California Apparel News

LAS VEGAS—There was plenty of new merchandise to see at the recent run of Las Vegas trade shows, and buyers zipped from one end of town to the other to shop among more than a dozen events.

Changes in venues for several Las Vegas trade shows had buyers traveling between the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo & Convention Center, The Venetian, The Bellagio and the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino.

The big news this year was the MAGIC Marketplace’s decision to split the show into two venues. The show’s men’s offerings—including MAGIC Menswear, S.L.A.T.E., Street and Premium—moved to the Mandalay Bay, as did the Project Global Trade Show. New show Workroom also bowed at Mandalay Bay this season. Over at the Las Vegas Convention Center, WWDMAGIC, Pooltradeshow, Sourcing at MAGIC and new footwear show FN Platform were held in the North and Central halls. The Off-Price Specialist Show remained at the Sands, and Moda Las Vegas, AccessoriesTheShow, MRket, Capsule and CurveNV all returned to The Venetian. ENK Vegas moved to The Bellagio this season, and Women’s Wear in Nevada remained at the Rio.

Some said the changes and new venues diluted traffic, although many buyers said they planned ahead and scheduled their appointments far enough apart to allow for long waits in the taxi line.

Morgan Perez-Rubio, men’s buyer and store manager of The Blues Jean Bar, a seven-store chain in San Francisco, acknowledged that traveling between the shows ate up a lot of time and tried to factor that into his appointment scheduling.

“I would say from a buyer standpoint, it makes it a lot easier hellip; if things could be better grouped proximity-wise,” said Perez-Rubio, who shopped ENK, Project and the MAGIC Marketplace. He spent more than a full day at ENK, where “all of [his] stronger vendors” exhibited and the “professional” atmosphere made it easy to focus.

Project’s new venue was praised by Karen Meena, vice president of Ron Robinson at Fred Segal, who said she found the show to be much easier to shop than in past seasons. “I liked the show much better than the last few times. It was much cleaner, the aisles were bigger, there were fewer [brands] and it felt better organized and much more manageable,” she said.

Workroom, the new upscale contemporary show, debuted next door to Project with a mix of 21 lines. Although many exhibitors reported somewhat sluggish traffic, most said they were pleased with the caliber of retailers walking the show. And all praised the show’s airy, loft-like look and curated lineup of brands.

“The space was really nice and open and intimate, and it was a nice place to meet and work with clients,” Yves Spinelli, a rep for the Hatch showroom, said. “There were some nice emerging lines in there, and it was a nice mix of new and interesting designers.”

MAGIC’s decision to move its men’s resources to the Mandalay Bay drew praise from several retailers and exhibitors.

Retailer Don Zuidema of LASC boutique in West Hollywood, Calif., said he felt attendance grew at MAGIC Menswear, Premium, S.L.A.T.E. and Street because they were located just a short walk up a flight of stairs from Project.

“They were distinct shows in one venue,” Zuidema said of Project and MAGIC. “The foot traffic at MAGIC was as good or even better than in the past.”

Buyers from Fred Segal Man, Zappos and Villains were reportedly at the show. Specialty chain Zumiez, The Buckle and Metropark sent delegations as well as department stores Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom. There also were many overseas retailers, according to Steeve Bohbot, owner of Los Angeles–based Connected Sales Showroom. He estimated his sales at the show increased 15 percent compared with the same show in the previous year because of department-store business.

This season, WWDMAGIC moved from the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center into the Central Hall, where exhibitors reported a good turnout by department and chain stores, as well as boutique retailers.

Sales for affordable-fashion brand CMT tripled compared with its debut at the August 2009 WWDMAGIC, said the brand’s vice president of wholesale, Elizabeth Bishop. Retailers such as Macy’s, Nordstrom and Von Maur shopped the line. Bishop also noted there seemed to be an increase in attendance from foreign buyers from Japan, Russia and Mexico.

Organizers of Pool tweaked the format of the show a bit to emphasize womenswear offerings. The decision was met with mixed opinions.

“It was a good show, but I wish there were more stability and consistency,” said Oliver Maruna, owner/designer of the U.S. Rags brand in Gardena, Calif. “It seems things change every season.” Maruna is a veteran exhibitor of Pool and said he saw the buyers he’d hoped to meet at Pool but heard complaints of buyer fatigue.

