California Apparel News

Business was surprisingly good at the June 8–12 run of the Los Angeles Fashion Market at the California Market Center, The New Mart, the Cooper Design Space and the Gerry Building, as well as concurrent temporary trade shows Designers and Agents, Brighte Cos. and Boutique Lingerie, according to many sales representatives and showroom owners.

The turnout and the strong order writing was a surprise for many because the June Holiday market is typically one of the smallest markets of the year.

There was much speculation for the reason for such good business. Some credited key trends with helping to lure buyers and land orders. Others said they saw a surprisingly strong turnout from international and East Coast buyers. And still others said buyers who bought cautiously in March were back to replenish their inventory.

Trend scouting at CMC

Shifting fashion trends helped draw buyers to the California Market Center, where retailers scouted for Immediate-delivery goods as well as made commitments to Holiday and Resort items, said showroom representatives.

Many reps were upbeat, reporting that stores were coming off improved first- and second-quarter results and were looking for replacement items as a result.

CMC officials, as usual, did not release any hard numbers but said registration was up in many categories such as contemporary (up 40 percent), denim (up 9 percent) and menswear (up 20 percent).

“We were very pleased with the overall turnout of this market,” said Joanne Lee, director of CMC services, in a statement. “Many tenants reported that despite the fact that June is typically a smaller market, they opened many new accounts and had stronger sales than last June.”

Some showroom managers estimated that traffic was flat or slightly off, but they did see improvements in order writing.

New Holiday lines brought in a strong contingent of Resort traffic. Among them were buyers Elton Salinas and Shari Greenbaum of Nora Blue, a boutique based in the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

“Our business has been strong, but maybe that’s because we’re on the upper end of the scale,” said Salinas.

Greenbaum said she was on the lookout for retro items. “Seventies prints are big along with a 1960s Marlo Thomas ’That Girl’ kind of look,” she said, adding that skulls and bling are also still hot in the desert.

On the contemporary floors, showroom reps were highlighting alternatives to denim, reporting that dresses and trousers were leading the way.

Showroom owner Liza Stewart reported a record opening for her line of Maria Bianca Nero silk/cashmere dresses.

“It’s the perfect delivery time for dresses because of the season and the fact that dresses is the No. 1 retail category right now,” she said.

Among the popular items from the Nero line were silk georgette and cashmere combinations in muted colors. The line is priced from $98 to $230.

Stewart was also booking well with Bendix stretch-twill pants for $66 in steel gray and brown.

Empire- and other high-waisted silhouettes were also strong, said Cindy Clark of CC Sales. She was doing well with Two Flowers, a California-based vintage-inspired dress and tops line priced from $52 to $69. High-waisted dresses in teal and rumba red were strong, she said.

“Leather is also picking up,” she added. Italian lambskin jackets from Alan Michael were attracting retailers, she said.

The retro trend was also seen in the Rebecca Bacon showroom with pin-up girl–style faux fur capelets from House of Moye for $130 in ivory.

“We had a heyday with Anaiuml;sse rayon/Modal and Lycra tops with gathered sleeves as well as updated versions of the boyfriend sweater from Dex.”

Bacon said she was receiving mixed signals from retailers, saying some were doing strong business and some were doing just OK. “It’s about 50/50 right now,” she said.

Updated lines were performing the best on the second and third floors of the CMC, where most of the center’s misses lines are based.

Silk evening and bubble dresses in artistic animal prints from Alberto Makali were strong in Sharon Koshet Sales, reported Marilyn Schneider of Alberto Makali.

“People say trends are shifting toward more casual, but our sales indicate otherwise, at least for us,” she said, explaining that she nearly sold out Makali’s new sister line, I AM, which features day dresses. “We opened lots of new accounts.” Among the hits was a zebra-print dress with a black fur collar.

The increase in traffic from menswear buyers at the market was reflected at Renee & Co., according to showroom owner Renee Watson.

“We did almost as much in men’s as women’s,” she said.

New menswear lines such as Kaporal 5 from France—featuring blazers and military-inspired jackets with patchwork, embroidery and elaborate stitching at attractive price points—helped spur sales during the week, said Watson.Holiday heat at The New Mart

With Designers and Agents acting like a buyer magnet, showrooms in The New Mart reported good traffic. “It was good for a June market,” said Michael Cohen, owner of the established Work in Progress showroom. Better than that, he said, buyers came with open minds. “They were receptive to new brands and new ideas from old brands.” Tissue-weight cashmere from Dear Cashmere, sublimation-print dresses from Alchemic and contemporary styles from Sanctuary did well with buyers.

Ginny Wong sold 1980s-inspired dresses from Jinous and Love, Jetsy at her eponymous showroom. “There was a bit of a ’Dynasty’ feel. Fabrics were really silk and drapey,” Wong said. While dresses were the hot Holiday item, Wong said buyers were looking to move away from the baby-doll styles that were all the rage for Spring. “Now, they’re looking for dresses that are cut closer to the body.”

