California Apparel News

You could feel the economic chill lifting inside the various showrooms scattered around downtown Los Angeles during the Oct. 16–20 run of Los Angeles Fashion Market Spring 2010.

Traffic might not have been up at many venues, but buyers knocking on the doors weren’t hesitant about writing orders and daring to go beyond Immediate orders.

The market was held at the California Market Center, The New Mart, the Cooper Design Space, the Gerry Building, the Lady Liberty Building and the 824 Building. Temporary shows held were Brighte Cos., Designers and Agents, Boutique Lingerie, Focus and Transit.

CMC steady

Many CMC showroom owners said traffic might not have been as abundant last year, but people were more serious about putting pen to paper to write orders.

“I didn’t see people afraid, which I saw last year,” said Ravi Bhushan, sales manager at the Chaudry showroom at the CMC.“Traffic was a little bit off, but everyone who came wrote orders.”

He estimates sales were up 15 percent to 18 percent over last year for the company’s line of colorful tunics, dresses, skirts, tops and accessories, which use fabric from Indonesia and Morocco to create a bohemian look.

The Los Angeles Fashion District buzzed with activity during this Fashion Market, which was a complete turnaround from last year, when the financial world was reeling from Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy filing on Sept. 15 with $603 billion in debt, the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.

Last fall, shoppers closed their pocketbooks and shied away from boutiques and stores. Now, there is a flurry of consumer sightings. “We are seeing a lot of customers coming out of the deep freeze who have not been in the store for a year,” said Mike Roach, co-owner with his wife, Kim Osgood, of Paloma Clothing in Portland, Ore.

That was evident at Paloma’s Fall sale, where revenues were up 10 percent over last year. But still, the shop owners were buying wisely, seeking novelty and fashion items. Scarves, they said, were doing well for every age group. So were tops.

Retailers were being helped out this season with more-conservative prices. In the last year, many apparel companies have retooled their collections to shrink price points by at least 20 percent or more.

Lower price points for Rock Revival, carried by the Reneacute;e & Co. showroom in the CMC, was a definite drawing point for store buyers. Under new management, the 5-year-old denim line last year whittled away at wholesale prices that varied from $92 to $98. They are now $63 to $68.

“We were really busy,” said Reneacute;e Watson, the showroom’s owner. “We always make appointments, but we had a lot of people walking in, and we opened up some new accounts.”

Watson estimates her business was even or up a little bit over last year.

At the Joey Miller showroom, which carries seven lines of women’s clothing, traffic was slow the first three days of market but picked up the fourth day. “The first few days were a little desolate, but yesterday was like the good old days. We had almost 40 appointments,” said showroom owner Joey Miller.New Mart resurgence

Retail traffic boomed at The New Mart, according to the building’s general manager, Ethan Eller. Buyer attendance for the most recent market was 1,110 buyers, not much less than the building’s record high for attendance of 1,246 buyers in March 2007. “It was very encouraging and I think indicative of a resurgent economy,” Eller said.

Retailers Kitson, Bloomingdale’s, Harrods, Saks Fifth Avenue, Milk, Nordstrom, Fred Segal, Barneys and H. Lorenzo shopped The New Mart as well as overseas retailers from Japan and Germany.

Showroom owner Steeve Bohbot said his Connected International Sales showroom made 20 percent more in sales compared with the same market in the previous year. He introduced six lines during the market, including Australia-based None the Richer and Los Angeles–based Rock the Icon.

The market’s success was a big change from the business of the fashion market in June. “It was one of the worst markets I’ve seen,” Bohbot said. He credited the success of the October market to retailers simply needing to stock their shelves.

Kitson owner Fraser Ross agreed that the mood of this market seemed more upbeat than those in the recent past. However, he thought consumers will continue to be wary about spending. “We’re going to have to be price-sensitive for at least two years,” he said.

Kitson placed orders from lines such as Joy Rich from the Connected Showroom to new lines such as Winter Kate and Aviator Nation. A show for all seasons at the Cooper Design Space

Showrooms at the Cooper Design Space greeted buyers with a variety of seasons—from Fall and Holiday through Spring and Summer—and lowered price points.

The Community Service showroom debuted a lower price point for Rich & Skinny, the premium-denim collection from Joie Rucker. “Spring 2010 is priced about 20 percent lower than [previous seasons],” said Natasha Silva, co-owner of the showroom. “It gave people a lot of incentive to buy.”