According to show organizers, Pool’s Cash and Carry section did brisk business, selling everything from keychains and handbags to novelty items and accessories. “Buyers took advantage of the section, buying items to add instant newness to their stores and differentiate themselves,” said show director Stephanie Seeley. “They can buy stock and take it back with them that weekend.” Diverse mix at The Venetian, Sands

“We didn’t really have that many looky-loos [at Moda Las Vegas this season],” said showroom owner Renee Cohen, who represents Finley Color, Finley Shirts, Be Essential and Gender Bias. Cohen returned to show at Moda, where buyers were looking for novelty and value. “Their customers all have ’basic’ everything,” she said. “They are looking for pieces to add to their wardrobe.”

Cohen said she saw a mix of existing customers and new “serious” buyers.

Moda shows alongside sister show AccessoriesTheShow, where Santa Ana, Calif.–based Harveys was among the new exhibitors. The company, which launched in 1997 with its signature seatbelt handbag, made from woven seatbelt strapping, has exhibited at MAGIC, Project and Pooltradeshow in years past but decided to show at ATS after showing at its New York show.

The mood was equally bullish at MRket, located in an adjacent hall from Moda and ATS. This was the second time that Ben Olia, chief executive of Santorelli, showed at the upscale menswear show. Both times have been positive experiences for his line of contemporary trousers and sportswear.

“It was excellent for us, except for the last day, which was slow in the afternoon,” said Olia, based in Anaheim, Calif. “We had an extremely positive response to our line, which took us by surprise. We didn’t hear much complaining from retailers.”

The buyers were similarly positive at contemporary men’s and women’s show Capsule.

Buyers seemed less gun-shy about writing orders, according to Katie Kay, the sales director and co-designer of the Los Angeles–based Skingraft. “They were a lot less hesitant [this season] than in that past two seasons,” she said.

Alice Barlow, the sales director and namesake of the new Los Angeles–based Barlowe contemporary sportswear collection, also reported a strong show. “Capsule has a very specific point of view with a specific customer and a specific look,” she said. “That helps everyone get business done.”

At lingerie show CurveNV, retailer Victoria Roberts, owner of Zovo in Seattle, was coming off the “best year ever” in her store’s five-year history. She came to Curve in search of fashion-forward items from brands such as Prima Donna, Freya, Chantelle, Simone Perele and Wacoal. Similarly, Michelle Perez, buyer for Top Drawer Lingerie in Houston, was at the show looking for “pretty and a little more sophisticated and elegant” fashion bras.

At the adjacent Sands Expo, exhibitors at the Off-Price Specialist Show reported high attendance and strong orders.

Show organizers said there was an 8 percent increase in exhibitors and a 3 percent increase in attendance up to 10,200 buyers browsing the show, according to Don Browne, a spokesperson for Off-Price.

“People want value,” Browne said. “They are also learning that value does not mean junk. They are finding terrific options with branded and non-brand items here.” Divided at Sourcing, booming at WWIN

This season, the Sourcing at MAGIC show moved into the Las Vegas Convention Center. Many exhibitors, including T.P, Singh, director of Gartex Concept Clothings Ltd., based in Faridabad, India, praised the new, larger venue, saying it made it “easier to breathe and walk around.”

But for exhibitors who cater to the menswear market, the move of the menswear exhibitors to Mandalay Bay cut their traffic in half—or worse. Eazaz A. Dar, the commercial counselor for the consulate general of Pakistan in Los Angeles, acknowledged that the split show impacted some exhibitors in the Pakistan pavilion.

“The divided show also divided the traffic,” he said. “If that show were here at the same time, the buyers could go to different halls and exchange contacts.”

The WWIN show continued with its proven mix of upscale misses, plus-size, resort and accessories offerings. And once again, exhibitors praised the turnout. “It was well-attended, and the buyers were in a good buying mood,” said Jon Katz, whose Jon Katz & Associates showroom is located at the California Market Center. Katz noted that there are signs of economic recovery.

“People were opening up their pocketbooks,” he said.

For complete coverage of all the shows in Las Vegas, click here.