At the brand-new Julian showroom, street styles also had buyers writing orders. Los Angeles–based printed T-shirt brand Local God earned orders from big guns, including Barneys New York. Monarchy’s new brand, UNIF, featured batwing T-shirts for women and street-savvy styles for men. Showroom owner Julian Medina reported good traffic despite it being his inaugural market. “I hustled. I’ll talk to anybody. I’ll meet people in the elevator and bring them up,” he said.Diversity key at Cooper

Buyers were all over the board for Holiday at the Cooper Design Space.

“There wasn’t one overreaching trend for Holiday,” said Kristi Harris of Kristi Harris Sales. Clutches in a variety of fabrications beat out all other handbag styles, Harris said, though the big carry-all bags also earned orders. Reversible belts that ran the gamut from wide to skinny trumped non-reversible styles, and apparel jewel and earthy tones competed for dollars.

At the Riot Showroom, playful jewel-tone dresses in cocktail lengths performed well for Holiday, as did high-waisted jeans in candy colors from House of Cassette.

At the Society Showroom, buyers bounced between Nap Designs’ playful loungewear to Shelley Beckett’s pretty dyed velvet slips, silk satin and wool dresses, and sexy blouses with ribbon details.

Glitz and glamour won over buyers at the Robert Rodriguez showroom. A sequined mini-dress with a plunging back and a fitted sleeveless cocktail dress in sparkly black were hot commodities. Sexy pieces, including a tiny satin miniskirt and a leather pencil skirt, balanced more demure staples such as high-waisted wide-leg trousers and silk blouses. Rodriguez strayed from his charcoal, champagne and black palette with a modified sheath dress in sapphire and fuchsia satin.

At the Standard showroom, casual pieces from Apolis performed well next to designer Josh Podoll’s new Podoll collection for women. Apolis, which gives 10 percent of its proceeds to Ugandan charities, showed printed T-shirts, silk ties and military-inspired jackets made from tents used during the Vietnam War. Podoll captivated buyers with its knit panel pencil skirts and futuristic vest-cape combinations.Walk-ins up at Gerry Building

At the Gerry Building, good karma was flowing at the Karma Showroom, where Jessica Rufenacht and Michelle Pienkos represent several T-shirt lines—Bread & Butta, Five Crown and Crooked Monkey—as well as young contemporary line Chica Boom.

“Walk-in traffic has been heavier than last market,” said Rufenacht, who said most of the drop-by traffic happened on June 9.

A number of West Coast boutiques showed up looking for T-shirts, wholesaling from $11 to $15, to take back to Montana, Hawaii, California and other Western areas. There were also several exporters looking for T-shirts to ship to Japan. Particularly popular were tees made with organic cotton.

Buyers were placing Immediate orders for T-shirts. Retailers placed orders for Chica Boom, whose dresses and other items wholesale for $16 to $29, for delivery dates ranging from June 30 to Dec. 15.

Over at the Clarity Group, Stacia Diamond was also seeing robust traffic at her showroom. “This has been our best market since we opened here in December,” Diamond said. She said all her appointments showed as well as eight to 15 walk-ins a day. The brisk traffic was generated by Diamond and her partner sending out thousands of photo packs.

Buyers were cruising for unique items not found on most store shelves. “It is a very product-driven market right now, which is if you have the product, they will come. You need to stand out with your color palettes and styles,” she explained.

The showroom was doing well with two lines it recently started representing: Erato and Holly Morgan. Erato is a sexy line of tops and dresses for evening, and Holly Morgan is a sexy dress line for daytime wear.

Down the hall, menswear line Five Four Clothing set up a temporary showroom to see buyers more apt to attend market week rather than stop by the company’s corporate headquarters on Porter Street in downtown Los Angeles.

West Coast salesperson Michael Warren said hot items were thigh-length nylon jackets that had a certain Members Only look to them with elongated zippers in the front and whimsical details on the back. They were wholesaling for $55 to $58.

Also popular were the company’s premium-denim jeans that have special pocket detailing, such as flap pockets or leather accents and complicated washes done in Los Angeles. The jeans wholesale for $55 to $65. D&A goes green for three-day run

Normally a four-day event, this June’s Designers and Agents show was scaled back to a three-day schedule June 8–10 at The New Mart. Barbara Kramer, D&A’s co-producer, said, “It is a step in the direction we want to go,” adding that ideally she’d like to see the Holiday market run Monday to Thursday. Markets that straddle weekends “are a lot to ask of buyers,” she said.

A smaller show than the vibrant Spring market, many buyers still shopped D&A’s 116 exhibitors. Marked by brisk traffic and busy aisles all three days, Kramer said the show’s three-day schedule helped keep energy up for its duration. Exhibitors reported good traffic and quality buyers. “All the big guys were here,” said Tadd Zarubica of Denim of Virtue. “It’s a smaller market, but the buyers that are here are ready to shop,” said Karelle Levy, designer of Miami’s Krelwear knitwear line.