Community Service also showed buyers goods from Rory Beca, which had a surprise hit with its pricier Rory Beca Gold Label, Leyendecker, Hero Crane and Torn. “[Buyers] were definitely shopping price point, but if something is special, then price becomes much less important,” Silva said. Most orders went to Immediates, while Spring earned notes.

“I felt a definite shift this market,” Silva said. “Buyers are venturing out from behind the rocks, and we’ve got an audience for our product.”

At the Siblings showroom, owner Lucy Thompson showed dresses from a variety of resources but noted that the big news was dressmaker Hype’s move to drop price points. Starting with Fall 2009, Hype’s prices have fallen, bringing retail price points to $140 to $170—down from upwards of $210 in the past.

While buyers attended market with a renewed sense of hope, there is still some price resistance, Thompson said. The showroom, which specializes in opening price-point merchandise for the contemporary market, did brisk business across all seasons in goods priced under $100 retail. “That price point has been magical,” she said, adding that she opened several new accounts during market, something that has been rare in the last year. For Holiday, buyers were focused on dresses with some sort of value-adding embellishment.

“This was the best market this year. The traffic was substantially better and the mood was very positive,” said Mona Sangkala, the Cooper building’s leasing manager. Buyers from Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Scoop, Fairmont Hotels, Chalk Garden and Wendy Foster joined local retailers Blue Bee, Ron Herman, Planet Blue, Traffic and On Sunset in shopping the building.Steady season for Designers and Agents

Designers and Agents returned to Los Angeles Oct. 16–18 to The New Mart and the Cooper Design Space.

The show, which attracted roughly the same number of exhibitors and buyers as the Spring show last October, was decidedly more upbeat than recent markets, said Ed Mandelbaum, the show’s co-creator. “It felt like L.A. is turning a corner. There was a more optimistic outlook on the show floor. Buyers weren’t freaked out of their mind [like past seasons],” he said. “They are still being careful. They’re writing notes and pondering, but they’re got a handle on the situation now and are being smart and making good decisions.”

Domestic and international buyers from retailers such as Barneys New York, Metier in San Francisco, Alexander in Rome and Noodle Story in Los Angeles roamed the show, which featured a mix of goods from Fall and Holiday through Spring and Summer.

Chris Seelig, owner of the Brothers and Sisters Showroom in New York, brought a handful of brands to the show, including Alpinestars by Denise Focil, ASTARS, Daal, Marrakech and Malibu Denim Co.

Seelig reported a strong show. He noted that Los Angeles–based Alpinestars by Denise Focil and its sister brand, ASTARS, did well during their first D&A outing. Priced at the lower end of contemporary, Alpinestars by Denise Focilearned buys with its leather jackets wholesaling for $239 to $269. “The look is right and the price is right,” Seelig said.

ASTARS, which sells tops and T-shirts, did well with “sexy, drapy” Modal tops that pair back to denim and leather.

Trends on the show floor ranged from hippie chic with plenty of ethereal peasant tops and handmade touches to military looks with casual, crisp cargo pants and woven shirts.Brighte story

Exhibitors at Brighte Cos., the temporary show at the CMC organized by ENK International, felt that traffic was slower than usual, but there were some key customer contacts.

Harald Jonassen, owner of new dress line Jane Wang in New York, was attending Brighte for the first time. The label’s silk jersey dresses with soft and feminine prints were wholesaling for $98 to $136.

“It has been fairly slow,” he said. “But I picked up two new clients that made my show. They have multiple stores, so it was worth it.”

Luisa Migliaccio, U.S. sales manager for Montreal-based Teenflo, agreed that the show was quiet, but she too opened up new accounts with a few stores, making the trip profitable. She was doing well with dresses and cropped pants.Lady Liberty and 824

The mood was upbeat at the contemporary men’s and women’s showrooms in The Lady Liberty Building and 824 Building.

Chris Cantrell of the Kascade Showroom—who saw ready-to-wear buyers from Weekends in Boulder, Colo.; AB Fits in San Francisco; Blue Bee in Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Sebastian’s Closet in Atlanta—said this was the first market he noticed a healthy mix of walk-in traffic.

