California Apparel News

Tucked into a busy trade show calendar, the Holiday/Resort market in Los Angeles is never one of the larger markets, but for its Aug. 7–11 run the Los Angeles Fashion Market was exceedingly quiet, according to showroom representatives.

That said, there were buyers in attendance, and they were writing orders. Many reps said Immediate, fill-in orders did well, as did accessories and gift items for Holiday. And while the market seemed to draw mostly local buyers, there were some retailers from Western states who travelled to the show, as well as a smattering of European and Japanese buyers.

To be sure, buyers had plenty to choose from among the showrooms in the California Market Center, The New Mart, the Cooper Design Space, the Gerry Building, the Lady Liberty Building and the 824 Building, as well as temporary exhibitors in Designers and Agents, Brighte Companies, Boutique Lingerie and Focus.

But many showroom reps and owners said some buyers skipped market in favor of upcoming trade events in Las Vegas and New York, and others said they were expecting a greater turnout during the larger Spring market in October. All quiet on the CMC front

Many showroom representatives in the California Market Center were bemoaning the fact that traffic was down drastically from last year. Some estimated that buyer attendance plummeted as much as 40 percent to 80 percent.

The word on the street is that many buyers are economizing by taking fewer market trips. That means more stores plan to hit the MAGIC Marketplace and its various satellite shows, which take place Aug. 28–Sept. 2 in Las Vegas.

“Traffic was down compared to last year, maybe 40 percent,” said Lorraine Hooshyar, owner of the L on 5 showroom, located on the fifth floor. She has an assortment of contemporary clothing and accessories under labels such as Pure & Simple, Onix and Daniel Rainn. “We will see what Vegas brings. I think people are being smarter about these markets. If you have to choose between L.A. and Vegas, they are choosing Vegas so they can see a lot of their manufacturers at the same time and cut down on travel expenses.”

Down the hall, at Showroom Five 21, Vishaka Lama was sitting in a quiet showroom illuminated by a bright chandelier. Her lines of men’s and women’s labels—Silver Dagger, Dream Culture and Elite—were neatly lined up on racks. “It was a little ugly this market,” Lama said, stirring a cup of coffee as a colleague did some paperwork.

Many showroom tenants said the June market was fairly vibrant, but this August market was dead compared with last year. “I think Vegas was one of the reasons it was so slow,” Lama said.

Traffic was also light at CMC’s Focus show, which features a mix of up-and-coming brands, as well as more-established lines looking to benefit from the increased foot traffic of a booth show.

But this time out, many exhibitors showing on the 13th floor said they were disappointed with the turnout.

“August is never crazy, but this is catastrophic,” said Suzy Arbaut, designer and co-owner of Mon Bijou jewelry, based in Westlake Village, Calif. Arbaut launched the line to raise money for Pablo’s Friends, a nonprofit organization founded to build centers for orphaned children. A portion of each Mon Bijou sale is donated to Pablo’s Friends, and retailers receive a statement at the end of the year tallying how much was raised for the nonprofit.

The designer only shows the Mon Bijou line at the Gift Show in New York and at Focus.

“I show five times a year at Focus because it’s a cute show. It’s usually much better than this,” she said on the second day of the show.

Jerry and Judy Wexler, owners of the J.Wexler Sales showroom, agreed that the market was exceedingly slow. The Wexlers were showing Los Angeles–based young contemporary collection Mystree, which sells to Fred Segal in Southern California and at Ambiance in Northern California.

The two own a permanent showroom on the CMC’s eighth floor but opt to show Mystree at Focus to capture some of the show’s foot traffic.

“The last two shows were very good,” said Jerry Wexler, adding that in the past he and his wife have picked up new accounts at Focus that they would have missed if they’d shown only on the eighth floor.

“It’s a relatively new show,” Judy Wexler said. “So maybe customers don’t know it exists yet.” Quiet at Cooper, New Mart, too

Exhibitors reported one of the slowest markets in memory at the Cooper Design Space and The New Mart buildings. The two buildings, normally key destinations for contemporary buyers during markets, saw significantly fewer buyers than in past August markets, showroom reps and owners said. Some showrooms opted out of the market altogether.

