California Is Well-Represented in D&A Paris Debut
PARIS—Runway shows, trade shows and events—from New York to Paris, it has been a whirlwind month of fashion.
This season, Los Angeles made its presence known in Paris with the latest installment of the Designers and Agents trade show. The inaugural event took place Oct. 1–4 at Galerie Nikki Diana Marquardt and included a select group of American designers such as Los Angeles–based Gregory Parkinson, Mason By Michelle Mason, Society for Rational Dress, Jane Oh, Veda, Clu, +Beryll, Calleen Cordero, Creative Growth for Everybody, Hero Crane, Melissa Joy Manning, Ian, Rozae and Strange Invisible Perfumes. According to show organizer and co-founder Barbara Kramer, the event was a home run. “It’s been really, really positive,” Kramer said. “We are really happy. Le Bon Marcheacute; was here the first day. The head buyer said, ’We love D&A. We come to the New York show. Thank you for bringing this group to Paris.’”
Kramer said she and partner Ed Mandelbaum had been thinking about launching a show in Paris for nearly 10 years but had never found the right location. When they found the artsy space in the trendy Marais district, they decided to go for it. “We thought, ’We love this space. Let’s just start small and selective,’” Kramer said. “We were very careful with our selection. ... We called one by one by one everyone who is here and invited them personally. We really need to make sure the mix here is the right mix.” Kramer said she and Mandelbaum plan to expand the show next season and will invite more international brands.
The show was easily accessible and located near other key trade shows, including Capsule and Rendez-Vous. According to Petra Berg, managing partner of +Beryll, international buyers liked the atmosphere and location of the show. “I heard that everything is so fresh, authentic and has an ease to it—also the simplicity of the presentation,” she said. “You come in, and everything is so light and beautiful and you can get something to eat and something to drink. You feel good in this environment.”
Despite mixed reports on attendance and orders written, the show seemed to be an overall success. The show attracted some of the best retailers around the world, including a strong contingency from Japan, Italy, France, Russia and Lebanon. Stores included Beams, Opening Ceremony Tokyo, Aloha Rag and Isetan. The show also provided a welcome outlet for designers to exhibit their collections in Paris. Designers such as newbie Jane Oh and other more-established names, including Michelle Mason and +Beryll, were pleased with the turnout. Mason said that, overall, the show was good. Stores were writing and noting. “I think people that we otherwise wouldn’t have met, we met here—which was the whole point of being in a show,” she said.
Kramer noted that the market in Paris is challenging in the current economy—much like the American market. But the select group of designers offered at the trade show provided a much-needed niche in the marketplace. “We’re not couture. We’re not big-box brands. We represent, I think, the innovation—but also the idea that you can pay $1,500 for a fabulous leather jacket rather than $3,000. You can buy great fashion, but it’s reachable, touchable, affordable,” she explained. “I think that is the transition that a lot of the higher-brand stores are really starting to learn to embrace. And America is the best at it,” she said.
Mason, whose main business is in dresses, also noted that price point is a key issue. “I’ve noticed that a lot in the past couple of seasons, we’ve really had to pay attention to [prices],” she said. There used to be a time when people picked out what they liked without asking for prices, but that’s no more. There are looking for something that’s a good value.”—N. Jayne Seward
