California Apparel News

Buyers got down to business at the recent Fashion Coterie, Designers and Agents, The Train and Platform 2 trade shows in New York.

With a precarious economy and Wall Street’s financial unfolding during New York’s market week, the outcome could have been very bleak, indeed. But the Chelsea fashion and art district of Manhattan and the Show Piers on Manhattan’s West Side were buzzing from Sept. 13 to 18 as buyers turned out to shop for fresh Spring merchandise. In this survival-of-the-fittest market, buyers needed to get to market and find the right merchandise for their stores. Even buyers who said they were putting their money into safe, consistent brands said they were looking to freshen up their merchandise mix.

D&A had its best show ever, with a 10 percent increase in buyer attendance over last year, according to co-founder Ed Mandelbaum.

“It was really a good show,” he said. “We had a 5 percent increase in exhibitors. It was the largest show that we ever had.”

D&A, The Train and Platform 2 ran from Sept. 13 to 15, kicking off the six-day stretch of trade shows.

For this D&A show, a third location was added due to the unavailability of studio space at the Starrett-Lehigh Building. The three venues—the Starrett-Lehigh Building, the Chelsea Art Museum and the new location at Cedar Lake dance studio—featured 322 collections and 218 booths. While the prospect of traveling to a third location seemed daunting at first, the venues were located within blocks of each other and offered buyers the chance to get a breath of fresh air. D&A continued its eco focus with its ongoing “Green Leaf Program” and a full floor at the Chelsea Art Museum dedicated to eco-friendly lines. They continued their partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and for the first timepartnered with Gen Art.

Mandelbaum and Kramer credit the strength of the young designer contemporary market and their tightly edited show as the formula for success. “We’re so super-selective about the brands that we bring in that we really have a lot of good talent there,” said Barbara Kramer, Mandelbaum’s business partner. “When they [buyers] come to D&A, they are looking for what is relevant, what is new,” she added.

A heavy influx of international buyers from France, Italy, Germany, Korea, China, Colombia, Israel, Canada, Turkey, Australia, England, Japan and Spain also contributed to the success of the show. “I think that the market that we are in is one of the healthier ones, and I think people from all over the place are trying to find products that they can sell and do business with,” Mandelbaum said. “I think that we had more international traffic because of the good fashion and because of the good prices [resulting from] the dollar being so weak. So I think all of that added up to a robust market,” he added.

A large numbers of U.S. buyers also attended the show, including American Rag Cie., Diavolina and Madison in Los Angeles; Dressed in Santa Barbara, Calif.; Les Amis in Seattle; and Blueberi in Brooklyn, N.Y.

New route to The Train

At The Train and Platform 2, reorganization was also the order of the day. Buyers visiting the show, held at the Terminal Stores, a former train station and warehouse, had to trek around the corner to a new entrance on West 28th Street because of construction blocking the main entrance on 11th Avenue.

The move offered a fresh perspective for visitors and exhibitors to navigate the four adjoining rooms that make up Platform 2 on their way to The Train’s main tunnel-like trade show floor.

This season, the show collaborated with Showroom Seven, which is also located in the same building. They shared common doors between the locations, allowing buyers to visit the multi-label showroom and the trade shows without leaving the building. Organized by La Feacute;deacute;ration Franccedil;aise Du Precirc;t A Porter Feacute;minin and Sodes—organizers of the Precirc;t A Porter Paris, Atmosphere and The Box trade shows—The Train focuses on the better customer who tends to buy highend designers or is looking for special pieces from up-and-coming designers. Platform 2 includes international bridge and contemporary collections. The two adjoining shows featured approximately 110 collections, including international labels such as Clara Collins, Lie Sang Bong and Repetto from France; Anaessia from Australia; Dinna Soliman and Jim Barnier from the United States; Marie Saint-Pierre from Canada; and Shena Brysi from South Korea.

The shows drew approximately 3,000 visitors, including retail buyers, press and stylists from the United States and overseas. Attendance was up by 6 percent this season, and foreign buyers represented 40 percent of the attendees.

Buyers from Pitkin County Dry Goods in Aspen,Colo.; On Sunset in Los Angeles; Takashimaya New York in New York; Bonnie White in Atlanta; and Beams in Japan all attended the show.

Buzzing at Coterie

Fashion Coterie, held Sept. 16–18 at the Show Piers, were bustling as approximately 25,000 buyers turned out to shop for merchandise to fill in depleted inventories and shop for fresh, new items.

“It’s been an amazing show,” said Elyse Kroll, chairman and chief executive officer of ENK International, producers of Fashion Coterie.

“I think we’re in the center of the perfect storm—[a term] which is often overused, but I think it’s true. Buyers couldn’t wait any longer.”

Because of the economy, buying habits have changed and stores are being forced to work smarter. That meant getting to the trade show and shopping for new merchandise. “I think at this point going into the new year, it was, ’I’ve finally got to buy; I’ve got to do something to bring new product into my store,’” Kroll said. “How do you excite a customer with empty shelves or old merchandise? We’re in fashion. It has to change.”

The diversity of offerings of Fashion Coterie’s nearly 1,500 exhibitors made it a key stop to shop the Spring market. “We’re kind of one-stop shopping,” Kroll said. “If you’re going to make a trip, this is where to go.”

The show offered virtually everything a store could need, from T-shirts and jeans to contemporary and designer goods, outerwear, and accessories spread out over Piers 90, 92 and 94. In addition, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center housed bridge and eveningwear brands, shoes at Sole Commerce and international collections including Made in Italy.

The show also increased its international offerings by handpicking seven Indian designers from Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, India, to show in the designer Mezzanine area.

The show also benefited from an increase in European and Asian buyers—thanks to the weak dollar, which has made U.S. brands very appealing and profitable for international buyers.

According to Kroll, it was up to the designers to deliver new, exciting product that would motivate buyers to write. “It’s great that ENK brought everyone here, but that wasn’t the end of the story,” she said. “The end of the story is ’Do the designers have something that’s interesting enough?’”

Buyers such as Marty Bebout and John Coucette from the Blue Bee stores in Santa Barbara and Hillary Rush from Hillary Rush in Los Angeles said they are definitely working smarter. But they were also loosening the reins and looking for new merchandise to drive business. The consensus was in order to motivate people to buy, stores need to offer something special to make their merchandise stand out.

Trend scouting

For denim, brands such as Paige, Raven and Hudson offered lighter washes, boyfriend fits and cut-off denim shorts to freshen up the mix. Bold neon colors were key at By Malene Birger, and colorful floral and abstract digital prints looked on target at Iodice. There was a strong trend toward ’80s silhouettes, blazers, cropped pants and power dressing. Development offered a fresh modern mix of ikat-print dresses, smart leather jackets and cuffed pants. On the opposite end, designers offered feminine floral prints, ethereal themes and lace. Boho continued with a global influence—there were a variety of ethnic prints, tribal patterns, tunics and fringe galore.

Rush said she was going forward with the dress but preferred long maxi styles. She was also shopping for accessories and separates—especially skirts. Buyers from She Boutique and online shop in Chicago were hunting for young designers such as Quail and Larsen Gray and were going for directional pieces such as rompers and jumpsuits. Jackets in every shape and size, including moto styles—full-length and sleeveless—and blazers in cropped and tuxedo styles, were key pieces for the season.