The Venetian hotel. The upscale men’s show, The Exclusive, bowed in a new location in the Grand Ballroom at The Venetian. The ASAP Global Sourcing Show returned and again shared space with the new Global E.C.O. Show, featuring green products. The shared space beefed up the apparel offerings, and the effort was dubbed “Greensville.”
Last season, lingerie show Curvexpo bowed at The Venetian. The New York–based show returned with a full schedule of lingerie runway shows. This season it drew a competitor, Lingerie Americas, which took the concept from its New York lingerie show and opened it in Las Vegas this season. And New York–based Accessories The Show returned with a new section of upscale women’s labels exhibiting under the name Moda Las Vegas.
Tussling for consumers’ dollars
Meanwhile, the uncertain economy affected business for several exhibitors across all shows. Exhibitors at WWIN reported price-conscious shoppers placing cautious orders. And the normally price-conscious buyers at the Off-Price Specialist show were holding back even more on their spending.
As in season’s past, satellite shows that kicked off before MAGIC’s opening day did well traffic-wise. Buyers circulated the aisles at ASAP, E.C.O., The Exclusive and Lingerie Americas. Off-Price Specialist Show buyers had all weekend to shop before MAGIC’s opening day. Still, exhibitor Tony Peters, vice president of Bermo Enterprises, said several key retailers, including Value City, skipped the show this season.
At WWDMAGIC, there were several crowded booths, including young contemporary label Junkfood, where buyers were busy writing orders for the line. However, reps declined to estimate an increase in traffic at the booth.
MAGIC’s streetwear section was, as usual, abuzz with plenty of traffic in the aisles and music booming from the booths.
But several exhibitors reported that the economy is taking a toll on business.
Chuck Alessi, sales rep with Streetwise Clothing, said the decline in the real estate market has impacted apparel buyers’ spending. “They don’t want to spend money and take a risk,” he said.
Mattie Ilel and Jean-Pierre Roditi, owners of Los Angeles contemporary label J.P. & Mattie, showed for the first time at Project and said traffic was good as soon as the show opened on Monday. Roditi said buyers turned out from Canada, Mexico and Japan on opening day.
And while there were plenty of bustling booths at Project, many buyers said they were playing it a little safe by offering continuing styles such as minimalist and modern streetwear for men and pretty dresses for women.
Pooltradeshow exhibitors included several new contemporary lines. The show featured a mix of men’s and women’s streetwear and contemporary apparel at a wide-ranging mix of price points. New lines included Los Angeles–based line Aubergine and shoe line Dolce Vida, which bowed a collection of cocktail dresses.
At The Exclusive, the new ornate Italianate-designed venue drew strong reviews from exhibitors, who said the environment is more fitting for their largely European-based luxury lines.
Business appeared to be divided, with resortwear vendors doing well. Most of the golf and lifestyle brands reported strong shows as well as upward projections in yearly sales.
One noticeable show trend was the increased migration between shows, as exhibitors searched for the most appropriate venue for showing their lines. Eveningwear label Badgley Mischka was on display at Moda Las Vegas. The company previously showed at MAGIC. There was migration between MAGIC’s massive sourcing section and ASAP’s more-intimate showcase. Ningbo Garment Co.—a manufacturer based in Ningbo, a city in China’s northeastern Zhejiang province—returned to ASAP after a season at MAGIC because company President Bao Gua Fu said he preferred the atmosphere of the smaller show and his more prominent booth location at ASAP.
Retailers came into the WWIN show at the Rio paying a little bit more attention to prices than they had in the past.
The show, which caters to misses and updated buyers, still received a steady stream of traffic with heavy order writing, weighted toward Immediates and Holiday/Resort with a smattering of Spring ’08.
“Price has been the No. 1 issue at this show,” said Ernesto Mantilla, principal of the Betty Bottom Showroom in Los Angeles. “The consumers are spending $300 a week on gas to fill up their SUVs, and then there’s the issue with housing. So we have to give them good prices.”
