Buyers Look to the Future at Project
The reviews are in, and they’re pretty good. Project Global Trade Show, the contemporary show that draws the who’s who of Las Vegas buyers, is earning kudos for its brand mix and general vitality. Approximately 800 men’s, women’s and accessories brands filled the show’s floor at the Sands Expo & Convention Center.
Diana Vilato, owner of the Los Angeles–based Style Assembly showroom, said her accessories lines were successful in picking up new stores while her apparel accounts wrote bigger orders than they had last year.
“Generally, buyers were cautiously optimistic—they seemed to at least have a handle on the new status quo and were no longer afraid to place future orders, all the while watching selling closely for reorders,” Vilato said. “Things aren’t the way they were two years ago, but there is a not any more real fear or desperation like we saw [in the] fourth quarter of 2008. Stores are now in shape and have toned their buys to be ready to bob and weave in our current climate. The sky didn’t fall, so we’re all still moving along!”
Jackie Brander, owner and founder of Fred Segal Fun in Santa Monica, Calif., shopped Capsule and Project trade shows and found plenty to earn her buys. “My customers are looking for non-disposable clothing. They want things that are not going to be worn for a season and then dismissed. My buying strategy is to tune into this, to give my customers what they are looking for,” Brander said. “I’m focused on my T-shirt and denim brands for the most part. Paige [Premium] Denim and AG and Degaine were my favorites at Project in the denim category. Splendid and James Perse are still my leading knit lines, and they did not disappoint for Spring. These lines are consistently my number ones.”
Wildfox Couture, a Los Angeles–based contemporary basics line, bowed an 11-piece denim collection and enjoyed steady traffic at the show. “We’ve taken on more international distributors—including Brazil, South Korea and Australia—so our global awareness has grown significantly,” said Kristom Parson, Wildfox’s marketing director. Buyers, she said, responded well to the brand’s denim offerings, which include miniskirts, acid-wash ’80s throwbacks, boyfriend jeans and the mandatory skinny jeans.—Erin Barajas
