Focused Buying at Moda Las Vegas and Accessories The Show
Accessories The Show and Moda Las Vegas offered a juried selection of more than 300 accessories lines and more than 200 contemporary lines during the Aug. 31–Sept. 2 run of the trade shows at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
Buyers traveling from 48 states and 47 different countries—many of whom were in town to attend Project Global Trade Show, held next door at the Sands Expo & Convention Center—came to browse Holiday/Resort 2009–2010 accessories and transition/Spring 2010 clothing collections.
Britton Jones, president and chief executive officer of Business Journals Inc., which produces Moda Las Vegas and Accessories The Show, said, “The better women’s market in Las Vegas took on even greater significance this August after many buyers opted out of shopping the regional markets serving the Western United States.”
For her first time exhibiting at Moda Las Vegas, Miriana Ojeda said she was pleased with the range of buyers from “better contemporary” stores in attendance that suited her target customer.
“It’s for a woman that is probably above 40 but still dresses young,” said Ojeda of the four sportswear collections from her multiline showroom in Los Angeles that she exhibited. Atoria, Lunn and Ryan Roberts average at about $75 wholesale, and the higher-end lines Krista Larson, a division of Lilith, and Duna luxe sweater knits average $250 wholesale.
She described her customer as “the modern woman [who] wants something a little bit quirky and different, not the basic styles.”
Ojeda booked both Immediate orders from buyers who “didn’t have enough for Fall” and orders for the new Spring 2010 lines from a range of stores that included Camille DePedrini in South Pasadena, Calif.; Democracy in Palm Desert, Calif.; and The Children’s Hour in Salt Lake City.
Millie Troll—who represents the clothing lines Anac, Pure Color, Stiletto, Til The End and Louben—said her “numbers were up” from the last time she showed at Moda in February.
“I think the quality of stores that went through there were a higher caliber. You don’t really get the looky-loos so much,” said Troll, who connected with several new accounts outside her normal territory of the 13 Western states. Troll said stores were purchasing items with that were a good value for the price. “Price was an issue—but not the bottom-line issue.”
Miami-based Simon Sebbag jewelry, a first-time exhibitor at Accessories The Show, hoped to reach more specialty-store customers on the West Coast. The 28-year-old jewelry line sells to Nordstrom stores and estimates about 70 percent of its accounts are “upper-end women’s clothing stores.”
Denise Sebbag said buyers were cautious about writing at the show but “it was a success in getting our name out there.” Days after the show ended, Sebbag has seen orders faxed in from existing accounts and new accounts that she met with in Las Vegas.
Buyers gravitated to colorful stones such as red Chinese coral and turquoise stones, chunky stackable silver bangles, chunky silver hoop earrings and “anything that retails in the store from $100 to $120,” Sebbag said. “They were price conscious, but they wanted a lot of look.”—Rhea Cortado