Theresa Matthews of the Single showroom in The New Mart showed goods from Resort through Spring but said the timing of the market (not the economy or buyers’ needs) doomed it from the get-go. “It’s sandwiched between two New York markets and the upcoming shows in Vegas,” she said. Buyers have too many shows to shop and are limiting their travel, Matthews said. But a slow market in Los Angeles simply means she expects to catch up with the bulk of her stores at later shows. “Every year, we all question why we have an August market. I don’t think we need it.”

Jason Bates, owner of the Derelicte Showroom in the Cooper building, said the weakness of August markets is changing the way he does business. “As a matter of fact, Derelicte will no longer be open on Sundays during future markets. I feel that market weeks are less and less relevant and more focus needs to be on the road and inside the retailers’ stores themselves,” he said.

Stacia Diamond of the Clarity showroom in the Cooper building said that while overall traffic was down and she didn’t see many out-of-town accounts, she did work with key Los Angeles retailers, such as Revolve, Ron Herman and Macy’s. To meet their needs, Diamond showed plenty of Holiday Immediates and booked neon sweaters and fashion basic knit tops. “No one is really booking out further than Holiday,” she said.

Despite the lackluster traffic, there were bright spots at the market.

Jeremy Lindberg of the Agent 011 showroom in the Cooper building said jewelry did good business, especially “statement pieces.” The Resort and beachwear sector also promises to be strong, he said. “Our Resort collections did excellent in coverups, loose tops, pull-on cotton skirts. Light colors and a beachy, tropical feel was what everyone was feeling,” he said. Similarly, at The New Mart, Hale Bob introduced Cabana, a new Resort and swimwear collection, during the market and reported receiving a good response.

“Overall, we didn’t expect anything from market, as August is usually the least important of the year,” Lindberg said. “In the end, it was definitely worth the time and energy, and hopefully that’s a small sign for the economy as a whole.”Quiet but productive D&A

A much-abridged version of the Designers and Agents show featured a mix of returning labels and new lines.

While most exhibitors said traffic was light, a few reported good orders from buyers ranging from local boutiques to buyers in from Europe and Japan.

“Normally, it’s a lot busier than this,” said David Suncho, who was representing New York– and Hawaii-based Peonie LLC, which makes the S. Sung collection. “There’s only 25 booths and not much foot traffic.” Still, on the second day of the show, Suncho met with a group of buyers from Japan. “It was a pretty big order. I hope it makes up for [the slow show].”

For designer Deborah Lindquist, exhibiting was as much about making sales as it was about maintaining a presence.

“I had an order yesterday that made me very happy,” she said. “And it’s good to be seen. People need more encouragement.”

Lindquist said one of her Alpaca drop-stitch sweater dresses will be featured in an upcoming issue of Lucky magazine and her custom bridal business has been growing, as well.

New to the show was Ireland-based line Avoca, which launched at this market to the U.S. market. Meredith Powell, director of sales for Odd Molly North America, is representing the line, which features cute and girly silk dresses, sweaters and lightweight tops, as well as home deacute;cor items under the Nest brand. The apparel is manufactured in Ireland in a mill founded in 1723. The silk dresses are wholesale priced at $56, and the throws are wholesale priced from $30 to $50.

“I found there was so much response to the apparel but also a high response to Nest, which I’m selling as Immediates,” Powell said.

Sweden-based Odd Molly followed last season’s rollout of branded skincare products with a line of sunglasses for spring ’10. The collection includes all aviator styles named for famous airwomen and features Odd Molly prints on the eyeglass stems.

