California Apparel News

There was plenty to see and plenty to do at the Oct. 27–29 run of the Los Angeles International Textile Show, but many exhibitors reported lower traffic, fewer buyers and more-cautious ordering during the show, held at the California Market Center.

The 15-year-old show did draw a few heavy hitters, including a large team from Juicy Couture, as well aspiece-goods buyers from Disneyland and St. John. And, as always, there was a steady stream of established and up-and-coming designer and contemporary names, including Peter Cohen, Maggie Barry, Eva Franco, Whitley Kros, Wren, Elisabetta Rogiani, Katy Rodriguez, Linda Loudermilk, Three Dots, Notice and Corey Lynn Calter.

“It’s a cautious mood, but the people who are successful are always looking for the next new thing,” said Dan Sassower, who represents Ascher Studio. “There are people I work with before and after the show, like Trina Turk. After the show, my work really starts.”

Courting quality

The French Pavilion returned to the show with seven French mills.

“It’s not so bad; of course, we would like to meet more and more buyers,” said Agnes Elisabelair of Espace Textile, which organizes the pavilion. “It’s difficult, but there is still business. We don’t want to lose this market, and we don’t want to leave it.”

Prices for European textiles have been dropping slightly, as the euro has dropped in value compared with the dollar, and that was an encouraging sign for many European fabric suppliers.

French shirting mill Verne & Clet S.A. returned to the show after skipping the West Coast market for several years.

Company representative Martine Charache said she came to the show to gauge the West Coast market’s business potential and to see if she could find a local agent to represent the line.

“The problem will be minimums, but we’re trying to find possibilities to make minimums lower,” Charache said. Verne & Clet’s minimums are 400 meters for solid fabrics and 500 meters for checks and stripes. “It’s difficult, but we know who can be our customers. Now it will be easier for me to adapt my collection to them.”

Designer Eva Franco was at the show all three days. The designer said she typically sources at Premiere Vision in Paris but has skipped the European show the past two seasons. She was meeting with contemporary fabric makers, including Ascher Studio and J.B. Bernard.

“I develop my own fabrics. That’s the only way to be special in the contemporary market,” she said.

Chinese mill Jiangsu Girmes Special Textiles Co.Ltd., known as GSTZ, was at the show, hoping to impress West Coast buyers with its international expertise.

The Chinese company was originally founded as a partnership between a German mill and a Canadian company.

“We’re owned by a Chinese/Hong Kong group, but it operates independently, and we follow the management built by Germany and Canada,” said Jeffrey T. Kuo, GSTZ general manager and director. “We are the only Asian company that can make velvet close to the European and American standard. Hopefully, down the road, we can develop key customers on the West Coast.quot;

Tucked in a far corner of the show amid trim and accessories suppliers, GSTZ met with companies such as Disneyland, Jessica McClintock and Jantzen. Among the company’s new developments are a certified organic velvet and woven wool suitings.

Korean connection

Kotra, the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and KOFOTI, the Korean Federation of Textile Industries,again hosted Global Korea Textile Week, featuring textile producers and garment and accessories manufacturers in the CMC’s Fashion Theater, the Lobby Suite and on the 13th floor.

This was the third show for Korean mill Vega Corp., which was showing in the Fashion Theater. Kate Kim, U.S. branch manager, based in New York, said the show seemed slower than in previous seasons.

“This economy is worse than before and less people are coming,” she said. “Before, there were so many people, but the business was small.”

Kim said she was getting good reaction to her high-end outerwear and career sportswear fabrics, but because her company is based in New York, she has trouble landing more than a sample order.

Still, she said if the Korean government sponsors the show again next season, she will return.

Maggie Barry stopped by the Korean exhibitors in the Fashion Theater before making her way to the main exhibition hall on the 13th floor.

“We’re working on so many things, from custom pieces to baby blankets to cool uniform options,” Barry said. “It depends on what walks through the door.”

The designer and stylist said she found good resources for synthetic leather, blankets, and an eco-friendly and antimicrobial material. In addition, she said she found some good resources in the Korean pavilion, including companies with low minimums, 45-day deliveries and FOB prices. “There are a lot of good technical fabrics, and they’re really nice to work with.”

Overall, organizers were pleased with the show. “We are pleased with the success of this October’s Los Angeles International Textile Show,” said Chelsea Matthews, the CMC’s senior manager of trade shows. “The fact that attendance was solid, the exhibitors were writing orders, and overall participants were happy leaves everyone feeling hopeful about the future.”

Next season, the Los Angeles International Textile Show will have company. GlobalTex, a textile trade show organized by Dallas-based Market Center Management Co., will debut its biannual textile trade show beginning in April.

In the fall, Urban Expositions, organizers of the Material World trade show in Miami Beach, Fla., will join the lineup with Material World West.