California Apparel News

NEW YORK—After a successful introduction in Las Vegas last August, swimwear exhibitors bowed at the CurveNY trade show in New York. The show, which is produced by Riv-erside, Conn.–based CurvExpo Inc., was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center July 31–Aug. 2. CurvExpo also produces the biannual CurveNV show in Las Vegas.

The show welcomed 3,193 attendees and 315 domestic and global brands. There were also return visits with more than 50 percent of buyers working the floor for two days, according to CurvExpo. Most exhibitors reported that business was steady.

quot;People are buying and writing orders,quot; said Laurence Teinturier, CurvExpo’s execu- tive vice president. quot;This industry is doing well. You always need a good bra; you need a good swimsuit.quot;

One swimwear brand making its CurveNY debut was Irvine, Calif.–based Beach Bunny.

quot;It’s been good for us to launch ourselves on the East Coast,quot; said sales director Sarah Spada.

Beach Bunny exhibited its Cruise and Spring collections, which included the brand’s signature Lady Lace swimsuits and its new bridal swim collection. One standout was a nautical-inspired red, white and blue–striped piece with bow trims.

Coming from trade shows in Miami and Cur-vExpo in Paris, Beach Bun- ny is gaining an audience outside of California. quot;The exposure the brand is get-ting in general from attending these shows is going to pay off,quot; Spada said. quot;We haven’t done a lot of shows prior to this year. Getting our name out there is a good step in the right direction for us.quot;

United Kingdom–based lingerie line Fleur of England is celebrating its 10th anniversa-ry this year and has shown at CurveNY for several seasons. quot;What I like about Curve is you get a really good qual-ity of buyer,quot; said designer and founder Fleur Turner. quot;People really like to write orders here. It’s really im-portant if you want to be in the U.S. market to come to a show like Curve.quot;

For Spring, Fleur of England presented a light and sheer collection of gowns, panties and bras with pops of pink and lime green. The brand is carried at specialty boutiques and retailer Barneys New York.

Another label new to CurveNY was Miami-based swimwear brand Luli Fama. Luli Fama presented a quot;La Vida Es un Carnavalquot; (quot;Life Is a Carnivalquot;)–themed collection. Printed pieces can be mixed and matched with solids in the same color scheme and matching hardware for a versatile collection, according to designer Lourdes quot;Luliquot; Hanimian. quot;You can make it to you. It identifies better with the customer,quot; Hanimian said. quot;Not only for the customer but also for merchandising in the store, it makes a huge impact.quot;

Hanimian said despite being new to the show, she reported meeting with new buyers as well as established clients, including Blum’s, based in New York, and Brio Bodywear, based in Canada.

The show was positive for burgeoning brand Two Figs, based in San Francisco. Two Figs specializes in high-end loungewear and sleepwear featuring camisoles, chemises and gowns for cup sizes D through G made from Swiss lace embroidery. The label picked up an estimated 15 to 25 stores at the show, according to Chris and Deb Figge, the husband-and-wife team behind the line. quot;The show far exceeded our expectations,quot; Chris Figge said. quot;The qual-ity of the buyer is good here. They’re serious about writing orders.quot;