“Exhibitors with new collections like Odd Molly, Avoca, Calypso are doing well, as are accessory collections,” said D&A co-founder Ed Mandelbaum, who added that August attendees are primarily from West Coast stores, “but [there’s] always some from the rest of the country and international [buyers].” Buyers undeterred at smaller Brighte

The Brighte Companies show, which ran Aug. 7–10 in the CMC’s Fashion Theater, was noticeably smaller in terms of exhibitor space. The stage area, which usually accommodates several booths, was closed, and a lounge area was created in the middle of the main show floor to make up for the absentees.

Exhibitors in attendance reported slow to moderate buyer traffic over the four days, with the bulk coming over the weekend. The show caters to stores that carry contemporary lines.

Michelle Waller of Torrance, Calif.–based Royal Plush said buyers were still “timid” in their approaches.

“They’re writing small orders,” she said. “Fall will be a huge indicator. That’s what we will be looking at.”

The company showed its new denim collection as well as bamboo- and triple-tie-dye tops and yoga-inspired sportswear featuring sueded fabrics.

Representatives of New York–based The Isabella Co. were showing Spanish line Sita Murt, featuring white knit and blended tops, “Monet” dresses, and cotton/metal shirts, which were on target with what California buyers were looking for, said rep Rosemary Myczkowski.

“We were probably the busiest booth here,” she said. “Buyers wanted good price points and clothing that lasts more than one season.”

The company bought Spring 2010 items to the show, which she said was probably too early for Los Angeles buyers. “They will be back in October looking for this,” she said.

And another tops line, L.A. Mynx, reported good business with its crystal tops featuring fleurs de lis, Pegasus horses and angel wings.

“We were able to sign lots of new accounts here,” said rep Sammie Yang. “I think buyers were tapping into the positive energy from our original designs.”

Appointments key at Gerry, Lady Liberty and 824

The Gerry Building hosted the Boutique Lingerie Show and an informal collective of swimwear representatives during the Aug. 7–10 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market. The two shows attracted regional swimwear and lingerie specialty stores to market that placed last minute orders for Fall and Holiday and got a taste of the Spring 2010 collections.

The swimwear boutique Favorite J, which has locations in San Clemente and Encinitas, Calif., made the trip to market to check out the showrooms that set up temporary shop. “I don’t think I would have come if they weren’t all together,” said Lori Puterbaugh of Favorite J, who browsed L*Space’s Resort 2010 collection at The T Room and HM Showroom’s brands, which include Vix and Havaianas.

Regional buyers—such as Fred Segal Silk, Fred Segal Fun, Lisa Norman and Only Hearts, all in Santa Monica, Calif.; Ella’s Room in Boise, Idaho; and Chatwick’s of London in San Francisco—shopped the Boutique Lingerie show, where Lavit, Huit, Barbara, Samantha Chang, Something Else and Janet Reger were some of the exhibitors.

Heather Bach of Viceroy Collections, which represents Myla and Shock Absorber sports bras, saw her “core customers,” who took notes on Myla’s Spring 2010 collection. The British brand recently introduced a lower price point of $39 wholesale bras for stores where Myla’s usual $64 up to $80 wholesale price for extra special silk and lace bras is out of reach.

Traffic at the 824 Building and Lady Liberty Building was appointment-based for the contemporary clothing showrooms. Kristen Aguilera of The Park showroom in the Lady Liberty Building wrote orders for Spring 2010 for men’s woven shirt line Just A Cheap Shirt. “They want what they know is selling already,” said Aguilera of Just A Cheap Shirt’s plaid woven button-up shirts, which wholesale for $19–$25.

Many stores that planned to attend the Aug. 31–Sept. 2 run of the Las Vegas trade shows held off from writing Spring 2010 during market. “It’s preview time,” said Tracey Burton of The Globe Showroom in the Lady Liberty Building, who represents brands such as Camilla and Marc and Luc Kieffer jewelry. “They need to get a cohesive look for the season before they [write].”

Alfred Davis of the T and A Showroom in the 824 Building, which represents lines such as Alkemy and Show by Cirque de Cheval, echoed the same sentiment. Though quality buyers from Amazon.com and Planet Funk attended, many buyers that usually attend the August market were waiting to see it all the Las Vegas trade shows.