In the past, the only buyers that visited during market were those with appointments. Buyers were ready to leave paper as well. “They were focusing on getting Spring done—wrapping things up,” said Cantrell, who represents lines such as Splendid, Robert Graham, Takel, Krisa and Quiksilver Women’s.

Daniel Chancey of The Bar Showroom agreed that buyers were more adventurous this market. “I feel like there was a lot more scouting for new lines, as opposed to Fall market, where people were a little bit hesitant to pick up new lines,” said Chancey, who represents lines such as Mint by Jodi Arnold and Beautiful People.

The 824 Building was a destination for trendy Los Angeles stores Kitson, Live! On Sunset and Planet Funk and the East Coast chain South Moon Under, which has store locations in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Clean basics at an affordable price were key for menswear buyers. “Price point continues to be the strongest category,” said Tim Padilla of the T&A Showroom. Basic tees in burnout treatments by Fluxus that wholesale for $18 to $28 and Gregory Quinn slouchy tees with a clean finish that wholesale from $22 to $45 were among the best sellers.

Focus returns with Thread

Contemporary apparel and accessories show Focus returned to the California Market Center’s 13th-floor penthouse with an expanded lineup that included Thread Select, a sampling of labels put together by San Diego–based consumer trade show Thread.

Among the new exhibitors during the show’s Oct. 16–18 run was Amai Unmei, a 2-year-old contemporary collection based in Portland, Ore.

Amai Unmei means “sweet destiny” in Japanese. Designer Allison Covington’s collection features flirty dresses and vintage-inspired coats, which are wholesale priced from $125 to $230. Sales representative Vanessa Urenda said the collection’s classic aesthetic has found a base in several boutiques on the West Coast—but not yet in Los Angeles.

Returning to Focus was San Diego–based Crow Thief, which is designed by Melissa Hendrix and Ray Lawson. Described by Hendrix as “urban-contemporary streetwear,” the men’s and women’s line includes printed tees, as well as a few tailored jackets, vests and dresses. Wholesale prices range from $22 to $99.

“I’ve written some orders, but it’s a little slow,” said Hendrix on the second day of the show.

This was the first time that Anna Carey jewelry designs of Redondo Beach, Calif., attended Thread Select at Focus, said Vice President of Sales Star Rivera. The company has participated in Thread’s retail show in the past. Rivera was pleased with the turnout at Focus, noting, “I had appointments, so I did well.”

The collection included silver- and gold-filled pieces mixed with semiprecious stones, precious-metal clay and fused glass. The 4-year-old line sells to Southern California–based contemporary boutiques, including Traffic, Beige and Moondance Jewelry Gallery. The company also maintains a workshop in New York and sells to East Coast boutiques, as well. The Gerry Building

The Boutique Lingerie Show hosted a smaller number of vendors than usual for its Oct. 16–19 edition in the Gerry Building. Local California stores—such as Lulu’s in Manhattan Beach, Calif.; A Tropical Affair in Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Something Sexy in Santa Rosa, Calif.—shopped the Spring collections, but there were few, if any, out-of-state lingerie buyers that made the trip to Los Angeles.

“I think people are just trying to hang on to their business,” said Samantha Chang, organizer of the Boutique Lingerie show.

New exhibitor The Brag Co. from Vancouver, Canada, showed its hard-case lingerie travel bags, which protect molded-cup bras from getting crunched while packed in a suitcase. The Brag Co. has a strong presence in Canada and wants to increase distribution in the United States.

Lingerie showrooms in the Gerry Building were just as slow. Jennie Nielsen, whose eponymous showroom represents lines such as Fashion Forms and EA, said she anticipated that it would not be as busy as October market last year but hoped it would be busier than the previous, smaller markets.

“Did we expect it to be this bad? No,” Nielsen said. Though she met with a handful of specialty stores, such as Country Squire Gifts & Linens in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., many of the out-of-state and northern California lingerie stores that can be counted on to attend Los Angeles market were absent.

The specialty-store owners who made the trip, such as Carol Gill of the bra-foundations and sleepwear store Undercovers in Glendora, Calif., remained price conscious. “They [customers] want value for their dollar,” said Gill, who picked up the Ed Hardy underwear line and loungewear line Dots and Dreams at the Wells Showroom in the California Market Center. Gill was also hunting for affordable sleepwear for the conservative baby boomer customer. “We have got a huge group of women who are over 40 that don’t want to look like their grandmothers or teenage daughters,” Gill said.