Spirits High at WWIN Show
Exhibitors at the Womens Wear In Nevada (WWIN) show, held Aug. 31–Sept. 3 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, reported strong order writing, mostly for deliveries around Oct. 30 but as soon as Sept. 30, indicating that some stores are low on Fall merchandise.
The show featured apparel and accessories in the misses and updated categories and caters to largely independent specialty retailers.
Though the show’s organizers did not release hard attendance figures, co-owner Jeff Yunis said the exhibition space was sold out and the overall turnout was the second-highest in the show’s history.
“Obviously, buyers have no inventory right now,” Yunis said.
For the first time in several years, the show opened on the same day as the MAGIC Marketplace, rather than a day earlier as has been the case in recent years. Typically, the head start gives the show a boost, but the later opening did not hurt the show, Yunis said. Organizers asked exhibitors to each provide a show special, which did help.
Exhibitors such as Bob and Sunny Meyerson of the Studio III showroom in Los Angeles agreed the opening day was by far the busiest. It helped that the show’s organizers hosted a wine-and-cheese event and extended hours until 8 p.m.
The bulk of business for Studio III was weighted toward Immediates, though dressier lines from labels such as Svetlana pulled more Spring orders.
“It wasn’t as good as the February show, but we did OK,” Sunny Meyerson said.Susan Barry-Stedman, who operates a showroom in the California Market Center in Los Angeles with her husband, Mitch, said she was “more than pleased” with the results.
“We went into the show with some trepidation but saw all but two of our [70] appointments,” she said.
The Stedmans said they were also surprised at the number of orders they received for high-end merchandise. In particular, more than 40 orders were placed for pieces from knits line Toula, carrying wholesale price points of about $250.
Colorful Ming Wang jackets were also checking at about $90. At the same time, more moderately priced blouses by Violin were also being snapped up with more than 60 orders placed, said the Stedmans.
Los Angeles rep Fern Liberson said price was an issue at the show.
“People want great price points and they want the goods right away,” she said.
She did exceptionally well with locally produced lines such as Magdalena and DB Sport, which are produced in California and provide quick turns. Liberson was placing orders for as soon as Sept. 30.
Denim leggings from $12 to $16 from DB Sport were hot sellers as were daytimewear from Magdalena in Liberson’s booth.
Los Angeles reps Margaret Cox and Michael Bush, who work together in the same California Market Center showroom, estimated that buyer traffic was down at the show but were countered by bigger-than-usual orders.
“We did an equal amount of at-once as well as futures orders,” noted Bush, citing success with updated labels such as Insight, Lindy, Mycra-Pac and Heart & Soul.
“The encouraging thing is we’ve been getting reorders,” Cox added.—Robert McAllister