Another D&A development that had buyers and exhibitors buzzing was the D&A Green pavilion. Packed with 13 eco-friendly lines of textiles, body products, accessories and fashion, Green drew buyers from specialty stores and department stores alike. Brands such as Lara Miller, which uses cotton yarn made from repurposed T-shirt remnants, and Ciel, which makes contemporary fashion from eco-friendly fabrics, including hemp/silk satin, offered guilt-free fashion. Eco-conscious textile manufacturers, including Bird Textiles, which produces all of its hand-printed fabrics with solar power, gave designers resources to go green.

Space in Green was donated by D&A, which made its own eco-friendly efforts by printing programs on recycled paper and opting for recycling bins instead of trash cans. Going forward, D&A will continue its green efforts. “Eco-consciousness isn’t a fad or a trend. It’s a way of life,” Kramer said.

Dresses were the item of the season. At Harkham, a bubble dress of oatmeal cashmere layered over black satin was popular. “It isn’t obviously sexy, more edgy and sophisticated,” said Miki Dinning, the brand’s sales rep. Munich, a Japanese contemporary brand that landed stateside in February, did well with floaty dresses in stark colors. A quilted coat in plum also did well. “Buyers are looking for a certain style first, price and delivery [are secondary concerns],” said Gina Samejima, Munich’s sales rep.

Hera, a new line from Mia Kim—the former designer of day and evening dresses for BCBG Max Azria, Herve Leger Couture, and the Max Azria Atelier lines—lured buyers with a dose of pre-Spring fashion. Bright colors and understated dress silhouettes fill the November delivery. For Holiday, sheer black silk dresses and a simple sheath layered in chiffon ruffles earned orders.Busy at Brighte

Brighte Cos. featured a mix of returning exhibitors and new companies, split between the CMC’s Fashion Theater and a smaller space across the lobby.

Among the returning attendees was Elm, a 5-year-old collection from Iceland. This was the company’s fourth time exhibiting at Brighte, according to the company’s American director, Mark Keller.

“Our West Coast business is good—we’re well received,” he said, noting that the collection of tailored and architectural pieces sells in upscale California boutiques, including Harari in Los Angeles, Wendy Foster in Santa Barbara, Barbara Bowman in Ojai and Mio in San Francisco.

Several exhibitors reported strong attendance for the normally subdued Holiday market. And many said they were seeing retailers from the East Coast, Midwest and overseas, as well as those from California and other Western states.

“It’s busy for a June market,” said Mandi Dobrin, a rep for the New York–based Jeffrey Schwager Showroom, which carries Helen Wang dresses. “I’m seeing a lot of East Coast and Midwest buyers—not just from the area.”

Some speculated that buyers who had bought conservatively in March were making up for it at this market.

“We’ve been busy every day. I saw a lot of customers I haven’t seen in a long time,” said Jana Feifer, designer of Love Luggage Joint by Jana Feifer, a 5-year-old handbag line. Feifer’s oversize bags in modern shapes are made in China from Italian leather. The Los Angeles–based collection sells in upscale stores, including Nordstrom, Fred Segal Santa Monica and “a lot of stores in Japan.”

Feifer brought product for both Immediate and Holiday deliveries to the show—and landed orders for both deliveries from retailers from California, as well as from Florida, France and Japan.

Alyssa Chapman, West Coast sales rep for Fortune Denim, based in Carrollton, Texas, said she was seeing a lot of sales momentum—especially after the company’s strong turnout at Dallas Market Week the preceding week.

“It’s been pretty steady—lots of reorders,” she said. “I’ve seen lots of new accounts. We’re getting a lot of name recognition.”

Fortune used the market to introduce new styles—particularly the “Nanjing” jean, a sailor-pant style with a classic trouser cut. Novelty is key at Boutique Lingerie

It was a slow but steadily successful market at the Boutique Lingerie show in the Gerry Building, which ran from June 8 to 11. Specialty boutiques from as far away as New Mexico and from all over California—such as Neroli in San Diego and Romantiques in Los Gatos—stopped in to stock their racks with Fall and Holiday lingerie and loungewear.

Novelty attracted buyers for Sheandme. Its lace-trimmed boyshorts with a solid front and printed rear from the Fall line was the top seller of the show and helped reel in new accounts. Since Shirin Azad, co-founder of Sheandme, said she didn’t show any new styles specifically for Holiday, reorders for basics kept business rolling.

Vivian Baril of Lavit expected a quiet market but was pleased to write a new account with ready-to-wear store LF, which ordered stretch-lace lingerie sets and a zebra-print lingerie set for its stores in Los Angeles and New York.

Show organizer and lingerie manufacturer Samantha Chang reported “even traffic” throughout the show’s run. Chang’s Holiday collection of transparent French Leavers stretch lace in a modern pattern sold well, especially a sexy camisole top.

Clean and simple with high-quality fabrications is the formula that works for Patricia Morones’ Arobatherapy line. One of Morones’ best-received items was a classic oversized pajama shirt in a new woven cotton/Seacell blend fabric that had a soft hand and airy weight.