Focus on Women's at Pool
Forget men. It was raining women’s buyers at Pooltradeshow. Held alongside the WWDMAGIC show in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Pool ushered in a new focus and a new brand list to reflect its new home.
“There’s been a change in the marketplace, and we focused on adapting and bringing in brands that would work best with what was around us,” said Stephanie Seeley, Pooltradeshow’s director. That meant a heavier focus on women’s brands, now that MAGIC had moved its menswear to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. “We helped our dual-gender, T-shirt collections and art-based brands find homes at S.L.A.T.E. or Project or Street. With more women’s buyers here, it made sense for them to show elsewhere,” Seeley said.
In total, 200 womenswear-heavy exhibitors filled Pool’s booths, and 38 brands participated in the show’s Cash and Carry section. Attendance figures were not available at press time, but Seeley noted that key buyers did shop the show and included a strong Japanese presence. Oliver Maruna, owner/designer of the U.S. Rags brand in Gardena, Calif., 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. “It was a good show, but I wish there were more stability and consistency. It seems things change every season,” he said.
Exhibitors reported item-driven buying. The 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. They can buy stock and take it back with them that weekend,” Seeley said.—Erin Barajas
