California Apparel News

It was a who’s who of Los Angeles design talent at the Sept. 27–29 run of the Los Angeles International Textile Show, held at the California Market Center.

Among the brands and designers shopping the show were Volcom, Material Girl, Michael Stars, Single, Kevan Hall, Lauren Conrad, MartinMartin, Jarell Scott, Elisabetta Rogiani, Sterling Capricio, Smoke & Mirrors, Ryan Roberts, Anna Kenney, Kova & T, Tommy Bahama, St. John Knits, Single, Michael Stars, Current/Elliot, Disneyland Resorts, Karen Kane, Rory Beca, Junk Food, Fluxus by Jeffrey Sebelia, Brian Lichtenberg, Bebe, BCBG Max Azria, Lily Pulitzer and 7 For All Mankind.

Attendees browsed a mix that included fabric importers and converters; European mills; and the Global Korea Textile Week Preview, organized by Kotra, the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and held at the CMC’s Fashion Theater.

Exhibitors were split between those who saw primarily existing customers and those who met with potential new ones.

“There were some interesting new people, a lot of people who are just starting new companies,” said Danny Pourrahmani, a representative with Los Angeles–based print collection Textile Secrets International, a longtime exhibitor at the Los Angeles International Textile Show. “I have not missed one show for 12 or 13 years—maybe more. It’s a good show overall,” he said.

For Ramin Daneshgar, whose company, Cinergy Textiles, imports a wide range of fabrics and qualities, the turnout seemed to be primarily existing customers. This season, Daneshgar opted to take a larger booth space, expanding from a 10x20 space to a 10x30 space.

“We were busy all three days, but we were hoping for more out-of-state traffic,” Daneshgar said.

Many attendees said they were planning to visit GlobalTex, a new textile show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, as well. In the past, the two textile shows had run a few weeks apart, leading some exhibitors to question whether two textile shows were fragmenting the market. And out-of-town buyers at past shows said they were forced to choose between the two shows rather than to spend the time and money to attend both. This season, GlobalTex and the L.A. Textile Show hosted consecutive events, with two overlapping days. Many exhibitors said they were hoping the concurrent dates would boost attendance at both shows—particularly among out-of-town buyers.

(For coverage of GlobalTex, click here.)

When GlobalTex first launched last year, some companies opted to exhibit at both shows before choosing one over the other.

Cinergy Textiles was one of the companies that tested the new show when it launched but then it returned to the longer-standing show at the CMC after two seasons.

JM International Inc., a Los Angeles representative for several European mills, also tested both shows but opted to show at the CMC for the last three seasons, according to owner John Marshall.

This season, Marshall landed a coveted space near the elevators, where he showed his collections, including new lines Karmel Kokteyl, a print collection based in Turkey; Troulliet, a shirting line from France; and Opening, a new jacquard collection from French mill AB Creations.

Single designer Galina Sobolev was on the hunt for new and novelty fabrications. “Animal prints continue to be very strong for Single- I was actually looking for animal prints in related colors, but different sizes that I could mix together,” she said. “I found some great items at Classical Silk, Preview Textile Group and Textile Secrets International.”

Sobolev said she was also looking for novelty knits in heavier weights—for “those ’80s-inspired dresses we all reminisce about, the new generation can’t get enough of them”—as well as eyelet fabrics for Single’s “’Mad Men’ ’50s summer dresses.”

Sobolev said she was planning to visit GlobalTex on the final day of the show.

New York–based Preview Textile Group celebrated its 16th consecutive season at the L.A. Textile Show this season—as well as the first anniversary of its West Coast showroom in the CMC, according to company representative Steve Hirsch.

“This show is and continues to be an incredible venue for us. We have built and grown our client list exponentially through the years,” he said, adding that “the vibe” this season was “certainly upbeat.” “Business wise, it seemed designers were streaming down their collections to maximize their visions. Very focused on selecting the right items. In the past we have seen people ask for a little bit of everything.

Among the new exhibitors was Rodney Hamilton, whose New York–based company, Premium Furs, is the new exclusive agent for faux-fur mills Tissavel, based in France, and Tyber, based in Belgium.

“We just did Premiegrave;re Vision New York, and we’re trying to gauge what the West Coast is like,” he said.

The two collections carry a high price point—20 to 50 euros per meter—but low minimums—30 yards for color and style. “I think we’ll get a few test samples,” Hamilton said. “That’s what’s interesting about a show. Slowly, you see the return.”

Among the people showing at the Kotra pavilion in the Fashion Theater was Michael Park, president of Tae Yung Co. Ltd., which is based in Kyunggi-Do, Korea, with a U.S. office in Los Angeles.

This was the second time Park has been at the show, and he said most of the people he met with were new potential customers. “A lot of people were asking about prices and minimum orders,” he said. Tae Yung’s fabrics run between $3 and $5 per yard, depending on the quality, and are available with 500-yard minimums. In addition, some items ship within four weeks, Park said.

For Lenzing Fibers—maker of Tencel, Modal and Viloft fibers—the show offered a chance to brand-build and meet with existing and potential clients.

“Yesterday in the afternoon was probably the best,” said David Adkins, Lenzing’s director of sales, on the last day of the show. “We saw some good mill partners coming through.”